One word ...Lefever.

Pick apart a Lefever and a Smith and tell me with all honesty ,do a Smith come even close :corn:

Chris I never read up on lefever , are they highly thought of like the parkers and smiths ? im more familiar with brit guns

In my opinion it's Lefevers from Syracuse era that really shine ,Dan's crossbolt gun that he made on his own last going off is nice as well.

Almost every wear point on a graded Lefever was owner adjustable ,granted some of it was probably not needed,but the first time I seen the the adjustable ball joint in the frame to compensate for looseness on face I was sold ...you only have to Tig a few hooks or turn some new pins and smoke in a few barrels to see the value in that design ,

Search the engraving styles on these guns ,very nice stuff there as well . The checkering is really well done on all grades

The one thing I don't like is restocking one ,on the first one years ago I ruined two blanks ,luckily the third was the charm ,I'm in no way ashamed to say it (although what in my mind was ruined was likely me being anal :banghead:)
that being said there's a great feeling of accomplishment when I finish one

I put them in the same league as Parker,a much different gun obviously but like Parker made in all sorts of dizzying array's ,and subtle nuances that keep collectors guessing.

My favorites are Parker, Smith and Fox, in that order. I don't own a Lefever (yet) so can't comment. I enjoy them all and sort of feel it unfair to compare them against each other. They are American classics

Fox. IMHO and in the opinion of a well known and highly respected gunsmith I trust, the Foxes are the most dependable mechanically even over the beloved Parker. To me a Fox handles as well as a Parker and that's why I like them.

Daryl, I was always told that there are few people who know how to work on a Fox because they never break down or need repaired.

Bingo!

Milton, if you have "never read up on the Lefever shotgun", you are a bit late to the party. You can catch up by finding some low grade gems and writing some checks. Good luck. Buy Elliott's book to give yourself a bit of a leg up.

Graded guns, small bores Fox (I know where a nice CE 16 is) LeFever (I know where a nice F grade 20 is) LC Smith I don't know where any small bores are.

A high grade Lefever (Sure, in my dreams), Fox with L.C. Smith third. I have a couple of Foxes and like them very much. Dependable, well balanced and attractive, even in Sterlingworth guise.