Greg: I have thought about this question a lot. The only advantage for back action locks is that less metal is removed from the receiver itself and so the back action lends itself to powerful cartridges like those of big bore rifles. IMHO, the bar action lock is in general more pleasing to the eye and has a more graceful appearance than most back action sidelocks. There are some back action sidelocks which appear similar to bar locks but lack the pin normally located on the bar of the lock itself.
