doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com British Boxlocks Explained

A really interesting discussion between TGS Outdoors and Holts Auctioneers on British Boxlocks,the workhorse of the side by side world, pre the Spanish import period.

Boxlocks Explained

Great video and well worth the time.

Simon sounds so confident about what he says and admittedly this sort of clip is for the casual observer. However, as usual there are unfortunately historical errors in what he says. The most egregious of these occurred early on when he conflates WW Greener the father, who hated center-break guns, with his son. The two broke over the issue and did not speak for 10 years. This sort of thing unfortunately leads one to sort of want to move on to something more intellectual and accurate.

I watched it a few days ago. As usual with Simon and Jonny it’s pretty British-centric but I’m used to that from them. I think the key thing to remember is people like us aren’t the target customer. We know too much. I learned nothing of note in that 50 min video although it was somewhat entertaining. Now, the first 10 guys that come to mind that I shoot and hunt with, other than CJO, would likely learn a fair bit.

I was shooting at a private hunting club a couple weeks ago and the guides are all English and trained games keepers. Graduates of a two year course somewhere in the English north. And every time one of them handled one of my SxS, they would make some laudatory comment about the gun and by extension, often humorously, about the gun’s owner. They made no such comments about any one else’s guns…..invariably some O/U. My host, who happens to have been a very close friend of mine for the last 50 years, suggested we walk back to the clubhouse after the last shoot. He wanted to talk guns. Started by asking me why the guides always commented on my guns. That wasn’t the first time it’s happened. What my friend really wanted to know was WHY do they view my guns differently than most others.

My point being that there are a ton of guys who have hunted or shot lots, who have the cash to spend if they wanted to, but they didn’t get bitten by the bug we did. To our way of thinking, they know remarkably little on the subject of what guns they shoot. That’s who Jonny’s videos are made for. And Simon joins him to hype the next Holt’s auction. Lol

I totally understand that. It's a simple entertaining video with lots of accent and properness. It's just that the falsity of some these declarations get to you. It's ok, I guess, since it's pretend, it's advertising and it's show biz along the lines of selling a car (with a dual quad, double supercharged compressor, spark induced advanced combustion air intake) but wrapped up in that sort of quaint ta ta old chap bonhomie. But it doesn't have to be like that and it does make you wonder if Simon really knows what he's talking about.

Simon is in sales. Not research. Lol.

Now, I was in sales and marketing most of my career so I don’t denigrate it. But I don’t imagine the practitioners as necessarily or even needing to be experts. What they need to be is confident and, as you noted in the earlier post, Simon's nothing if not confident.

Annoying to see them hold a Greener next to an Anson barrel set, get told of the details and never get a close up of the things. Seems that the video was got up in a hurry and camera work and editing were rushed.

Seeing that there are some hundreds of boxlocks in the auction catalog I get the need to drum up interest in the type.

Particularly as the Facile Princeps was the relatively uncommon first model with the swinging cocking hook attached to the front lump.

A very interesting and entertaining video.
Here in the UK with the current dire British economy and £ versus $ it is a fine time to consider a purchase.
Many , many SxS are simply not wanted here by the younger shooting enthusiast , gunshops will give you very little money for a SxS either as a sale or a part exchange for a new or used O/U.
For the novice you would be well advised to purchase Diggory Hadoke's book Vintage Guns for the Modern Shot ( a super Christmas present????).
Experts amongst you will realise that birds or targets can be shot equally as well with a SxS as with an O/U but at a fraction of the cost of an O/U but with far greater joy and excitement.
Enjoy the video , have more enjoyment reading Diggory's book , but have exceptional joy and entertainment shooting a wonderful British made SxS.

Great video, but I sure wish all the true experts here would show what they can do with a better one. The bar has been set and it seems many think they can do much better. I'd love to see it done.