doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Advantages of a Lefever over a Smith?

The story was that a load of English walnut went down thanks to a German U-boat in the First World War, and Frank Major Tobin decided to get out of the firearms business.

I also believe the widespread acceptance and use of higher pressure powders would have eventually done the same.

Regardless, more often than not, the market gets it exactly right.

Best,
Ted

Keith:

I am sorely tempted (it is very reasonably priced), but I have another gun receiving the tender mercies of my favorite 'smith and I'm needing to pay him a few shekels first. You can't save them all, I fear.

I understand Lloyd. But I still think that if the price is right, it could be an inflation hedge that you can shoot. I can't think of any guns I regret buying... but there are a number of guns I sincerely regret not buying.

As for the "You can't save them all" remark, I do try to avoid adding to the project list. But at a Gun Show last weekend, I saw a Baker Batavia Special 16 gauge with 28" barrels in pretty nice shape... except for the missing buttstock. I kept telling myself I didn't need another project. So just before I left, I went back to the table and asked the seller his best price. He looked at it and said, "How about $100.00?" Knowing that the barrels alone would sell for that much on Ebay, I took it home. I blame the seller. He shouldn't have tempted me!

Keith:

If the people who hold it weren't idiots I'd probably be more tempted. It's age is obvious and yet they still require a background check and a 3-day wait. Maddening...

Yeah, Lloyd, I've been through the FFL Transfer thing where pre-1899 Antique guns are concerned several times. Many FFL's are just being overly cautious with guns that are clearly pre-1899 Antiques, or are simply too lazy to bother to verify date of manufacture.

I can't blame them for the overly cautious part, because in recent years, the anti-gun Democrats have pushed for terminating the licenses of FFL's who make even one inadvertent and totally unintentional error during a firearms transfer or in their record-keeping. Several years ago, I was discussing ATF regulations concerning Antiques with a local gun shop owner, and he called the nearest ATF Field Office to get clarification from them. The Agent he spoke with verified that a frame or receiver that was built prior to 1899 is considered to be an Antique, and should not even be entered into an FFL's Bound Ledger Book because an Antique is legally not considered to be a firearm. Still, many dealers will enter Antiques into their books, and do the Background Check that is required only for post-1898 firearms, even when you can show them the actual date of manufacture.

I did not know that anti-gun Democrat controlled Colorado has reimposed a 3-Day Waiting Period to buy a gun. I thought the NICS Background Checks were supposed to supplant all that. I recently heard that Colorado is also raising the legal age to buy a firearm. This is another Democrat Blue State that hates guns, yet will provide free syringes for drug addicts.

I recently gave my FFL guy the link to the "High Grade Shotgun Dates of Manufacture" that can be found in "Other Useful Information" on the Home Page of DoubleGunShop.com It certainly doesn't cover all guns, but is another useful source that FFL's can use to check dates of manufacture.

This all started with the GCA of 1968, when a pre-1899 Antique was just 70 years old. Now a gun must be at least 126 years old to be considered an Antique. I suppose one could just get a Curio & Relic License, but I've heard of C&R License holders who say they still run into difficulties when trying to buy a gun that is clearly legal to purchase as a C&R gun.

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden apparently will get no penalties for lying on a Form 4473 about his drug abuse and illegal handgun purchase, while his anti-gun Democrat father keeps doing end runs around the law to violate the 2nd Amendment Rights of law abiding citizens. When I was at that Gun Show last weekend, several vendors were talking about Biden's latest violation of the law by signing an Executive Order to impose Background Checks and FFL transfers on private sales. This crap is coming from a life-long anti-gun Democrat who won't do a damn thing about the illegal drugs that are killing roughly 300 U.S. citizens every day. That is far worse than a Boeing 737 crashing and killing all passengers every single day, yet anti-gun Democrats and Liberal Left Media are silent about it. Actually, they are responsible for it.

Nothing Trump ever did came close to such extreme violations of our Constitutional Rights or such wanton disregard for the lives and safety of our citizens. Yet we have fools right here who continue to make stupid excuses for why they intend to support and re-elect the corrupt anti-gunner Biden, and other anti-gun Democrats. Not only are these guys not on our side... they are proving beyond any doubt they are mentally unfit to own any guns.

So, it appears to me that sidelocks are going to be more of a problem with cracking and/or breaking at the wrist because there is less wood in that area. I don't ever remember boxlocks having that much of a problem. I don't ever remember hearing or seeing Winchester Model 21s, Fox, Merkel or any other boxlocks with a cracking problem. Is that a correct assumption?

Boxlocks aren't known for this type of problem. They aren't as artistically wrought (and there is an argument that sidelocks have better trigger pulls) but boxlocks clearly aren't as prone to problems either.

The three day wait on firearms in Colorado does not apply to C&R firearms, only those made within the last 50 years. Not ideal by any means and I certainly do not agree with the wait period but I am happy to see the exception for older guns in place.

I have always collected Model 21s. And I have seen small cracks or chips in the wood around the metal. But I don't ever remember seeing where a Model 21 was broken or cracked at the wrist from shooting. But I guess side locks have their advantages too. Thanks, Lloyd.

Jimmy box locks, especially those with scalloped fits to their stocks will often crack and Metkels are no exception to that. The cracks are usually quite minor and easily dealt with.