doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A Couple of Family SXS Guns

Here's a pic of a couple of sxs guns that I have inherited. The top gun is an L.C. Smith hammer gun that belonged to my great-grandfather. I was told it was his quail gun; it appears to be choked mod and ic, so it may have been. According to the serial number on the barrels, receiver, and forearm, it was made in 1905 and is marked as being made from Royal Steel. There were hammerless guns available then that would have made better quail guns; I've often wondered why he would use a hammer gun with 30" barrels when there were better options available. He was pretty well-off financially, and owned 600 acres of good farmland, so I would think he could have afforded a better quail gun. Maybe he just liked exposed hammers.

I was told that my grandfather made the current stock when the original was broken. No doubt my grandfather used this gun some, but it eventually wound up in the hands of one of his brothers. He gave it to my dad just before he died, and my dad immediately gave it to me.

The forearm appears to be original, though its in pretty bad shape. It stays on the gun ok when just handling it, but it would probably pop off if carried in the field. It had duct tape wrapped around it when I got it, which leads me to believe that my great-uncle may have actually still been shooting it. The hammers have plenty of strength to pop a primer, but there is no way I would fire it. The action is very loose, and I think it would be dangerous to shoot even low-pressure ammo in it.

All I have ever done with it is pull it out of the safe and display it a few times. Anybody got any better ideas of what to do with it? It would be a great thing to me to take it hunting, but I wonder if anyone could make this gun actually safe to use? I am thankful to have it; its the only connection I have to my great-grandfather, who died long before I was born.

The bottom gun is some sort of 311 variation that I know was my grandfather's quail gun. I know this because I hunted with him many times while he carried this gun. He also killed his first buck with the gun when deer were re-introduced to his area back in the 60s. He also let a number of deer get away while hunting with it, and eventually bought an A5 for deer hunting. At some point, the 311 quit working completely and was put on the shelf. After Pop died, one of my uncles got this gun and I asked him several years later what he had done with it, and he had done nothing to it.

The next time we went hunting together, he pulled the old 311 out of his truck and gave it to me. I'll always be grateful for that; this gun is the only thing I have in the way of a tangible connection to my grandfather. It was in bad shape as far as the finish, and neither barrel would shoot, so I immediately carried it to my gunsmith and told him to make it like new. I think he did a good job with it, and I have hunted doves and quail with it many times in the last 15 years. It has 26" barrels choked M and IC, and I found out quickly that I couldn't shoot it with the 13.5" LOP. A slip-on recoil pad helped a lot, but I still can shoot right over a quail on an easy shot at times. Still, its Pop's old gun, so I carry it out some every year. I spent more repairing it than it is worth, but its priceless to me.

The uncle that gave me the 311 has a young grandson that is very much into hunting and shooting. I haven't told anyone, but I plan to eventually give both guns to him. I want someone who is a descendant of my great-grandfather and has the family name to own them. I'll have to watch him and make sure that he will be able to appreciate them and will take care of them, but I believe that he will. Thanks for looking!

You're fortunate to have those family treasures and their associated memories.
Steve

I can tell you a little of the L.C. Smith. From the picture and with not having the serial number, it looks to be a 3 pin lock. These were made until 1906. The Royal Steel barrels first came out in 1898 and at that time, were the cheapest of the 3 barrel types offered then. An F grade with Royal Steel barrels cost $20.00, Best English Stub Twist, $23.00 and good Damascus, $25.00.
This gun, if deemed shoot-able by a qualified gunsmith can still be used with low pressure, low velocity shells that are under 7500 psi and 1150 fps.

That is a nice thing you are doing by passing them down to the next generation, and hopefully passed again.

Nice
Thank you for sharing this
Mike

Thanks for all the replies, and thanks for that info, JDW. I had read somewhere that the Royal Steel was the cheapest offered back when it was made, but it is now actually the best of the 3 for shooting more modern ammo. I would like to shoot it, but its in pretty bad condition to risk it.

Coosa,
For the off-face issue try shimming the hook with a slice of beer-can aluminum (just make sure the can held a descent beer and not that lite swill being marketed these days). When it comes to SXS's, I'm a bottom-feeder and before I sink money into my latest relic I like to try it out first. I've found that the aluminum shim is often a good temporary repair for an off-face SXS.
Steve

Thanks for the idea; I'll give it a try. You can see daylight between the barrels and the receiver, so it may take more than one can. Will a Coke can work? I'm a Baptist preacher and don't have any beer in the house.

The stock is really loose, and I've never tried to tighten it. I don't know what kind of wood it is, but my grandfather did a pretty good job of shaping it like the original, and I'm sure he did it all with hand tools and no knowledge of how to make a gun stock. Times were hard, and he needed the gun. I will always keep his stock, but I see that I can buy one to fit it from Boyds. I've always thought the gun itself was just too worn out to try to make it a shooter again. Maybe its not.

Thanks again for all the ideas.

I'd be more concerned about the loose stock than the loose barrels. However, assuming it's a 12 gauge you can't really go wrong shooting Winchester AA Low Recoil/Noise loads through it. They generate about 6,000psi chamber pressure, have a very light recoil and are usually what I'll start an old gun out with.
Steve
PS It's gotta be a beer can (LOL), see if you can get one from a friend of another denomination.

Great info! It is a 12 gauge, so I'll look for some of that ammo. I wonder if there is a recipe online for a load that light? Powder is almost impossible to find in my area right now, but I've got about a dozen different brands in stock. Maybe I can find something really light and give it a try.

Pb, clays, clay dot, extralite, and titewad are all great powders for low pressure loads.

All have published 3/4oz low pressure loads on their websites.