16-bore 2E's are relatively rare; as although the Houchins book recaps a total of 989 16-bore Grade 2's, a third or more of those guns would not have had auto-ejectors. Also, I don't know if there has been a recap done showing the number of Grade 2's originally shipped with two sets of barrels; but to see if yours originally shipped as a two-barrel set, request a research letter from the LC Smith Collectors Association (visit lcsmith.org for details). In the original shipping records all Smith guns shipped to their original owners with two or more sets of barrels will have the length of each barrel set noted within the barrel column of the appropriate shipping ledger page; but the type of barrel shipped (i.e. Damascus or steel) will not be noted. In all the instances I've seen thus far, with only one exception, Smith guns having two different type barrels were sent back to Hunter Arms sometime after the original ship date for a second set to be factory fitted. In the case of the pre-1913 Grade 2 Gun, Crown Steel barrels were always offered as standard; with Chain Damascus as optional. It would be interesting to learn if this gun did originally ship with two sets of barrels, as that would indicate the original owner opted to have his gun fitted with a set of each barrel type offered by the maker.
