]Just before returning home to Maine from a trip to see my brother in Wyoming, I stopped in Cody to visit one of the few real gunshops remaining in that town. A philosphy of mine is that when I come across a gun I've looked for for some time and the price is within reason, pounce on it!

This lttle L.C. Smith Featherweight 20 was just such an item. All numbers match. Uncut buttstock (why did so many need to put recoil pads on 16- and 20-gauge Elsies?). Best color case I've seen on a classic American double in decades outside of a museum. Barrels are 26 inches, M&F chokes, have been re-blacked but ring like a bell, are on face, locking lever right of center. Stock without cracks and original finish in excellent shape. Checkering clean. Right hand bore shows minor pitting but not enough to be worth back boring to clean up. Surprisingly the chambers are 2.75 inch in this 1924 gun.

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This little jewel will be paired with my new English Springer Spaniel who at 8 months is shaping up nicely as a killer gun dog. We'll be rocking in October. Here he is at 11,000 feet in the Bear Tooth range on the Montana-Wyoming border.

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That is a beautiful firearm. Nice snag.

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Absolutely beautiful. The shot gun is nice too. 😎
Kidding aside, kind of, that old LC looks to be in great shape. An unmolested gun like that is a rare find these days for a price one can afford.
Good luck with it post some pictures this fall with birds and your Springer. 👍

Beautiful shotgun! Can you share the name of that gunshop? I go to Cody on occasion (just there three weeks ago) and might want to stop by. Thanks.

Love that shot of your Springer too. Awesome backdrop.

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It's a small shop, Guns & Ammo, directly across from Wally World. I get to Cody every year or so and they have had some interesting older guns over the past couple of years. Gunsmith on premises also.

Nice looking pup. Gun ain't half bad either.

Does your new shotgun have a three position safety? Years ago, I borrowed a 12 gauge LC Smith and while I was walking in a 20 acre field, I squeezed the right trigger ad the gun went BOOM! Of course, the muzzles were pointed in a safe direction, but I was really, really surprised!

Later that day, when I returned the Elsie, I explained what happened and first learned of the safety that would NOT engage is pushed completely to the rear.

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WAR EAGLE!

^^^ My first reaction as well!

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That gun is gorgeous, looks near new!
I especially like the appearance of sidelocks because to me, they have a more graceful, integrated metal to wood look than the boxlocks.

My new old gun (1924) has the conventional 2-position safety.

Many Elsies of 1913 vintage and earlier have those 3-position safties. My Ideal Grade 12 gauge is one such. Middle position is "safe" and forward is "fire." When pushed forward to the "fire" position, these safties reset to the middle "safe" position after firing and re-cocking (opening) the gun. Intuitive and familiar for most of us. HOWEVER when the safety is drawn all the way to the rear (i.e.: past the middle "safe" position) the gun is hot and will fire. The gun stays hot will NOT reset to "safe" after firing and opening the gun to re-cock and reload. This feature was for clay target shooters, who disliked having to slip the safety back to "fire" after each turn at clay birds at the range.

Another feature of guns so equipped is that snap caps are not needed to uncock the gun for storage. With the 3-position safety all the way to the rear and the gun open and cocked, both triggers are pulled to the rear and the strikers will slowly release as the gun is closed. Kinda nifty.

Don't disassemble an uncocked L.C. Smith unless you know how to re-cock the hammers with a dedicated cocking tool (see below) or small crescent wrench! It's astounding how many rabbit holes there are to go down in the gun world. The perfect pastime for those of us with attention deficit disorder.

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When I was a kid the idea of traveling to Mars was exciting. It was relativley near Earth, had air and maybe water and life! In the past several years, as photos from Martian landers have been available, I have come to realize that i don't need to go to Mars anymore because I've already been to Wyoming. It's Mars with sagebrush.

Here's Rigby on Mars, AKA the Bighorn Basin north of Powell. ("Boss, there's no birds here"). Second photo is Rigby and his first South Dakota pheasant, on the Missouri River. Third photo is Rigby in elk and bear county up the North Fork of the Shoshone River. Last is Rigby wide open on the retreive in Maine, warp factor 4.

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I need to read before I look at the pictures! I was thinking “Maine sure has changed since my last visit and why are they installing giant pheasants!”

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Nice catch on a great classic, always liked the look of an LC Smith especially in 20 gauge. To match that with a dog is unimaginable to me. You have a few fun days ahead. Enjoy, Larry

Very nice gun and a beautiful dog!!
I used to think I wanted to be a 16 gauge guy. I had a couple lighter guns and they produced significant felt recoil. I could completely understand why they got outfitted with recoil pads.
For some reason, years ago people were fascinated by the concept of a 16 on a 20 gauge frame. They were light and fast handling but they also kick considerable unless you have some 2.5” low pressure rounds to feed them.

If the 16s you had shot had 2.5-inch chambers with 2.75-inch shells being fired in them, yup, they kick real good. (Ask me how I know). As you mentioned going to the correct length shells helps a good deal. Lengthening the forcing cones does as well.

Anyway it always seems to me that recoil pads in a field gun make less sense than in a clays gun, since they just don't get fired as much. People perceive their needs differently though, and some just need more padding.

Beautiful little double. I love Elsies.

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John

Congratulations on your gun. Whatever you paid was a bargain. I think the Smiths with the low rib are the nicest looking "Colonial" SXSs made. My paternal granddad hunted with an LC Smith and I always thought if I could get one I would be on top of the world. At one time I owned 5 but now I only have a 1935 20 ga. If I was still able to hunt it would be my go to gun. Larry

You should know that unless marked on the barrel flats 2 3/4 the chambers were originally 2 1/2. It's probably safe to use factory shells as most are really 2 5/8. Hull length is measured open not loaded length. LC didn't make 2 3/4 20 chamber standard until the late 30's, but would do so on request and mark the barrel flats. Stick to 7/8ths oz loads and possibly have the locks glass bedded to prevent the cracks behind the lock plates many LC's get. All American sxs of that era crack stocks, they just do it inside so you can't see them. The LC 20 was the most special of them all light handy and stocked with good dimensions. Enjoy it in good health and pass it on to someone who will appreciate it for what it is.