This is to respond to various questions that have been put to me in many of the very helpful postings made in response to my initial question.

Pilgrimage to London: Maybe I will. I had initially rejected this idea because in the occasions I have walked into the Purdey, H&H, and Boss shops in London I have been treated like someone who has a piece of spinach stuck in this teeth. Not so Watson Bros, whose Michael Louca received me (by appointment) and gave me a tour of his shop and the opportunity to handle a number of his guns. I made such a pilgrimage, to Eibar, Spain, to select the maker for the only SxS I own, a Grulla. It was an unforgettable experience to speak with the craftsmen in each of the shops and handle a number of the guns of each. A rare experience in this era of mass-produced everything.

English sidelocks hunted: None (see above). Only own one SxS, my Grulla (6 lbs. 11 oz., 30" barrels, 15.25" LOP, IC and mod) and am delighted with it.

Why not Scottish RB: I am Scottish (well, okay, maybe 25% Scottish) and have read that the RB action is in some ways the "best", but I just like the looks of a sidelock, especially a rounded body sidelock.

Why not a Watson Bros o/u: Again, I am a traditionalist and so want to stick with SxS, even though I shoot an o/u better (i.e., not as badly as) than a SxS. If I ever buy a "best" o/u, it would be a Watson Bros, due to the light weight and innovative ejectors.

Again, thanks to all of your for your views.

Douglass A. Craig