Jones under levers are extremely strong actions. Many were still being used for double rifles, long after the top lever came into fashion. Side levers and push forwards under levers are really neat. I had been looking for a Lang push forwards under lever for several years. Most were worn out or seemed to cost twice what I wanted to pay. I found one which is swept for central vision and bought it for a bargain. Shot it last weekend at sporting clays and had a decent 44 out of 50 on a course that I consider very easy. Missed four birds on the first station. I stopped over thinking about shooting a central vision gun. After I started just concentrating on seeing the bird and focusing on the bird I got into a groove.
I have several non top lever hammer guns. The period of 1860-1875 saw a lot of locking systems come and go and hammer guns can be found in almost every flavor. Find a gun with solid barrels and the rest will take care of itself. Do not rule out a sleeved gun. While they may weigh a bit more they will give years of service. In fact, most hammer guns will have tired barrels after 140-150 years of life. I always look at a sleeved gun as a gun brought back to life.
