doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Back Action v. Bar Action - DGJ Winter 2006

On page 89 of the Winter 2006 edition of DGJ is a Kimber Valier ad that says it is a "true back action" but the picture shown is what I understand to be a bar action. On page 33 of the same issue is a Kimber Marias ad which says it is a "true back action" and the picture shown actually is what I understand to be a back action. Am I missing something or is the "copy" in the Valier ad just wrong. If so I hope Kimber is more careful with their manufacturing than they apparently are with their advertising.

John;
Are you looking at pictures of the actual working parts of the lock, or just the plate in the gun. There are numerous sidelock guns which use a back action, with a plate which looks like a bar action. I have examples of 3 of these; J P Sauer, J B Clabrough & Baker. This give one US, one Brit & one German. Although I no longer have one the L C Smith also fits this description. Have no idea about the Kimber's though.

Miller: In the Valier ad they show the actual working parts of the lock. My understanding of the distinction is that the v spring is in the "bar" part of the lock in a bar action and in the "back" part of the lock in the back action. The ad copy in the Valier ad seems wrong but maybe its me. John

Usually, you can see the head of the pin that holds the spring in the front of the lockplate (bar) of the bar action gun. A Back action gun will have no pin in the bar section of the lockplate.

John; Total agreement on your definition. Would tend to agree with your assesment also. Just checking to make certain you weren't making it on the shape of the plate. This has fooled several folks over the years.

Obviously they got the ad copy wrong. It looks like the ad for the back action gun was done first, then they attempted to reuse major portions of the ad for the bar action gun and forgot some changes that needed to be made.

Stuff happens.