Point taken David.

But...given all of the attributes mentioned here earlier, I consider these earliest Fulton guns to be the arguable "best" of both of those worlds (and in the terms of numbers produced, they are clearly the most "rare"). By even mid-1891 they looked quite different from the earlier guns (much smaller bolsters and with a now-rounded barrel lug) and by sometime in 1893 they all had that now-classic "Fulton flat-bottom" frame, which carried-on throughout all of the guns (many thousands!) that followed. While these circa 1890 guns might not have been assembled in Syracuse, IMHO they were the very last of the truly "Syracuse" type of LC Smith guns to be built.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
I shamelessly "snipped" this pix from the LC SMith webpage (I believe Mr. Williamson here is the originator)

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
My own two "transitional" guns, the 1891 Quality 1 is the top gun (I believe the "Fulton Quality 2 gun" shown above is misdated, I think it's an earlier gun)

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
My 1890 Quality 2 gun (I wish I could better index that bottom screw, maybe after shooting it for a while?) and my 1901 Grade F Hammer gun. The trigger assembly is set further back on the post-1890 Fulton guns as well, see above for a comparison.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
More "snipped" photography. I believe the bottom gun is an ejector model (1st year).

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
My 1890 Quality 2, as a comparison to the 1888 (presumed) and the 1892(?) Quality 2 guns above. All these "Elsies" have simply-huge top ribs (when compared to their English and European counterparts).

To be completely fair to Mr. Williamson here (who has done yeoman's work on this subject [he created & published the only extant database on Syracuse serial numbers]) the circa 1890 guns do seem to have less-full (more angular) breech balls. The Syracuse guns have the more fully-rounded spheres (and curious indentations on either side of the toplever that nobody seems to be able to explain?).

None of this means anything in the "real" world of course, but for gun guys this minutiae is the "fun" stuff.

Last edited by Lloyd3; 03/25/25 01:38 PM.