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Only Side lever opener I have is a Birmingham proofed W Richards, likely made by J P Clabrough. This is a pre 1887 back action hammer 12ga with left side lever. I keep this gun because it belonged to my Grandfather, it is a non shooter. I have of course handled it & tried it for feel etc. The thumb piece for this lever lies just enough below the thumb as to prevent it being hit. A mere drop of the thumb & it is there. Total movement of the lever's extremity from bolted to open is less than 3/8 inch & takes hardly no effort at all. It is certainly easier & quicker than any top lever I have ever used & a top lever is basically what I have used for some 65+ years.

My conclusion is that anyone who would not like this side lever has likely never tried one & therefore knows not one thing about which they speak. Amazing that the lowly firm of Clabrough figured out the lever should be on the left while a prestigious firm as Woodward didn't.

"I mean, count how many there are compared to top lever guns at any time in history and figure out how wonderful they were. NOT!"
Count how many Crescent Arms or Stevens Doubles were made in comparison to Purdeys. What have you proved?? Sometimes its Lonely at the Top"

When it comes to Crescents and Stevens vs Purdeys, somehow I think price is probably the 500 pound gorilla in the room. After all, there are also a lot more Fords on the road than Rolls. It's likely the best selling make and model Brit gun ever was the Webley 700. They're good guns, but no one is going to argue that they're the best guns.

You fail to grasp the point that Miller was making, Larry. That point being that sheer numbers of production, of differing designs, is not a reliable indicator of usefulness..............even if the example he used isn't perfect by all "considerations". It is obvious to me that he wasn't arguing that Crescents and Stevens(es) were at the top of the quality list, but that they were far above Purdeys in number and use. Thus validating his claim that sometimes it is lonely at the top. Evidently you assumed, wrongly, that he meant the top of the quality list. Everybody on this board knows that Miller is smarter than that, including you.

Did you ever refuse to vote to approve the minutes of a board or committee meeting because a comma was in the wrong place? Just curious.

SRH

I remember Dewey Vicknair made a statement to the effect, that the sidelever is the superior system and the top lever is really an abomination. I don�t know if I necessarily agree the top lever is an abomination, but Dewey is a high level gunsmith and I�m sure he gave it a lot of thought before making such a statement. Maybe he�s right? Maybe not?

Beretta should immediately fire all involved in the abomination of this shotgun.

That thing is not just ugly it is butt ugly.

Thank you Stan;
At least one person here was able to interpret what I was saying. Perhaps the reason the side lever lost out to the top lever was so many makers insisted on putting it on the wrong side.

Keep in mind everyone, this lever only withdraws the bolts. It does not require great effort to accomplish that. "Uncle Dan" Lefever's first "Hammerless" design was a sidecocker. This gun used a long lever on the left side for cocking the hammers, but it did not open the gun. It had a thumb push opener on the top tang for that. Have seen a couple of these but never had the privilege of handling one so can make no comment on their ease of use.

That left side opening lever is though extremely easy to use. Only wish the gun I have with this lever was usable. Unfortunately it went through many years of neglect & abuse before I acquired it.

I read seven pages of responses and thought I had missed something, so I went back to page 1 and looked at the pictures again. Nope, still ugly.

What is that stock made of? Is it plastic? The pictures make it look like that bakelite stuff Stevens used to put on their guns back in the fifties.

I can understand someone in the design room wondering, "What if...," but it should have stopped in the model room. And double triggers ain't gonna' save it.

I can just see Walsingham, Ripon, et al, and their loaders demanding side levers so as to facilitate the shooting. NOT!
I'd be guessing about the first time that left side side lever caught on Ripon's hat as he passed the gun would be the last.

The top lever may not be the end all design but there has certainly been more than adequate time for other innovation in gun design to have come up with a viable replacement.

In all of my shooting experiences I have always carried & loaded my own gun. I have never had the benefit of a Gunbearer or Loader. Therefore what Walsingham, or Ripon used or desired means Diddly Squat to me.

As I mentioned all my doubles I have used over the years had top levers. I have absolutely nothing against a top lever. Just from handling this old hammer gun with the left side lever I can see it would be as easy & fast, or more so, to operate as a top lever.

That is all I am saying. To totally condemn one item simply because another is more popular is extremely Shallow & Nearsighted. I could totally enjoy a nice looking gun with a left side opening lever. I do agree this New Beretta is not it, even if the lever was relocated to the other side.

I do not know absolute numbers but I believe A&D boxlocks far outnumber side locks. An A&D is way down my Personal list of desirable guns, its popularity not withstanding. As I have said on several occasions at 80 years of age I am quite old enough to have my own opinions on things.

The A&D boxlock is king. If I was told it was the only gun I could own, I wouldn't feel as bad about owning the A&D as I would feel about getting told I could only own the A&D. I've seen it printed that God himself shoots a pair of Purdey hammer guns, but, if God is a practical sort of guy, I'd bet he has at least one A&D boxlock, as a backup, or, for when it is raining. A nice, cased A&D.
The Beretta, above, is likely mostly an A&D, with an odd sidelever stuck on it. It might be ugly, but, being a Beretta, I'd bet it works.
I've adapted myself to several different designs of shotguns, some better than others. There isn't much to adapt to with the typical, toplever A&D, and, that is a very good thing.

Best,
Ted