Like Rocketman said, the forearm shows lots of use (checkering worn to the nub). Add replacement barrels, Id wonder if not at least a bit tired, if not more so. Id want to examine that gun closely before I jumped in. A lot would depend on the price for me. As a side note, I once asked David Trevallion what he thought about Henry Atkin guns, and his response to me......theyre old.
I shoot a gun made in 1920 that works as well today as the day it was made. Old doesnt matter. Condition does.
1920 was a third of a mans lifetime, and perhaps the most important 30 years of critical understanding of production, composition, and development of steel since 1890. If we are still talking about the gun the OP is considering, the front wood and the inscription on the tubes give an indication of condition, and it demonstrates considerable use.
Were it me in his shoes, that gun would be a conditional buy, with the passing of a completed inspection, gladly at my cost, by one of the recognized double gun smiths, say, Dewey Vicknair, Del Whitman, Kirk Merrington, or, whoever holds a similar reputation in Canada.
That said, I admit it isnt me. Good Luck was a statement I didnt mean lightly. Few things in the hobby burn money faster and harder than a sick sidelock with a pedigree.
Best,
Ted
