doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com ?? ON DOUBLE SHOTGUN MANUFACTURE

I'm just a gun geek. But the matter is relatively simple for me. Talk is cheap, it takes money to buy whiskey.
Don't prattle on about what secrets you've uncovered.
You gents that have 40+ years of research aren't getting any younger. Russ is already gone. So is Bill, and who knows who all else.
Hoarding information just makes you look stingy. And when you die it's lost forever.

If it's so precious, write a book and sell it to us. See what the market actually says.

Hoarding information is petty and stupid. As to your information why try making others admire your information. Information speaks for itself. Your rants have missed very few of my favorite poster so far. I am sure that given time you will inslut them. Take another med. or deep breath or whatever you need to get a grip and perspective. The gasket that you seem about to blow is your own.

There is living room here for the expert and the dilettante, the quipster and pundit, the politically-engaged, the mechanically-challenged, the "off-topic", the just plain curious and most of the time the self-effacing drivel-monger. Despite the occasional dustup and resulting bruised egos, very few of us have managed to get Dave Weber to say "Don't make me come down there!!" If you have so managed, you're screwing with our remarkable record of tolerance and forbearance. I'd take that to heart NOW. Possible to do something positive without the gallery listening. Send "fishinghole" a message on the back channel and make him well! Might make you fit to muddle thru in the ranks of the imperfect, silly, greedy, jealous, hurtful and generally well-intentioned.

jack

Dave K ..you are correct, I will try not to engage these members further...is it too much to ask Randall and Mr. Mann to extend the very same courtesy...

Sorry Mr Newburn. I do collect primarily European, but I am not that individual..how come Johann doesn't post here any longer? Did I miss a gang bashing of Johann?

jack...I knew I was flirting with disaster by telling fishinhole about his Smith..I was hoping that if I pointed out that his gun was clearly a Smith, that the truth about rarity would come out on it's own...at least when fishinghole shows up, he will know the rarity of his trap gun...the back channel is not available to me and maybe not to fishinghole...not one member would tell fishinghole about his gun, yet they accuse me of hoarding the info...if fishinghole isn't coming back...then I am done here

Robert Chambers, Fishinghole,

I hope you're still active on this forum. It sounds like you have some experience with LCSmith SxS shotguns. I have one that has fancy scroll writing on both sides surrounding the etched block letters spelling "Marks Special". Is this something you might have information about?

~ Homesteader

Anybody?

It's a 1901 Grade 00 gun. I think the simplest engraving started with their Grade 1 guns, so this seems some thing special I'm trying to find the history about.

https://members.boardhost.com/lcsmith/msg/1713134025.html

I suggest you start a new thread, and let this one die... again.

I last spoke to Robert about 4 years ago. Not well and mostly blind. Could no longer read his computer. I don’t think he follows these forums anymore. While Robert was/is extremely knowledgeable I’m sure others can help you. Take Shotgunjones’s advice.

Homesteader, I looked at the photo of your L.C. Smith, and am extremely skeptical that this is some original and rare grade or variant. More like 100% skeptical.

Take a good look at the picture. The lock is stamped L.C. Smith in the usual location. There is dark grime, dirt, or whatever down in those stamped letters. Then look at the crude "Mark's Special" engraving. It was obviously added after the gun was case hardened. We can see remnants of the original case hardening colors. Engraving is almost always done before case hardening, because it is much tougher to cleanly cut the case hardened surface. The engraving cuts are shiny and not filled with the same grime or dirt that is seen in the stamped L.C. Smith lettering.

There is nothing here that should compel anyone to go off on a wild internet search, looking for some old defunct Mark's Hardware Store or Emporium that might have commissioned Hunter Arms Co. to produce a shotgun with Mark's name on it. There is nothing here to remotely suggest this was built as a presentation gun for Mark Twain, or Mark Zuckerberg either.


It might be entertaining to start a new Thread, just to see who might be naive enough to think you have something almost as rare as the Czar's Parker. I'd suggest you simply accept the gun for what it appears to be... a well used 00 grade L.C. Smith that has been altered with crude added engraving, well after it was built. It is not some rare variation that would be the heart's desire of any intelligent L.C. Smith collector. If it is safe to shoot, then use it as a Rainy-Day-Loan-it-to-Your-Brother-in-Law gun. Don't waste good money on a Factory Letter as you were advised on the L.C. Smith forum. Keep the money to buy some appropriate low pressure shells instead.

Very difficult to read about Chambers but that is the typical progression. My Question is just how many members on this thread have passed or are in such poor health that they cannot contribute?????

Serbus,

Raimey
rse