Anything special about this L.C. Smith 16 gauge double gun?

I might have posted this before with another shotgun. I'm ignorant of shotguns and am curious about this one. It's a 16 gauge LC Smith Field Grade with probably replaced wood, short butt with pad, bare metal finish that looks removed on purpose, and a super tight lock up. Anything significant about it? Aren't LC Smiths pretty respected shotguns (I think that's where my ignorance comes in)?



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There is a L C Smith collectors association / web site. Yes, they are a respected ( some would consider them a classic sxs) shotgun ( with a somewhat cult following), that sxs you have would be a “ best of breed” birdgun in my book, particularly in the 16 ga. I hunted birds for 40 years and that sxs of your’s would be a great companion in the field.

LC Smiths are very nice shotguns.

Yours looks like it’s had the stock redone, but a while ago.

16 ga is done on the 20 ga frame, so its very handy and can be a great upland gun.

These are often choked tight and tighter: you may want to check if you’re going hunting or skeet shooting. Polywad Polywad - Shotgun Shell Developer and Manufacturer - (800) 998-0669 makes ammo that will open up patterns if you need it.

These are pretty stout guns: the weak spot is where the stock mates with the side locks. You often see the stock cracked there: probably why yours has been restocked.

I’d guess it’s worth $600-$800.

Rpg, there is already a crack in the forend on the underside at the frame. It has an old epoxy in one small but wider area.

Wyatt: the cracks I’m referencing occur around the lock plates, not the fore end.

You may have a nice shooter, crack not withstanding.

Don’t try to use heavy loads: you don’t need them and they beat up the wood. 1 oz loads will do everything you need. I have a 16 ga Smith and several Parker 16’s. They’re all I use for upland hunting. Lovely guns! Of course, no steel shot in them.

Polywad and RST make great loads for 16ga doubles. Wally World ammo tends to be high pressure stuff that isn’t either needed or helpful. Most mass market shotgun ammo is high pressure to operate semiautomatic guns. Unnecessary in doubles and it tends to be hard on the wood.

It's a Featherweight size frame,,as opposed to their Regular size frame.
Ser# should start w/ 'FW'xxxx or FWE if it has ejectors.
Ejectors would be a plus as far as value.

Butt stock may be orig,,just the pad added. I think the forend is an aftermarket added edition.

Frame, lever and forend iron orig color case hardened. Trigger guard (and outside forend latch if it has ejectors) was blued.. Bbls rust blued.
Serial # will match on frame (action flat), bbls (bbl flat) forend (inside on forend iron if all three major pieces are orig to the gun. Some small parts are also #'d but you have to take it apart to see the #'s generally.

SxS's are kind of slow movers right now as compared to the frenzy buying a few years ago.
Mechanics good w/ good bores and extractors I'd think the 16 Field w/a pad would go for around $600+ considering the *** forend exchange and crack in it.
a lot has to do with where you try and sell it. Some places are shotgun crazy, others could care less,,especially about vintage guns.


LCS don't take kindly to dry firing. Pre-13 models even worse with their firing pin bushings in the breech face. The bushings have a habit of cracking from dry fire and half of the bushing rolling out the muzzle.
I think the bushing went away after about 1905 or 06 and you have just a plain flat face to the breech with firing pin holes looking at you.

If you have the bbls off the frame and fire one or both of the hammers,,you will be able to place the bbls back onto the frame but the forend won't go back on.
You have to recock the action before the forend will go back onto the gun. Don't try and force the forend back on.
Recock by rotating the cocking arms at the front of the frame each downward till it's hammer cocks on that side. A screwdriver leveraged betw it and the opposing arm is the easiest I find. Some use a very small cresent wrench to grab and rotate each.
There is a specialty tool that LCS made for their assembers and 'smiths to use. It's still around in repro form and many use it. It doubles as a mainspring compresser when taking the locks apart.
I was taught the screwdriver method at the Marlin factory.

Those guns are favorites of cowboy action shooters. I have gone through a few back in the day - I might still have two but it has been so long I don't remember. If the gun is not broken it will make a fine shooter for just about any fun purpose you can think of. "Elsies" were the best way back when; they are still excellent today.

I haven't been physically able to hunt for several years, but I'd love to have one like that. I've always preferred side-by-side double guns with double triggers, ejectors optional, and have lusted for an L.C. Smith or Parker.

It looks to be a Field Grade. Depending on age it could be an O or OO. The grade is marked on the flats of the receiver. LC was one of the last companies to chamber the 16 in 2 3/4" shells. Into the late '30's the standard chamber length was 2 9/16" . You need to have the chambers measured by someone who knows double guns. If it was lengthened incorrectly the end of the chambers could be dangerously thin. The 16 is a great gauge. Cabela's Herters line of shells are the most affordable.

L.C. Smith And cigarette Paper

Wyatt Burp said:

I might have posted this before with another shotgun. I'm ignorant of shotguns and am curious about this one. It's a 16 gauge LC Smith Field Grade with probably replaced wood, short butt with pad, bare metal finish that looks removed on purpose, and a super tight lock up. Anything significant about it? Aren't LC Smiths pretty respected shotguns (I think that's where my ignorance comes in)?



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Click to expand...

About 65 years ago I bought this very same model from Ernie Simmons, usually known as the inventor of the ventilated rib. He demonstrated to me something "special" (You asked) about an L.C.Smith shotgun. He took a cigarette paper, placed part of it
over the top of the open barrel and closed it. It sheared off that
cigarette paper like a razor blade. I think if you look closely in that
area you'll see faint file marks___hand fitted.
I bought it__and it was used. A few days later, my buddy had gone in and bought a 16 Fox. (Prettier than my Smith) We tested the patterns against an old shed in his back yard. The pattern from the L.C. Smith was exceeding superior to the Fox. And a Fox of that era was considered a fine shotgun.
I used that L.C. Smith for ten years__sold it to a buddy and bought a Winchester O&U. Another fine shotgun.
You have a keeper. Should have kept mine!
Stay safe out there.
PoliViejo

Does that one have the three position safety?

About 40 years ago, I borrowed an "Elsie" to hunt with. I was walking through a green field when I decided to test the safety. I was carrying at port arms and squeezed the right trigger. KA-BOOM!

I wasn't aware, until then, that sliding the safety all the way to rear disabled the automatic safety that many doubles have.

Very nice old piece. My granddad hunted with an L C Smith 16 ga. double, and my Dad with a Philadelphia A. H. Fox, also in 16. Both those guns went elsewhere while I was a kid. I looked and looked, and finally found a 1913 Ithaca double in 16 gauge that goes afield with me on sunny days. It takes the shorter 2 1/2" shells, and it's going to stay that way.

Muley Gil said:

I wasn't aware, until then, that sliding the safety all the way to rear disabled the automatic safety that many doubles have.

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I have saw some with a drop of solder at the back of the safety to prevent it from going all the way back. Larry

A couple other thoughts. With the safety there is a small bar inside that resets the safety when the top lever is moved to open the action. This is easily lost or miss placed during re-assembly. If it is a 3 position safety and it doesn't reset when you open the gun you can become confused what gear you are in. ( speaking from experience) Also the beaver tail fore arm puts extra force on the hanger on the barrel. This can break the solder joint loosening the force on the J spring holding the fore arm on. The hanger on the barrel should have a screw inside under the top rib to help hold it in place. These old guns are great and I have several, just some of the things I have found that can happen. Have it checked out, and shoot it a bunch!