doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com New Lefever Thoughts

The .025 wall measurement would have to be farther back than 12 inches from the muzzle before I would be worrying about it. Even if it is not too much thicker than that a bit farther back, it should be fine with the kind of loads we want to shoot in Damascus. RST shells in 2 7/8 tens are made down to an ounce of shot (I shoot the 1 1/8) and the pressure is way low. You can buy a lot of RST ammo for the price of Teague liners.

All,
Thanks for the valuable replies.

Katie & Jessie, please send me the dimensions of the plate and the screw holes. Believe the 12 gauge might be somewhat smaller than the normal 10 gauge butt, at least to judge by the two different plates offered from various Internet sellers.

Tom, I'm a charter subscriber to The DGJ and have tried (!) to memorize Sherman Bell's pieces on the 10 gauge. I load lead and bismuth for my 10-gauge, 2-7/8" Darne and had Tom Armbrust check my loads out for pressure. I'm moving from Longshot to a slightly faster powder as a result of experience with 1-1/8 and 1-1/4 oz loads in Namibia this August. Now, as for a pad, the Darne weighs 7 lbs 2 oz. and I had no trouble with it in the field with those loads. The Lefever is 8 lbs 4 oz. and I see no earthly use for a pad although the thought of 1-1/2 oz loads may abruptly cause my view to alter (let's see, with the Brit rule of 96, a one oz. load means a 96 oz gun or six pounds and a 1.5 oz load means a 10 lb. gun...).

Rocdoc, I've been using the Little Skeeters for 10-12 to shoot sporting clays with Winchester AA's, but now sitting ready for testing are a pair of gaugemate golds looking to be bad at skeet and clays... and in the field.

Rich, email to you shortly.

Regards, Tim

Eightbore,

Apologies for failing to recognize your post. I share your view on the .025 at 12 inches from the muzzle, but Keith Kearcher noted to me that the 30-inch barrels have almost twice the wall thickness at the same point (reminds of Rich's "massive" 10-bore Lefever, eh?) and I thought to seek the Board's experience and wisdom.

Have decided to do black/white for the Damascus barrels, but to leave the present patina on the action rather than case color it. I've asked KeithK to do plenty of "before" pictures. Might get a DGJ piece out of it once the gun brings something from N.America and maybe something in Africa to bag.

NB Post above showed weak arithmetic as, by the rule of 96, a 1-1/2 oz shot load should need a gun of 9lbs, not 10!

Regards, Tim

Tim;
I have shot some quanity of the 12ga 2 3/4" magnums containing 1½oz of shot from guns of around 7½ lbs with no problem for the amount of shooting one is apt to do with a load of this type. In an over 8lb gun I would think you not have a great problem unless going for highest possible velocities. The "Equal Volume" method of loading black should give about 3 3/4 drams for a 1½oz setting, but could probably go up to 4-4¼ drams if desired without undue discomfort.

Miller,

Thanks for the experience. No interest here in the highest possible velocities! Nor do I plan to do clays with 1-1/2 oz
of shot!!

Might try some black loads for the Lefever 10, but I'd have to acquire some brass funnels etc and suspect one of the slow nitro shotgun powders would do equally well.

Regards, Tim

Tim, I spent yesterday in a layout boat on the Great South Bay (NY), hunting broad bill/blue bill, long tailed duck (a/k/a Old Squaw) and bufflehead with my 10 gauge C grade. I used Bismuth Cartridge Co. #5s, 1 1/4 oz. until I ran out then switched to some #2 Bismuth (same load, same mfg.), which a kind soul had given me a supply of. Both worked like a charm. The two guys I was with had a Remington 1100 and a pump, both 12 gauge. My old Lefever 10 gauge from the 1880s "reached for the far ones" & outdid the relatively modern 12s. Nothing like those full & fuller chokes & nothing like admiring the Bernard pattern Damascus barrels & all the other wood & metal attributes of this great old Lefever. I use automotive wax on the barrels, metal and wood to protect them against the possible splash of salt water, followed by serious cleaning at the end of the day. I hope you will enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine. Good for another hundred years. Rich

Tim, I haven't read any published loads for short tens, but for 1 1/8 to 1 1/4 ounces of shot at 1200 fps or less, I don't think you want "a slow burning nitro powder" but rather a faster powder similar to what you would use in light 12 gauge target loads, like Red Dot. A slow powder like Unique or Herco with 1 1/8 ounces at 1175 fps through a big hole would create pressures so low that ignition would suffer, especially in colder weather. Herco and Blue Dot are for full power ten gauge loads of 1 1/2 ounces or more and pumped up velocities.

Rich, I'd rather handload since I've still a few score of Federal primed hulls cut down. They do have the hot 209A primer in them. Envy the duck hunt and am trying to put together a goose hunt on Maryland's Eastern Shore where the limit is now 2 geese/day.

Eightbore, I've been looking to move to 4756 for those lighter loads and would appreciate your views.

Regards, Tim

Tim:

Please check your PMs.

Thanks.

Rem

Remington40X

PMs don't seem to be working. Nobody has gotten the ones I've tried to send, and yours is not in my inbox. Please use the email address you'll find in my Profile.

Regards, Tim