Sorry, been on holiday in the UK (weather awful as usual). I just saw this thread, I mentioned here a long time ago that this was one factor (there were others) which made me go for the Holland. I handled a Purdey at the shop (made for the Queen on her coronation so it obviously had never been used much) but it was VERY hard to close. best, Mike p.s. so are their shotguns but not to the same extent and they surely do fling themselves open but as Purdey used to say "a gentleman doesn't close his own guns"