A friend brought a brand new one of these down to the BGR shoot last weekend.

While I prefer the looks of a side by side, this rifle certainly wasn't shabby. I was taken back by how light it was and thought that this would equate to lots of movement upon firing, but was surprised to watch him during a match and see that there was almost no muzzle flip - even from the top barrel.

I had a couple of shots with it afterwards and it was a dream to shoot:
1. I found the sights instantly;
2. The fore-end was of good size and easy to hold (like most O/U I suppose);
3. The recoil was straight back (okay in this cartridge) and finding the sights for the second shot was very quick.
[4. The single trigger was a tad heavy though.]

I like the look of the splinter fore-end on my Merkel side by side, but gloves are a must - I learned how hot they get when I shared my rifle with a friend at the 2011 Nationals, he shot it first so it was already stinking hot when I got hold of it. Still, black powder is much worse for generating heat....