Many years ago I had a client who had a couple of Vickers sidelocks. They were serviceable shotguns and were reasonably well made. What was unusual, as I recall, was that they had coil mainspring locks. Perhaps the first coil mainspring I had ever seen in an older gun.
The coil mainspring locks were attributed to William Bakers patent of 1920. A Birmingham gunsmith.The Vickers sidelock gun with coil sprinted locks was the Vickers Imperial . Baker sold a gun built with the same locking mechanism and action under the name of Direct Cocking Gun. Whether Baker built the Vickers Imperial or it was built under license using Bakers patents by Vickers Boothroyd was unable to say. Perhaps the DJG article clarifies this.
Edit to add I looked through the DGJ Volume 1 issue 2 but didnt see any reference to Vickers shotguns Pages 93 and 95 relate to an article on double rifles
Details of Bakers patents 167050 and 167117 used in the construction of the Vickers Imperial can be found in The British Shotgun Volume 3 by Crudgington and Baker as can a picture of the Baker Direct Cocking Gun on page 204.
The Vickers Imperial was considered a mid range gun. Boothroyd proposed that Vickers had four shotguns in their range ,a single barrelled Vanguard, the Vickers Imperial sidelock, a best grade sidelock ,and an over and under. The last two guns also built on Baker patents and perhaps by Baker.
J
