doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lefever question?

I am not a Lefever owner. Now, that established my question. I am looking at a 1904 G grade Lefever to purchase. In attempting to remove the barrels from the receiver, they are hung up on something in the slot. Rather than lifting free there is something, perhaps the hook retaining the lump. As it is not my gun i am not familiar with barrel separation. Is there a 'trick' to this simple action? Thanks.

On some Lefevers during one period of time, I have seen guns where one, with the barrels open as far as possible, must reach in under the barrel flats and manually push a hook out of the way to allow the barrels to come all of the way off.

A 1904 serial number range G Grade should have the large cocking hook. It was the two hook guns which required manually reaching under the barrel flats with a pencil or small screwdriver to separate the hooks to allow removal of the barrels from the frame.

I've had a couple large hook Lefevers that gave me this problem. On one, someone had added a bit of weld to the nose of the cocking hook for better engagement with the pin in the barrel lump. The weld was probably added after someone who didn't know better removed too much material from the nose. But when the weld was dressed down, not quite enough was removed. I had to drift out the pin in the lump to get the barrels off, to see what was going on. This pin is small and very easy to lose. Dressing the nose of the cocking hook is a slow cut and try process. If you don't remove enough, the barrels cannot be removed (unless you knock the pin out of the barrel lump). If you remove a hair too much, the gun may not cock properly.

On the other gun, I believe someone who didn't know what they were doing messed with the compensating screw in the action knuckle. Or they may have replaced the cocking hook with one from another gun, and it wasn't fitted correctly. I was able to free the barrels in the usual manner simply by pushing them firmly all the way toward the breech as I removed them.

The last side plate Lefever was built 105 years ago. That amount of time helps to explain why it is getting harder and harder to find one that hasn't been messed with. I myself would probably use this problem as a dickering point to get a better price. But if I was in the position where I had to pay to send the gun to a gunsmith who understands Lefevers, it could be a deal breaker. If you mess up the cocking hook, you can't just simply go out and buy a replacement.

Thank you for your replies. This helps a great deal. I now know what to look for with this LeFever. If the compensation screw was messed with how can I determine this and is it possible to make an adjustment to free the hook?

Most of the time, the compensating screw in the action knuckle is very difficult to move. As a result, most people who attempt to move them, whether successfully or not, will leave some marks or damage to the screw slot. This is often done incorrectly when the real problem is wear in the bolt or the bolting surface in the rib extension.

One thing I should have mentioned is to make certain the gun is not cocked when you attempt to remove the barrels. The G Grade has cocking indicators. You can de-cock a Lefever without dry firing by opening the gun fully, then holding both triggers as you close it. Then remove the forend, and try removing the barrels, again making sure to push them back toward the breech as you open the gun. The cocking hook should remain down in its' recess in the frame. If it is coming up and cocking the gun as you attempt to remove the barrels, then the engagement of the cocking hook and the pin in the lump is incorrect.

Only the top of the cocking shook should be above the recess in the frame when you remove the barrels, as in this pic. The nose I spoke of is that near vertical area on the hook that faces the breech.



And here is a pic of the pin in the barrel lump that engages the slot in the cocking hook. If this pin is in that slot as you attempt to remove the barrels, you will not be able to remove them. I would not advise anyone who is not very familiar with this critical relationship to attempt doing any work themselves. A lot of so-called gunsmiths will mess this up.

Pull the extractor out all the way and then try it...Geo

I agree with George as that sounds like a good suggestion, and I can also add... that I will try it on a gun I can never get apart


That said I have a D grade Lefever I can never get the barrels off of. I have to let the hammers down ( OR "fire the gun") before I can get the barrels to release from the cocking hook.
One nice feature on the LEfevers is that you can let the hammers down without dry firing the gun if you prefer. Simply hold the top lever all the way to the right and close the gun while holding the triggers. You will feel the mainsprings pull the gun closed as you do so. Then my barrels come off without a hitch.

I'm really curious to hear your reasons for why you think that pulling the extractor all the way out, as Geo has suggested, would help matters when trying to remove the barrels from a 1905 G Grade Lefever?

And do you know the reason for this little problem with your D Grade?

I only have one two-hook Lefever, A 12 gauge G Damascus sn 20,633. I have never had to do anything to remove the barrels on it other than take off the forend, push over the to lever & lift the barrels from the frame.

I have a pivot opener @ # 10,515, the above mentioned two hook & the rest are large hook guns, starting at #29,471 & going through a late Ithaca assembled one with two SNs, 73,338/73,342. On any of these, I can take the barrels off regardless of whether the hammers are in the cocked or fired position. The location of that cocking pin through the barrel lug on the large hook guns is extremely critical. I only have one which gives any trouble & it was bought as a parts gun & the pin had been "Re-Located". The only way to assemble or dissemble it is by emoving or installing the pin.

I don't have the barrel removal/replacement problem on most of my lefevers. There is one HE Grade large hook version that I do have the problem with.

Manipulation of the top lever does no good. Then I took a look at the action lugs and noticed the part that actuates the extractor was blocking the gap between the two parts of the lug.

Extending the extractor/ejector released this part which could then be pushed back toward the muzzles to open the gap so it will accept the cocking hook. Works on mine. I suspect it is a wear problem...Geo