A side issue

“The broad expanse of metalwork of the side-by-side gives a different sight picture”

In the 1800s, when gunmakers were starting to develop sporting shotguns, they had the background experience from the manufacture of military smoothbore muskets. In the early days, these were single-barrel guns with a flintlock ignition mechanism for the gunpowder, firing a solid lead ball. As technology developed, external hammers were fitted to hit an explosive firing cap that ignited the blackpowder in the chamber of the gun.

More refined gun developments led to much lighter and easier to handle shotguns and, inevitably, the opportunity to give the sportsman two barrels to fire from came to fruition. The logical way to achieve this was to put the second barrel and its firing mechanism to the side of the first barrel. The two triggers were left on the design and ways found to mount them one behind the other.