400NitroExpress,

Yes, not all best rifles are back actions; my comment was, of course, an oversimplification. Seems that the vast number of best heavy nitro rifles are, whether English or European. Am I mistaken here?

So far as sleek, svelte, lovely, I refer to the aesthetically pleasing lines of sidelocks in general as opposed to boxlocks.

I don't think there exist any hard service for a double rifle anymore, PH rifles perhaps, but unlikely, excepted. No one spends enough time in the bush or shoots enough, especially under tough conditions to even come close to what might be considered hard service, at least from the historical perspective.

JPK