doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DIY Gunsmithing @ doublegunshop.com Lefever top lever to left - how to correct

Have a tight Lefever G, old style with sears on the side plates, with a top lever to the left. What generally becomes worn enough to allow this, and subsequently, what�s the approach to move it back right?

Very early Lefevers had several wear compensating features, but some were eliminated over time. I doubt if your early G would have had the compensating screw in the top of the frame above the bolt for tightening up the bolting. I think that feature ended with the end of rod cocking. So the best and easiest way to get the top lever on a later Lefever to go back right of center is to replace the bolt. The bolt engages the tapered notch in the rear of the doll's head rib extension. As either the notch or the bolt wears, the top lever gradually moves left. This wear can become accelerated by firing heavy loads or by a weak top lever spring, which allows the locking surfaces to get hammered. You could spend a lot of time looking for an original bolt that is thicker, or you could have one made a few thousandths of an inch thicker. The bolt is a separate piece mounted on the bottom of the top lever. It is relatively uncomplicated, but you would want to make it out of suitable steel that could be hardened and tempered after fitting.

You do see the occasional Lefever that has peening or other damage to the top or sides of the doll's head where some jackass attempted to tighten up the bolting notch. That method is obviously not the way to fix the problem. And as long as the top lever moves firmly enough to the left to securely lock the gun closed without any slop, the problem isn't serious enough to resort to such measures, which will only destroy the value of the gun.

Thank you. I�m familiar with interface of the bolt to the top lever, and wondered if that was the thing to focus on. Currently, not a big deal. Top lever spring feels a bit weak, but it works. Not sure if it�s been shooting stout louds before, but it won�t while I have it anyway.

Thanks again.

If the gun is tight, then leave it alone.

Weak or broken top lever springs are one of the most common problems that occur in hammerless Lefever shotguns. It happens across such a long period of production that I believe they must have had a very large quantity of top lever springs made at the same time that were either improperly tempered, or made from a poor grade of spring steel.

If you are going to play with repairing and restoring Lefevers, you will want to learn to make this particular spring, because finding a good original is never easy. When you make one, take the time to make a few extras, because it is only a matter of time before you find another Lefever with the same problem. Here's a pile of Lefever parts that recently sold online. They thoughtfully included the broken top lever spring so you'd at least have the dimensions to make another.

I fashioned one out of general BLE top lever spring once.

Does anyone on the forum make them?

I've made a few of them, but always made the mistake of not making several spares at the same time. I don't know of anyone who makes them other than gunsmiths who produce them one at a time as needed.