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Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Drew,

A neighbor dropped by for help with an LC he has. I could use your help evaluating the gun.

The background, it is a field grade, serial number around 347,000 or so. (1914?)

The wood appears to be original and no cracks, the checkering does not show a lot of wear. The dimensions are pretty modern, so modern that I pulled off the trigger guard to see if the stock was numbered to the gun. It is.

The action is tight like new. No case left, dark patrina and the barrel blue is about 50%. The bores are fugly but may respond to honing. The barrels are 28" and appear uncut. I have not measured the chokes but there is choke in both barrels.

Now for the questions,

There is a plunger type forend latch that is new to me. It releases a spring latch like the one on my Baker. What is this and is it unusual?

Second, I measured the width of the frame and it appears to be much closer to the width of the featherweight frame than the standard frame. Is there a definitive way to tell which frame it is on?

He may want to let it go, what's the market on a gun like that?

Jeff

Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 77 Location: Lynchburg, VA

Jeff, Rev is out of town, so I'll give it a shot----
First, the plunger you see is called a Curtis forend latch, used until about 1918 if memory serves correctly. I prefer it over the pull-off type.
Second, s/n puts DOB at 1914 as you have noted IF it's an extractor gun.
Third, the way I tell at a distance if the gun is a Featherweight is by looking at the sidelocks----- if the lock comes to a point at the top, it's a FW--- if it's rounded at the top it's a R frame gun. Of course, FW will be stamped on the watertable if it's a Featherweight.
Value?---- assuming it's a 16 and in the condition you describe---6-$800
Hope this helps-

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

It's an extractor gun, so the date is right.

The locks have the point so based on the point and measurement it is a Featherweight. There is an R on the watertable by the serial number, but as I just read on the LC site there are apparently Featherweights with an R on them. (and no FW)

I should have noted the gauge in my first post, it's a 12. Damn shame too as it is a pretty nice handling gun as a 12, but it would be nicer as a 16.

Jeff

Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 77 Location: Lynchburg, VA

Jeff, is it possible for you to post pics? The reason I ask is that it should have "FW" as a prefix to the s/n. The "R" stamp remains a mystery to those of us who collect Elsies, except in the case of an "R" frame gun. You might also want to look at Drew's picture trail on the Smith website.

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

I'll put up some pics over the weekend.

Jeff

Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 280 Location: Southern Ohio

The easiest way to tell the difference between a Featherweight and a Regular Frame Smith is the lockplate screws.. The FW has 2 visable screws on the left lockplate and 1 on the right lockplate, the Reg.Frame has only one visable screw on the left and none on the right.. The lug that shows on the bottom of the frame is another way . The Reg lug is 1/2"X 1 3/16" and the FW lug is 3/8" X 11/16".. MDC

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

Thanks for the added info. This gun has the featherweight screw configuration.

Is the Featherweight uncommon or considered an advantage in handling/value etc?

Jeff

Joined: 21 Jun 2005 Posts: 77 Location: Lynchburg, VA

Jeff, there are more featherweights than R frame guns after 1913. Prior to 1907 there were no Featherweights like yours, and from 1907 to 1913 they had no FW prefix to the serial number. That may explain why yours has no FW prefix-- it was a frame made during the "transition".
As to advantage- handling/ value-- little or none except in the case of rare documented models like the "R" frame Skeet Specials or the mythical 20 ga. "R" frames. Quite often an "R" frame gun is lighter than its equvalent FW brother.

Sorry Jeff, just got home from Scout camp. I sure can't contribute anything else except this pic from the "LC Smith Design and Engineering" PictureTrail
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=15234180

Featherweight frame Field grade upper with the forward lockplate screw
Regular frame Specialty grade lower

Member Joined: 25 Jul 2006 Posts: 781

The pics of the R coded featherweight:

Jeff