doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Happy 100th Birthday.........

........ to the lowly Lefever Nitro Special (1921-2021). What a neat basic American gun.

A rock solid classic indeed. Mine is a 1925 example, the last year of the original long frame, and came out of the mountains of West Virginia. It, too, is a 16 with the original short chambers and 28" barrels choked M & F. With mirror bores, 50% case color and right of center, it’s a nice example of a working man's double.

The St. Paul gun club used to host a sweet 16 gauge shoot. I imagine after the world goes back to normal, they will again. But, it was great fun while it lasted.
Here is my entry:



I have a nice little pile of nontoxic loads for it, and use it regularly at a Federal WMA up the road. The gun is a 1937 vintage Nitro, 2 3/4” original chambers, 26” tubes, cylinder and modified chokes. The barrels had furry rust on them when I got it, the reason my gunbroker bid of $257 was the winner. Ken M. reblued them. The rest of the gun looks like new. It came from Connecticut, and I like to think some depression era guy got his dream grouse and woodcock gun, and then forgot he had it. But, who knows? It wasn’t used much.

My nontoxic specific gun is not only a double, but, a 16 gauge, and almost 85 years old.

Ted