doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com What would be a good book....

This was of course purely speculation on someones part. It could of course have been quite easily proven had the A&D shortly made the sidelock obsolete. This I think we all realize did not take place. There are in fact even at this late date many (Myself Included) who prefer a sidelock above an A&D.
There were also Boxlock muzzleloaders, though not strictly speaking A&D actions.

Flintlocks were sidelocks.

The moves to make guns with internal hammers were dominated by sidelock designs until A&D.

The A&D was developed before any sidelock designs that are still with us.

The sidelock was never 'invented'.

Hundreds of different patents exist which feature locks on sideplates.

The A&D was an invention, as it was radically different.

I guess a lot here depends on ones definition of "Invention". Thus while the A&D was likely the first self-cocking boxlock it certainly was not the first firearm to utilize a boxlock. Boxlock pistols & rifles date well back into the percussion era & I believe also into the flint era. If adding a self cocking mechanism to a sidelock does not constitute invention then neither would it for a boxlock. Both would thus simply seem to be Adaptions.