doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Bad photos, nice Lefever.

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=60399137

I just got this gun tonight and have to say that I am very pleased. Looking at the photos it looked like a gun with little finish but decent metal and a solid stock. Not often that I just buy the gun and hope for the best but I did in this case. Figured that I might have to restock the gun if the stock was oiled soaked and cracked. What a pleasant suprise it turned out to be. I love those old gun cases and this one just looks like it was used for years by a man who hunted first and worried about looks later.

Shame the photos do not do justice to the gun. First the gun has been restocked, but the fit is excellent and I like the color and contrast of grain in the stock. It is english not black walnut by the way. Old job and well done. The finish is decent but could use a little more work. That is easy to take care of.

The barrels are a much darker black and white finish than the pictures show. Not a 100% but so near that I will not bother with them. Bores are perfect, no dents and choked .040 and .040.. In short the only minor problem is that they used an original looking butt plate and left a very small gap along a small area on one side. A leather pad should take care of that problem. Metal on the side plates looks like it was blued but it is case color that is fadded with I suspect a little old bluing touch up along the way. No Mr. Ed tourch job here.

So I figure the owner had it restocked, barrels refinished and then shot it only a limited amount after that. Wish he had a 20 gauge for me to buy as a stablemate. I have seen a lot of Lefevers sell for less than $1,000.00 but none in much nicer shape than this one.

Nice!!!!

Jon, that is really a nice looking old Lefever! Bobby

Jon

That is a particularly handsome Lefever with that understated conservative G engraving and a deep figured beautiful stock.

I'd consider that case almost as nice as a spare set of barrels.
The case is definitely worth time from the standpoint of inspection, reinforcement, as necessary, and treatment.

Fine addition, Jon.

Addendum

The original butt plate could probably be filled with black-dyed epoxy and dressed down to be indistinguishable. There are also aftermarket butt plate replacements, such as those from Galazans.

I have seen that exact case with Lefever markings. Look closely before you dismiss the old case as a common generic case. Post your information on the Lefever site. They should enjoy your gun.

VERY nice! Makes me kick myself for passing up the F grade I saw this morning at a gun show for $995.00. Had to pass. Have to sell one to buy one.

Gorgeous gun there KyJon. It looks like whoever did the restoration work did an outstanding job.

I wonder how long ago it was restored?

Anyway, congrats on a great gun at a great price.

KB

No clue who did the work. Based on the degree of wear it was long ago. Who ever did the stock job would get all my Lefever work. Excellent work and the checkering has to be 24+ lines per inch and perfect. The case even cleaned up well with a little saddle soap and soft rubbing. One seam to fix and good for the next 50 years.

I would rather do a Smith than a Lefever restock and that is saying a lot. They are not fun to do. They are labor intensive like all side plate/sidelock guns are but that odd shaped top tang makes it very tricky to inlet the top tang. Mess up most top tangs and you just move it back 1/4"-1/2" and get it right the second time. Mess up that tang, with the bulb end, and you get another blank.

I suspect one of the least understood reasons that Lefever seems to have made so many light weight guns is the the wrist on almost all my Lefevers are smaller in crosssection than any other gun that I own. The enitre butt stock is very trim and makes it look and handle very fast. A 12 looks and swings like other makers 16's. The stock is very thin in the wrist and good grain flow is very important. I suspect that the reason so many have been cracked is not so much the heavier modern loads but the very thin wrist did not tolerate recoil very well and any grain flow layout problem doomed them to cracks and breaks.

This gun is going to the farm when Goose season opens with hopes of adding a couple of them to the Christmas fare. Should that fail it will make the trip in a few weeks with my 10 gauge to a much better place for geese. Have gun will hunt. Thank goodness for Bismuth shot and MEC.

Very nice. What do you plan to do with the lever left of center? Does the adjusting screw help at all in that regard?