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| < 16ga. Guns ~ 16ga LC Smith Ideal Grade ejector for $2300 |
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 Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 2:19 pm
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Member
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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....I am looking at an original gun, some handling/carrying wear, but not shot a whole lot....a gun from the twenties, weighing about 6 1/4, 28" bbls...
I have wanted a decent yank ejector, but most of what I see is pretty pricey, this looked fair.....
....they want $2300, what do you think? Fair?
Thanks,
Duncan |
_________________
"Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans"....... anonymous |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:04 pm
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Joined: 02 Dec 2006
Posts: 741
Location: Long Island, NY
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Hey Duncan,
Why is that? No matter what we profess to collect, we almost always also want a vintage American SXS. The Citori guys have one. the A-5 guys have one. The model 12 guys have one and so do the model 37 guys. Forgive me if I left someone out. I like Prussian guns and I have a Baker Batavia Leader.
Having said that, do you have photos? It sounds good to me. Kirby at www.vintagedoubles.com in Washington has a nice L.C.Smith 16 ga. for $1600.00. However, As Sherlock Holmes said, something is amiss. The wood doesn't seem to match the grade of gun. The weight seems too heavy (although that may be a simple transposing numbers error). Definitely, questions need to be asked.
Anyway, back to your gun... post some photos, and I as well as those who do know what they're talking about will advise.
Good luck,
Peter |
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"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" ... Dr. Seuss
"There aint nothin' better than huntin' with a Setter" |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 3:42 pm
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Member
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 295
Location: Jackson, Mississippi
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| britgun wrote: |
....I am looking at an original gun, some handling/carrying wear, but not shot a whole lot....a gun from the twenties, weighing about 6 1/4, 28" bbls...
I have wanted a decent yank ejector, but most of what I see is pretty pricey, this looked fair.....
....they want $2300, what do you think? Fair?
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Duncan,
I am by no means the L.C. Smith expert, but having spent a great deal of time looking at classic American sxs and prices over the past couple of years, I do have some current "expertise" shall we say. The condition sounds to be in the low 90% range and hopefully it is a Featherweight, especially if you like light guns.
The Ideal grade, being far from rare isn't the most highly sought after grade, not sure exactly why, but it seems to be sort of like the the #1 1/2 Grade Ithaca, maybe a bit too much engraving. From what I have seen of Ideals, they get caught in between grades, sort of like a 16 year old dressed for prom, a bit too overdressed or "gaudy" for shooter field work, but not refined enough for true collector status.
Having said that, I think $2300 is a bit high, if you want a shooter type gun. I would lean toward a Field Featherweight for that if it were me, thus dropping the price down into the $1500 range. If collecting (which it doesn't sound like you are), I would seek a higher grade gun. However, if you can get it down between $1800 to $2000 depending on condition, then it could be a good buy, particularly if you like the looks and fit of it.
JMHO, good luck with it.
KB |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:25 pm
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Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 759
Location: Somewhere in the Socialist State of Minnesota
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....I am looking at an original gun, some handling/carrying wear, but not shot a whole lot....a gun from the twenties, weighing about 6 1/4, 28" bbls...
Brit gun. I would get some pictures of the gun and go out on the L C Smith forum. Get some input from the gentlemen out there. As an owner of now 2 L C Smiths( not 16 gauge), I have not spent $1000.00 on the guns. They are both shooters and in good shape. I could have paid three times the price for a 20 gauge yesterday, for a gun as not as nice as the 12. Big thing get some pictures. Also get the numbers. My main guns are still the sixteens, but a piece of Americana in owning an L C Smith, I think is okay. The sixteens up to a couple of years ago you could have bought for little of nothing. Now the sixteens and the twenties have outpriced the 12's. I don't feel guilty at all for owning two L C Smith 12 gauges. |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:58 pm
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Member
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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| I think it's the ejectors that have run up the price some, and it's a little higher grade.....the wood is nice, too.... |
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"Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans"....... anonymous |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:59 pm
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Member
Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 759
Location: Somewhere in the Socialist State of Minnesota
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:49 pm
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Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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hey, thanks for the slide show, oldhunter, I got to see the pointing lab, and a whole lot of nice guns..... the gun I'm checking out is a little later, like the twenties, an Ideal grade, with ejectors and decent figure in the wood.... I think I might just have a look at it.....
b'gun |
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"Life is what happens to you while you're making other plans"....... anonymous |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:53 pm
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Member
Joined: 01 Jan 2007
Posts: 1043
Location: Bozeman, MT
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| KyBrad16ga wrote: |
| britgun wrote: |
....I am looking at an original gun, some handling/carrying wear, but not shot a whole lot....a gun from the twenties, weighing about 6 1/4, 28" bbls...
I have wanted a decent yank ejector, but most of what I see is pretty pricey, this looked fair.....
....they want $2300, what do you think? Fair?
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Duncan,
I am by no means the L.C. Smith expert, but having spent a great deal of time looking at classic American sxs and prices over the past couple of years, I do have some current "expertise" shall we say. The condition sounds to be in the low 90% range and hopefully it is a Featherweight, especially if you like light guns.
The Ideal grade, being far from rare isn't the most highly sought after grade, not sure exactly why, but it seems to be sort of like the the #1 1/2 Grade Ithaca, maybe a bit too much engraving. From what I have seen of Ideals, they get caught in between grades, sort of like a 16 year old dressed for prom, a bit too overdressed or "gaudy" for shooter field work, but not refined enough for true collector status.
Having said that, I think $2300 is a bit high, if you want a shooter type gun. I would lean toward a Field Featherweight for that if it were me, thus dropping the price down into the $1500 range. If collecting (which it doesn't sound like you are), I would seek a higher grade gun. However, if you can get it down between $1800 to $2000 depending on condition, then it could be a good buy, particularly if you like the looks and fit of it.
JMHO, good luck with it.
KB
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Thanks for the advice....this one is older, when they made them lighter, I don't think I can get it for any less....it's the ejectors and the nice wood i think that make it a little spendier, I'm afraid.... |
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