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There's been a lot of discussion concerning what Lloyd meant when he started this Thread subject of "A Keeper Gun". But all one has to do is actually READ and COMPREHEND his initial post to know that he is referring to those guns which are "keepers" because they have certain attributes such as "feel, fit, and finish" that make them desirable, and well worth keeping. These are the guns that many would regret ever selling. To that, I might add guns that have a certain sentimental value, such as family heirlooms that cannot be replaced for any amount of money. I have several true 'Keepers", including my first gun, a single shot Winchester .22 that Santa Claus left under the tree for me when I was 10 years old. Then there's my first shotgun, a Savage 220A 20 ga. hammerless single shot that I bought with my paper route earnings. I figure I hauled my sack of newspapers at least 36 miles to earn the money for that one, and of course, I still have it. Then there's my Dad's old Model 70 featherweight .30-06. These are guns that I wouldn't ever want to sell, even if I was starving.

My "Keeper" double shotgun is a Syracuse Lefever 12 ga. FE grade. It is the very first Syracuse Lefever I ever bought, and I didn't know it at the time, but I really lucked out because it is one of the very scarce 12 ga. guns built on a small frame. I was leaving a gun show and saw a guy carrying three guns in cases, and I asked if he had any doubles to sell. He said two were doubles, and we went to his car so he could show them to me. One was the Lefever FE grade, and the other was an L.C. Smith 20 ga. Ideal Grade with auto ejectors. Both were in great condition. The guy knew next to nothing about them. They had belonged to his late Father-in-law, and his wife wanted them sold because she felt they were dangerous to their grandchildren. He told me the doubles were very special to his grouse hunting Father-in-law, and when his house caught fire, he remembered how he was freaking out until he learned the doubles were not damaged in the fire. He had an offer for all three guns (the other was a 12 ga. Model 12 pump), but the buyer never came up with the money, so he brought them to sell for the same amount he had been offered. I only had enough money with me to buy one, so I bought the L.C. Smith Ideal grade 20 ga., and got his business card, telling him I would think about the others. When I got home, I looked up the Lefever, and saw it was actually more valuable than the L.C. Smith. I called him and he said he would bring the gun to his business on Monday so I could take another look and buy it if I wished. I was there first thing Monday AM.

As I said, the guy knew nothing about the guns, and I actually thought the Lefever was a 16 gauge because it was so light and trim. I learned it was a 12 ga. only after I took it home and dropped 16 ga. snap caps into it, and they fell deep into the chambers. It weighs 6 lb. 3 oz. and handles like a dream. In all this time since then, I have only bought one other 12 gauge Lefever gun that has the small frame, and surprisingly, it is an I Grade that weighs about 6 lb. 5 oz. These small frame 12 gauge guns do not have the XX stamp on the water table as seen on the 16 and 20 gauge guns. (I recently bought a 16 ga. EE grade that also does not have the XX stamp on the water table, so I am still finding new things about these guns) This FE grade is also unusual in that it has the engraving typically seen on E grades in the same serial number range, Krupp Essen fluid steel barrels, gold plated triggers, and sear adjusting screws, also seen normally on guns of E grade or higher. The very nicely figured wood looks like it belongs on a C or B grade, and it fits me extremely well. Had I bought one of the more typical 7 to 8 pounders, I might not have been so smitten, but this one started a 30 year love affair with Lefevers.