doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com LC Smith on GA

I have used an L.C.Smith 3" Ideal Grade Longrange Gun exclusively for my waterfowling for the last 5 seasons now. It has the 'special boring', and retains its tight original chokes. I load 1 1/8 ounce Nice Shot or 1 1/4ounce Bismuth, at 1250 fps, in 2 3/4" AA hulls. The gun and 'light' loads kills decoyed geese and ducks with alacrity. IMO there just isn't a need for truly heavy loads unless one is pass shooting, and even then...

Mind you, its effectiveness with such light loads I feel is due to the tight chokes. Enough pellets are brought to bear on the target to effect clean kills, albeit forcing me to bear down a bit more than when shooting an open choked gun- which is not a bad thing IMO.

None of my 12 gauge side-by-sdie guns are choked any more open that Mod and Imp. Mod or Mod and Full- I light tight chokes for all my pass shooting- whether Euro Pheasants from a Tower or Silo, barn pigeons, ducks and geese. The Full choke is the 'experts' choice, and Hunter and other new this- as std factory boring was F&F unless o/w ordered. To paraphrase my gunning Hero- the late T. nash Buckingham-- "You've about had all the thrills shotgunnery offers when you see your dove crumple up in mid-flight and vector down to the ground- stone cold dead in the air- you only get that with a tight choke and appropriate shot sizes and loads. of course, I have to substitute barn pigeons for morning (or afternoon, or even evening) doves here in MI, as there is no legal season on them--

Well said, Gary.

RWTF,

You need to be more careful to put your ending quotation marks where they need to be. You had me confused there for a bit. I knew Mr. Nash nevah' lived in Michigan.

SRH

Verify through the records that it left the factory looking like what you see now. Originality seems important to you, and it should be in this class.
No use in going any further or wondering about anything else if it isn't.
The 'Chambers 3 Inches' stamping and chamber ream is a simple after market upgrade done to 2 3/4" guns to increase the value.

Start at the beginning, get all the specs to check originality, then go from there.
This in no way is a reflection on the current owner.

+3 after Stan, RWTF.....so great to see people appreciate the 'original' tight choked guns and know how load and shoot them and make them sing !.....Good job Gary D....

Both sides very tight factory fulls on this one....L.C. 12 Ideal 30".....

Tight is right! (Most of the time)

SRH

I use a 1910 00 grade LC Smith for all my waterfowling and find 1oz of nice shot through the original tight chokes devastating on ducks, and 1-1/4oz works the same on geese. I particularly like the light recoil and tight patterns these loads deliver.



Rob.

Nope, never meant to imply that either. Mr. Nash was a Southern Gent'man from the great Volunteer State. I only live in MI by economic choice, but my heart will always be below the Mason-Dixon line. There have perhaps been a few gunning writers of note from the "Midwest"-- John Madson, Gordon McQuarrie-- but all the best gunning writers came from Dixie- Mr. Nash, Halilah Babcock, Arch Rutledge, William Faulkner- well he's a 'stretch' but "The bear" and "Race at Dawn" ain't too shabby!!

Restock it cause once you've hunted with it you'll never sell it. There's a reason why everyone calls them "Sweet Elsies" and usually right after they just finished up hunting with them!!

Get a RBL with 30 or 32 inch barrels. I installed some Carlson Imp Mod and light Mod sporting clay chokes and it patterns great. It especially likes 3" Federal 1 3/8 oz of #3's steel. It patterns awsome even at 60 yds,but the pellets may not have the energy to kill at that distance. It's a modern gun designed for the magnums so there will be no issues to deal with.