If your L'Abielle grade 5 is like mine, and it looks like mine, it's probably sideplated, as is mine. Side plated doubles are very misunderstood on this side of the pond. Americans tend to only associate side plates as "fake sidelocks" designed to snare the unwary. Perhaps there is some truth to that, but the French artisans in particular, used the sideplated double design to further reduce weight and further tweak that extra bit of handling characteristics. The French had proved that a sideplated double can be made lighter, smaller, and stronger in the wrist than an equivelent boxlock. Mine has the very same engraving pattern though it is straight grip.(16ga). I was told 20 yrs back that my L'Abielle is considered a "penny weight". a word that I have not heard since. The explanation that I was given for the term, was that the gun was designed to shoot a load 1/100th the weight of the gun, but I have never been able to cross reference that. I have however paid much closer attention to French sideplated guns. Even though they have the thinnest wrist in the industry, I have yet to see a cracked one. I was also told that Rouchoux produced many of the sideplated actions that were finished off by St Etienne artisans, which turned out to be correct, as another sideplated Frenchy that I have marked L Sicot, Chateau Briant...is clearly shown in the Rouchaux catalogs of the period with the same exact game scene engraving and highly unusual checkering pattern. Seems to me there is a recently published book that covers L'Abielle guns that is in French. I have also seen a L'Abielle double marked "REVE 3" and read about another L'Abielle with plume barrels. Because of the highly unusual lock up and the way the whole bottom of the gun hinges to become one massive cocking lever, I doubt that L'Abielle was just another finishing house, but rather true gun makers in thier own right. There are also Manufrance made actions finished off marked L'Abielle, but they are not sideplated. Hope this helps...no time to check spelling
