Quality
Under the heading of “Quality”, factors such as action type, engraving, wood quality and overall fit and finish come into play. Arguably, the two most important factors in the longevity of any firearm are the quality of the original materials used and the degree of fit and finish exercised during the gun’s construction. Prime examples are English best-quality shotguns. Many guns made as long ago as the 1870s are still regularly used for bird shooting today with modern, smokeless ammunition. What’s more, many of these old guns are appreciating in value faster than prime beachfront property. For this very same reason, best-quality double rifles will always be high in demand and expensive to acquire. Most double rifles built during earlier times, however, were more modestly priced boxlocks, and there were probably at least 30 of them made for every best-quality sidelock that ever graced the African savannah or Indian jungle.
Not every best-quality double rifle ever made was a sidelock, though. As mentioned above, certain makers concentrated on making best-quality boxlocks, and these guns compare very favourably with the best made anywhere. The most obvious examples are Westley Richards and Greener, but even Webley & Scott, in their 1914 catalogue, offered
