You ain't going to believe this my Georgia buddy thought it was a 20 ga. but then he found out it was a 16 ga...and he got rid of it.
I believe it because I've seen a few guns either grow or shrink in gauge during shipping. I bought a 12 gauge Lefever H grade that turned out to be a 10 gauge. H grades were supposed to be built in 20, 16, and 12 gauge only, and I have never seen another H in 10 gauge.
Then I bought a 12 gauge Lefever I grade with automatic ejectors. I grades were supposed to only be built in 12 gauge and very few had automatic ejectors. This gun turned out to be one of four known 16 gauge I grades, and the only known 16 gauge I grade with automatic ejectors.
A field grade 16 gauge L.C. Smith is a nice bird gun, and this gun was worth saving. It might not make economic sense to pay a high dollar gunsmith to repair or restock it, but it would have been a great project, at the right price, for a skilled hobbyist.
