doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com L.C. Smith reassembly

I posted this on the Elsie site, but sometimes I get more and faster response here.

Uh oh. What am I missing? I have two Elsies apart while I work on the stocks. While contemplating the various methods for reassembly, I'm finding that I cannot make the top lever release back into the normal (straight) position on either gun. I can depress the small "release" lug, located in the bottom of the receiver, but that does not allow the top lever to move from its present, far-right positon. I know this is simple, but........??

It's been several years since I had a Smith disassembled but as I recall, the return spring is putting a healthy side load on the top lever shaft. This is what you are fighting in order to re-assemble the gun when you put it back into the stock. I'm assuming your gun is still apart and the bottom of the top lever shaft is still unsupported.

A couple years ago, I posted some tips for re-assembly that I read either in Brownells Gunsmith Kinks or Brophys' L. C. Smith Shotguns. The one that was surmised to have been used at the factory has worked well for me. Perhaps you could do a search here and find it.

This is the way I do it. The late Russ Ruppel showed this to me and explained on how to do it.


If you go to the L.C. Smith site, on left go to Photo Trail, opens to the right, go to the third one down. Will give you the instructions you need.

The workers at Hunters Arms used something like a 3/32" nail set into the hole of the top lever shaft(4-40) and then used an old screwdriver wilth a "V" notch to push the nail set over to align the shaft into the hole to let you shart the 4-40 screw.
If the top lever is sticking up some, you will have to tap it down so that the top lever shaft goes into the fit in the trigger housing plate.
That is the hardest thing to do, also don't forget the safety slide.

While the gun is apart, the top-lever spring may not have enough tension to spring the rotary lug over. When you depress the lug in the receiver, it will release the top lever and you can manually push it over.

I use the small brass wedge on a fishing line method of compressing the spring to allow reassembly. The hole drill and vise with a nail method didn't work so well for me. Here is what happens if it shifts a tiny bit:




Here is a pic of the brass wedge:



Best of luck, Rob.

The pin in the c clamp is a piece of drill rod 3 /32" x 1 1/2" long, permanetly fastened into the top jaw. On the opposite side, put the lock plate on, just so it is there. Placing the moveable jaw that is padded on the side plate now has a solid place to rest when you apply pressure to the clamp to move the top lever shaft.
Nautrally a small hole, 1/8" has to be drilled on the other side near the bottom of the top lever and centered on it.
I tired it the way Hunter did and one slip and you gouge the metal and wood, but then again that is what they did day in and day out.

I made a "guide pin " threaded to fit the shaft and long enough so that I could manipulate it with my thumb as I fit the trigger plate in ...work's great.

Good luck