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Just decided to take my Berreta S56E hunting tomorrow . My late father took me one night in 1983 when I was 19 to buy my first gun ,with my own money of course , this gun has took a mountain of game and vermin over the years and my son took his first birds on the wing with if a couple of Crows , I'm afraid it's a 12ga but was just wondering if any of you guys have a special gun and have any interesting stories about them , anyway looking forward to tomorrow and having my first shot of the season with my old Italian friend and look forward to hearing about your special guns , all the best WJ.

Wonderful gun the S56E.

I had an S55BV (also called the Silver Snipe for US sales)

I think the S56E was also called the Golden Snipe for US sales.

Mike

Mike , my late father had a S57E at the time I bought my S56E it was a nice gun also i remember it had a wee pigeon on the top lever I was told it was the original silver pigeon ,it was single selective trigger and pistol grip but sadly he traded it in for a new A303 semi automatic in 1990 which I still have also a great gun , my father was a 1 gun guy and I have heard it said always beware of the one gun guy , but I am like you Mike I like a bit of variety, just a pity Beretta don't make 16 bores at the minute but here's hoping for the future , WJ.

My S56E is straight stock and double triggers with the front articulated so I learned to shoot with double triggers and it set me up well for my 16ga Jeffery. All the best guys WJ.

Joined: 22 Jan 2015 Posts: 345

I have two guns that are particularly special to me. The first gun, probably the least valuable of all monetarily speaking, holds the distinction of being the first gun I ever owned. A Stevens single shot 22lr, bolt action rifle. Pop bought it for $5.00, came home, gave it to me one afternoon out of the blue, when I was 14 years old. That fall, I tought myself how to hunt squirrels with that rifle. The second, is my SA 1911, 45 ACP which I had customized by a retired USN armorer, and carried it as my personal sidearm throughout Central and South America for a number of years.

WJJ,

Your Beretta is definitely a special gun. I have many Special L.C. Smith double guns that have been passed down to me thru the family for many generations. One of my 16 gauge L.C. Smith guns means a great deal to me, because my friend Walt Schiessl made sure it came back to our family. He took it out of his personal gun collection to make sure it returned home.

I Grouse & Woodcock hunt with this particular gun quite often, it was actually special ordered by my Grandfathers cousin in 1910. The old dutchman like many of the men in our family, knew how too get the most for his money. He ordered a 00 gun with #1 Gun Engraving by Kraus, with jeweled internal side locks, DT, with high grade French Walnut Wood, 2 sets of barrels, each with it's own custom made fore end, the barrels were choked differently, one C/IC for Grouse, Woodcock and Quail, the other IM/F for Pheasants and Ducks.

As far as is known it's the only L.C. Smith double gun made like it, this pre 13 gun is in absolutely pristine condition. I have been offered a great deal of money for this particular gun, I will never sell it, the gun will be passed down thru the family to the next generation of Grouse hunters, like the rest of our family guns.

Thanks for starting this kind of thread, I enjoy them.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

L.C. Smith Pre 1913 Special Order 16 gauge, 00 two barrel set, a one of a kind L.C. Smith double gun.

Beautiful restock job Dave. Do you know who did it? It appears to have the “Skeet Style” BTFE introduced on the Skeet Special in 1929, or possibly the Premier Skeet "Streamline Beavertail Forend"? You might consider replacing the "White Line" buttplate with a repro. period correct pad - a Jostam Anti-Flinch would be neat.

revdoc,

Have the black spacer, the white was put on by my Grandfathers cousin, I have a pre 13 Pigeon Grade that has the white spacer also. Original to me they stay as they are.

The gun was not restocked and the beavertail was ordered pre production from Hunter Arms by one of our family. One of a kind and a very serious bird gun.

John Houchins was able to inspect this gun and several other pre 13 originals, that have been passed down to me. He also helped recover an 1898 #2 20 gauge gun with Kraus Woodcock and Quail engraving that has Damascus Barrels, made on a regular frame, Special ordered by my Great Grandfather for his Woodcock and Pa mountain Quail hunting north of Pittsburgh, Pa.

In reality Hunter Arms made more special order guns than any other American gun maker. Most have been passed down thru the original owners families for generations. Never say never when it comes to Hunter Arms L.C. Smith double guns. Chances are an owner will show you both the gun and the original sales documentation from the Hunter Arms Company.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

If you would give me the SNs of the 16g and 20g I could ask Dr. Jim to check the records to confirm the original specs.
It would be better not to post the SNs here, but you may email me at revdoc2@cox.net

Interesting. Mershon did not offer a "White Line" pad until the 40s

The first non-special order BTFE on a U.S. double may have been c. 1921. The H.&D. Folsom catalog No. 18 listed the Baker Expert Grade with a “new style” forend.

Folsom catalog No. 20 lists the Baker Paragon Double Barrel Trap Gun with the "Baker Perfect Grip" Fore-End.

Parker first offered a trap style BTFE on doubles about 1923.

Ithaca first offered a BTFE on the No. 4 and higher grades in the 1925 Ithaca Gun Co. catalogue.

revdoc,

Not to worry I never post the SN of any of my guns, I do not give the info out most of the time at all. I keep the original documentation that was passed down to me thru the family. Ken Graft has seen many of our family guns, we Grouse hunt together each season.

Most of our guns were special order and the documents came with the guns from Hunter Arms, including one of my Great Grandfathers A4 guns, that John Houchins family now owns. We made sure he got the original documents from Hunter Arms before his passing. He writes about the gun in his book, just prior to picking up the documents. I owe him a great debt for recovering the #2 gun for me, it's one of my favorite bird guns. Briley permanently sleeved the 20 gauge with full length 28 gauge nitro sleeves long ago. I wish I could find another set of 20 gauge barrels that I could have fit to her, nothing has surfaced so far. Unfortunately Rich Painter here in Pa, who did this kind of work for me, is now retired and his shop is closed.

Nice talking with you.

Dave B - L.C. Smith Man

Dave always good to see your special guns ,wahoo good to hear about your special guns , mine did the business today I came home with a nice rooster and also tumbled a crow , good to hear your stories . WJ.

WJ,
Good to hear you got a rooster today, the guns were made to hunt with for sure!
Be well sir!

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

I had an 12ga Browning BPS my dad bought for me in the 1980's that I grew up hunting with. Full choke, 30', and I hunted everything with that gun and shot countless birds with it. Unfortunately I sold it many years ago in search of something newer and better, but now I wish I had kept it.

Uncle Dan Fan,

We all seem to have a good gun that we let slip thru our fingers, hand a real nice old Browning SXS double gun given to me by one of my Grandfathers Grouse hunting buddies. Used it as a down payment on a good L.C. Smith 16 gauge Specialty Grade gun. The old 12 gauge Browning I should have kept, I now wish I had it back, they were darn nice guns.

Pine Creek/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Joined: 30 Sep 2019 Posts: 145 Location: Colorado

They’re all special to me but would have to say that right now my 16ga Ithaca Crass is holding that spot. For her 120th birthday, I took her in for a good cleaning and lube (my smith calls it a DCOA) and she came back extra special.