If you want to see a stunning sidelock look for a Fabbio Zanotti pinless. I have an old photo of it but cannot go through the hoops to post it here. Being pinless it bypasses the pin worries.
The sidelock action was a development based on the hammer gun. Compared to an internal tumbler action such as the Dickson or the Browning Superposed it is obviously more old fashioned and complex. But lords and earls used sidelocks and the cachet remains high, for those that are impressed by titles and such.
