I've got some older English sidelocks and some newer ones, one made in the 1980's and one made in the 1990's. In terms of these newer guns, I can't really tell all that much difference from the older guns in terms of quality with the exception that they are newer, much newer and because these newer guns were made with CNC machines, their metal to metal fit seems slightly more precise and the actions slightly smoother. Not totally sure if this perceived smoothness is due to more precise tolerances or if it is because of the fact they haven't been in existence and have not been used for a hundred plus years. Also, with the newer guns, the barrels appear perfectly 'struck' and a little more precisely than the very old guns. Again, I'm not sure if this involved a machine in the striking of the barrels on the newer guns?? In terms of gun weight I have chosen to buy only guns that weigh 6 1/2 pounds or less for a game gun, so no difference there in the old vs the new. Having said all this I have to say I like the older guns and the newer ones pretty much on an equal par. One nice thing about the new guns, I don't have to be so careful shooting only low pressure shells, which for me is an advantage in the Grouse woods where I like to shoot a shell with authority.
