LC Smith 10 gauge
 

Picked up an LC Smith 10 gauge today !
Gun was made in 1890 and is steel twist . Thirty inch barrels modified and modified . Overall it needs a good cleaning , but all in all I think it's a shooter !

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps5c80a1b4.png

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...pse7d39c78.png

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psc6a0cee0.png

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps86ad3a05.png

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps094ebb2c.png

That sure looks like a keeper. Thomas

It looks like it would be a great shooter. I see the Trap Gun butt plate, does it have trap gun dimensions?

I haven't measured the stock dimensions but I can say that when you throw it up it seems to have dimensions closer to what we would have today rather then what one would "assume" was normal for a gun from the 1890's !

If I'm able to go to the range this coming week I plan to shoot right and left barrel patterns with 00 Buck at 25 yards . Might even try my 1 1/4 ounce #8 dove loads as well .

LC Smith Syracuse hammerless guns came with the trap gun plate. This was marketing strategy by the factory since the game of trap was becoming very popular during this time period. These guns could be used for trap and also for the field.

LC hammergun butt plates had a setter pointed on a rock.

I am kind of a 10ga LC Smith nut, your Elsie appears to be a Quality 2 grade, the barrels are "good" damascus not twist. It was an $80.00 gun back in 1886. Enjoy.

A sweet ten Syracuse gun. Post your serial number and specs on the L.C. Smith forum so they can add it to the Syracuse Smith serial number list.

Whats the difference between Quality 1 and Quality 2 ?
I "assumed" since this one has virtually no engraving it was Quality 1 ?

The picture isn't the greatest but it's of the pattern of the steel on the barrels from beneath the forend .

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psaddbaefd.png

There never was a Quality 1 during the Syracuse period----Quality 2 was the entry level hammerless gun. Here is a Quality 3 which only has a bit more engraving but a better quality Damascus barrel and normally better wood quality.

The fellow I got this Smith from has a bunch of stuff he "says" he wants to sell . Including some Parkers and more Smiths . I am hoping he'll have a decent Parker 10 I can acquire at a decent but fair price .

He brought this one in yesterday with a bunch of other stuff that "his son" he said hadn't taken care of .

He claims to have about 80 Lugers he wants us to move for him . Not exactly my thing but I wouldn't mnd a decent DWM from the WWI time period for my father .

He brought in what would have been a really nice Browning Safari on the FN action in 7mm Rem Mag . But by the time he got it to us the rust was a bit much !

This Smith was sitting in the rack and at first i thought it was just a 12 . He also brought in a old "Sloan's Spanish" 10 gauge in pretty sad shape . I was messing with that thinking I might be able to salvage it for some buckshot or whatever . And then I got to looking at the Smith and the Sloan gun was cast aside !

Okay i just reviewed the Blue Book and it says ,

Quality 0 started in 1895

Quality 1 started in 1892

So as you said mine has to be Quality 2 !

I am glad to see the prices for the three grades in this book are pretty much the same so atleast I didn't screw the guy !

Very nice! I wonder if this is an actual 'Lyman Cornelius Smith' gun. I believe that was about the time he sold out and moved on to typewriters and such.

Grade 0 and 1 were made by LC Smith in Fulton NY, your gun proceeds that period it is Syracuse NY produced and it is a QUALITY 2 gun not a GRADE 2 Fulton produced gun. The grade numbering system changed after the company moved to Fulton. The Blue Book must only list Fulton era guns.

Nope it lists both .

And you are correct it says Quality 2 .

According to the "Blue Book" the gun I have seriel numbers to 1890 , but when one reads deeper into the "Syracuse Style" guns it say by seriel number this gun was most likely made in Fulton also .

It also shows the "Quality 0 and 1" in the same 1886-1895 grouping .

The Blue Book says ;

Syracuse guns seriel number;
16,000-16,999
18,000-20,999
22,000-23,500

And Fulton guns ;
30,000-40-334

It calls all of these as "Syracuse style guns" .

To further in this grouping they show

Quality 0 new 1895
Quality 1 new 1892
Quality 2
Quality 3
down to Quality 7

They also say Quality 4-7 a total of 550 produced .

The Blue Book also claims they made some 8 gauge guns from 1892-1913 I'd be intrested to know approx how many of those they produced !

Not many 8's. I think 23?

Well that settles it !

I'll most likely never get a Parker 8 gauge hammerless , looks about 99.9% sure thing I'll never get a LC Smith 8 gauge and about 2000% that I'll never get a Colt 1883 8 gauge :crying:

i know that there was over32 of the lc smith 8 ga made but i bet the number is even higher...charlie

Eight gauge Parkers are not hard to find, they are only hard to pay for. Smith eights are hard to find and hard to pay for.

Parker's , L.C. Smith's, W.C. Scott's , 444 Marlin's , cast bullets , Sika Deer and the Philippines !

Actually I've had a couple other Smith's for well over 35 years . Have one Ideal 12 gauge and another kinda beater 12 gauge Field Grade someone sent to Westley Richards and had he barrels sleaved .

So whats the "assumed" amount of Colt 1883 8 gauges or was Grover Clevelands the only one known ?

I thought that was a Lefever.

You're right. I checked the NRA museum and they said it was the only Colt made in 8 guage.You learn every day.

In addition to the many eight gauge Parkers, few Smiths, one Colt, there are a few Lefevers out there. If you want to obtain an eight gauge for your collection, you should attend side by side shoots where PGCA and the L.C. Smith Collectors Association have a display presence. Most of the Smith eight gauges are in the collection of one person. He can't need all of them. Maybe he will turn one loose for you.

Everything that intrests me is kinda like Lays Potatoe Chips !

Just one is never enough :rotf::rotf:

While any thing I acquire does go in my modest accumulation I have a rule now . Everything I buy must be shot in some form and usually everything I buy within reason needs to be blooded at some point !

That shouldn't be a problem with a Parker or Smith eight. The shells are easy to load and the gun is just another gun, just heavier.

Grover Cleveland 1907, with his 8g Colt. Courtesy of NJ Div. of Parks and Forestry, State Park Service, Grover Cleveland Birthplace State Historic Site

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../371711424.jpg

Got out to the range this morning about 8:45 and it was actually rather pleasent !


I took my new to me LC Smith 10 gauge of 1890 vintage !

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps0967e360.png

All at 25 yards .

Tried 00 right barrel !


http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps3d99b00b.png

00 left barrel ,

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...pse55731e2.png

#1 right barrel ,

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...pse08146b9.png

#1 left barrel ,

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psc83597ba.png

#3 right barrel ,

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psa6185948.png

#3 left barrel ,

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ps7d7dd4da.png

All the pellets didn't hit the target . With the 00 Buck there were 12 pellets in each shell , with the #1 I got 16 pellets per shell and with the #3 Buck I was getting 28 pellets per shell .

These were all non buffered loads I might add . When I tried buffered and not in my W&C Scott I so no appreciable difference in the patterns so for my needs non is fine . Or so it has been so far .

if that hada been a deer he d either drop right in his tracks orwould not go very far.. craig which one of the buck shot loads do you like best... with the patterns your old guns a throwing i would not be afraid to shoot out to 40 yards...i like the sound of the no 3 buck...charlie

I used the same 00 load in my W&C so I'm kinda leaning towards the #1 Buck load .

And actually I need to find some more #3 Buck as all I have was from reclaimed shells . And that is close to gone , I think I have enough #3 Buck to load maybe 10 shells .

I'm supposed to meet some old friends for skeet friday . If I can tonight I might load up enough for one round of skeet with the LC tommorrow or a round of Jap Trap .

I am truely hoping the guy that brought this one in , has a decent hammerless Parker 10 gauge !

I have a Parker 32" gun, #86,988 that was bored for buckshot by Parker Brothers. If I can come up with a box of #00 or #1, I will check her out. I will order a letter and find out if she was patterned with buckshot. I've never seen a stock book entry that specified buckshot.

What does bored for buckshot measure; bore diameter, choke constriction, lenght of taper?

I had wanted to make some roundball loads for my W&C Scott 10 gauge . But the constriction in the barrels makes it quite hard to get a roundball that will do what I consider well , Perhaps I can pursue the roundball in a REM SP-10 wad with this LC Smith .

I loaded up 30 rounds with 1 1/4 ounces of #8 shot for a round of skeet tommorrow . This thing is choked not quite as tight as my W&C so I'm intrested to see how it does .

Well I shot a round with the LC and did okay 23 of 25 . However the extractor doesn't seem to have a very strong spring as it opens okay but before I can get the second hull out it drops . We'll look nto this monday or tuesday I think !

Craig: you should have the First Type (disc & pin) Barrel Check, used 1884-1900 on extractor guns.

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../366661897.jpg

They do tend to get gunked up, but removal for cleaning is a challenge

http://pic20.picturetrail.com:80/VOL.../336540472.jpg

David Williamson on the LCSCA site could help

Yes that's what it looks like before taking it apart . My gunsmith buddy will get into it Monday I think . I'm hoping its just dirty in there . I haven't figured out how to get on the LC forum short of becoming and LC Assoc member !