Gentlemen,

Found your site yesterday when checking out info on Double rifles and have already spent far too much time reading the posts.

I love old English double rifles and I decided a while back that I was put on this planet to own one and that life wouldn't really be complete until I did.
I'm edging ever closer to realistically being able to afford one but I know very little about them, having done all my previous shooting with modern bolt guns, pistols, the odd muzzle loader and a bit of clay shooting with a 20 bore as a kid.

I've decided I want a proper side-lock ejector by a good English maker, in it's original case with all the toys. Calibre is not a big deal to me as I reload everythign I shoot anyway, but it needs to be something reasonably shootable without being too ridiculous. It will see a target range mostly, with maybe a very occasional trip stalking in Scotland. Reasonable wear through honest use is not a problem for me but I want to avoid anything that may have been abused or shot to bits. Spotting a burned out barrel or something that's obviously been abused isn't too difficult but other than that I'm a total novice in these things. Is there anything that should imediately turn me off a particular gun? What should I check for as regards the lockwork, mechanicals, etc? Investment is not foremost in my mind, I want a shooter, but I want to be able to avoid paying way over the odds for something.

Cheers,

J.