Originally Posted by Little Creek
I've seen 2 boxlocks discharge when the barrel were snapped shut. One very old French guild gun and the other a Spanish double from the 60's or 70's. The option of intercepting sears is interesting. Don't have any idea hoe they work.

The trigger has to be pulled for the gun to go off. The intercepting sear rides on the trigger and will not allow the actual sear to leave the bent unless it is moved out of the way by the trigger being pulled.

Boxlocks had intercepting sears when they were being marketed as best guns. But, the angle of the sear and the bent is different in a boxlock, and gunmakers figured it was harder to get a boxlock to jar off than it was for the same thing to happen on a sidelock.

Occasionally, an old English or German boxlock turns up that had intercepting sears. The screws remain in the action, but, most of the time the intercepting sears have been removed, in my experience.

This one had ‘em, at one time. Might still be there. The screws are right behind the detonation, breech balls, here in the states:

[Linked Image from i.ibb.co]

https://www.gunsinternational.com/g...damascas-bbls-cased.cfm?gun_id=103390652

Best,
Ted