Shotgunlover, someone will come along soon with a photo of the joint. It is sheer genius and the design leaves a huge amount of steel at the front of the bar giving that area incredible strength. The ball does not need any retaining screw but self tightens. It appears the threads are tapered and the further the ball is turned in the tighter it snugs up. In fact, one of the hardest things to do is turn one after it has been in place for a hundred years. To me a better design would have been a straight thread and the retaining set screw you mentioned. Also, the bar of the action is as strong as they come since there is no cocking rod holes drilled in it. Lefevers are just absolute marvels of design and engineering. I too have never understood why your side of the pond didn't grab hold of it. One more technical point: it is not a boxlock in the ordinary sense of the word but a hybrid between a sidelock and boxlock.
