doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com First L C SMITH pics added

Picked up my first LC Smith. It`s a field grade in very good condition. Bores are near excellent, locks up tight and everything. I haven`t got to shoot it yet. I could use any info ya`ll have on it. The serial# FWS 143xx. It has double beads and I think their ivory but I haven`t got to cleaning them yet. The top of the right barrel reads " L C SMITH FIELD GRADE " The bottom of the barrels read " ARMOR STEEL " On the flat of the barrels where they fit the receiver is a proof mark. It is a square with a " P " and some sort of design. Under the "P" it looks like " A GO " Under the square is an " N P " The barrels have nothing to indicate what chokes they are, and their 29 3/4" My phone took a crap so that`s why I`m not able to post any pics. So with all that said I`d appreciate and help you can offer. I do reload and would like to know what components and pressures you`d suggest. I can`t wait to take it out for a test run but it`ll be a couple weeks.
Burch

Burch, the FW means Featherweight, the S means it is now from the L.C. Smith Gun Company a subsidiary of Marlin Arms.
I think you put a 1 in front of the serial number, maybe it should be 43xxx which would be from 1949. Serial number starting with 143, would be from 1935 and would not have the prefix FW S.
The marks you see are proof marks. Having two ivory beads would be unusual, most just had a brass front bead. The barrel length means it was cut, as both Hunter Arms and Marlin did not make any fractional barrel lengths mostly even numbers, with a few exceptions of 27".
I would stay with loads under 9,000 psi and around 1200 fps. I would not use any magnum type loads.

no sir, it does have a 1 to start the serial number. Same number on the barrels,forearm and receiver. The receiver has the "FWS" before the serial number.

Then that is a new one on me. The last serial number in 1950 was 56,800. The new serial numbers that started with S began in 1946 at FW S1.
If you could, post a few close-up pictures of the barrels water table, the receiver, and top of barrels. If you do not know how send them to my email address jdw110@live.com
This gun should have the high rib or what they called Single Sighting Plane rib.

This is very interesting.

Also I did look at the new Records book that was recently put out, and they did make some Field Grades with 28 1/4" barrels and some with 28 1/2" but none 29 3/4". Hopefully yours were 30" and you will still have choke, if 32" originally you would just have a slight taper.

David
Don't understand the serial number confusion; he listed a 5 digit number that would place the gun in late '46/early '47 Marlin era production? By the way, I believe FWS serial numbered Smith gun production commenced in 1945.

Tom, thanks for catching that. A senior moment, put an extra x in there.

There is no reason to use low pressure shells in that gun. It is a post WWII gun and designed for modern loads and normal length shells. It would be a good idea to have the head of the stock glass bedded to insure against cracking as LC Smiths are liable to do, but there is no reason to spend extra money and effort on low pressure shells.

Burch: very few vintage doubles couldn't benefit from a good check and clean, and as Tom said glasbedding the head of the stock would be a good idea. Smith chokes were not indicated on the gun, so they will need to be measured.

W. R. "Bill" Alexander is in Tallahassee
850-656-6176

Bill Schwarz is in Elijay, Ga.
706-276-7668

And please spend some time looking around here
http://www.lcsmith.org/faq/faqhome.html

A couple of questions here. At what point did "L C Smith" first sanction their guns for the modern shells & What changes did they make to them from the existing guns they were building at that time??

From 1893 - 1895 Parker Brothers Gun Co., Remington Arms Co., and Hunter Arms Co. all began using some variant of �Bored For Nitro Powder� in company advertising, as eventually did other U.S. makers including Baker Gun & Forging Co., Ithaca Gun Co., J. Stevens Arms & Tool Co., Hopkins & Allen Arms Co., and Crescent Fire Arms Co.



Sears, Roebuck & Co. declared in 1907 that �Every gun we offer for sale (many of which had Pattern Welded barrels)...is made to stand any proper load of nitro or black powder...� and the �Our L.C. Smith Hammer Guns� listing included the statement �Choke bored for black or smokeless powder� and �NOTICE: All our guns are tested with heavy loads and cannot burst except by carelessness, obstruction in the barrel or improper home loaded shells with nitro or dense powder.�

�Our L.C. Smith Hammer Guns� in Sears, Roebuck & Co. 1907 Catalogue No. 116 courtesy of Gary Rennles



These statements of course apply only to loads for which the gun was originally intended. The standard 12 gauge loading listed on L.C. Smith hang tags from 1887 until about 1920 was for 1 1/4 ounce of shot with 3 Dram Equivalent of powder (1165 feet per second/fps). The 12g standard was changed to 1 1/8 oz. after about 1920. 16 gauge (introduced by Hunter Arms in 1896) was for 2 1/2 Dram with 1 oz. shot, and 20 gauge (introduced in 1907) was for 2 1/4 Dram with 7/8 oz. shot.

Nobel�s Explosive Co. Sporting Ballistite for shotgun shells was released to the trade in 1895, and 12 gauge 2 5/8" 1 1/8 oz. 3 Dram Eq. (1200 fps) Dense Smokeless powder loads were reported to have a Lead Crusher Pressure of almost 3 Long Tons (UK) per square inch, which would be about 9,500 pounds per square inch (psi) if measured by modern piezoelectric transducers. Dupont or Schultze Bulk Smokeless were about 1000 psi less.

The maximum recommended 12 gauge load listed on 1908 Remington hang tags was for 1 1/4 oz. shot with 3 1/4 Drams (1220 fps) of Bulk Smokeless or 26 grains of Infallible or Ballistite Dense Smokeless. (Courtesy of David Noreen.)

Lots more infro, and c. 1900 American maker's ads here
https://docs.google.com/a/damascusknowle...ZhIiY62Hx4/edit