A common dilemma these days; either new Spanish or old English? There is something to be said for both, so of course, I own both. My 12 is a modern Spanish sidelock, made for a lefty. It fits as though it were an extention of my body and I shoot it better than anything I've ever owned. It shoots 2 3/4 inch shells and will digest almost anything I would want to put in it. It's not as light or as pretty as I would like but I use it fearlessly, which is the way it should be. The English guns I've owned and used were all either 100-years old or very close to that, and each one was long, light, and very lovely (in both damascus and fluid steel). Ammo was and is always a consideration, as was the age. They were and are only used on bluebird days and in fairly controllable situations. I know fully-well that weather in the British Isles is very seldom described as being "bluebird" and that each of these guns had seen plenty of weather. But no matter. I'm extra careful with them, and probably because of where I fit into the financial food-chain.
Last edited by Lloyd3; 02/14/13 07:44 PM.
