I asked that same question on my 10-bore Westley Richards double rifle all folding leaves rear sight, I hoped it was going to be because it could be used for both ball and shot, but alas, just my ignorance,

I'll look it up edit and add. I believe it was suggested to be that way for very close shooting (?).

Very nice .577. Long barrels from the looks of them. More like a shotgun. From an era I suppose when the long barreled rifles were still the norm. How long are they?

One thing I like is the action size. Modern .577 NEs often have that very heavy bulky action size. This ,577 BPE looks quite petite.

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