The sidelocks that first appeared were Turkish-made Kimbers, priced around $5K for a sxs. They did not sell. For that money, you can buy an AyA #2, and AyA already has an established reputation. I think the S&W Elites are OK at $1200, but they were originally priced over $2K. Had to be discounted heavily to sell. And the Ruffed Grouse Society bought a bunch of the Kimbers for banquet guns, to give to life sponsors etc. Far as I know, they got stuck with a bunch of them.
Turkey may be the next Spain, but it's not there yet. It could be in terms of quality I suppose, but the Turks haven't yet established the reputation than the Spanish makers have--and remember, it took the Spaniards a long time to overcome the effects of the cheap stuff they sent to this country, back 30-40 years ago. Those sidelocks may be good values in the mid-$2K range. Obviously lower priced than comparable Spanish sidelocks, except perhaps for Ugartechea. And at that price, they have a far better chance of selling than did the $5K Kimbers. The problem there was that the Turks already had a pretty good rep for inexpensive guns, mostly under $1K, thanks to CZ. But it's a big jump to $5K, and not many buyers were willing to take the plunge. If the S&W's and higher grade CZ's work out OK, then I think these guns may stand a chance as well--assuming they work as good as they look.
