NICE DOGS-LEFEVER EE
 

It is a shame to have a gun that one never shoots. I bought this EE Lefever 12 gauge over thirty years ago and have never shot it. It was loose on face and the ejectors would eject one shell and if you stood there for a minute would fire the other one out. It was rough with a cut stock and vice marks on the barrels and hammer marks on the beautiful engraving. It spent over a year in the hospital and I just got it back. I hope to shoot it this fall at doves and at the least it is respectable now. Steel barrels.

Any thoughts on who engraved it?

that looks like e grade engraving onlefevers in the 10000 serial no range...charlie

A little higher Charlie. Mfg. 1907

Nice gun Jerry. You might want to post this on the Lefever site https://www.lefevercollectors.com/di...r-discussions/.

Not sure who the engraver is but someone there will know who was engraving during that time period.

Lefevers are great guns and need to be shot to be appreciated. I'm sure the doves are in great danger come this fall but why not introduce her to Mr. Tom this spring?

Charlie, Lefever E grades in the 10,000 range have no dogs or other interesting embellishment. The dogs came later. There are a flock of E grades in my collection, and all of them are early guns without dogs. One of my treasures is an E grade 16, the first hammerless top lever 16 made, according to the LACA bank of information.

bill that 16 ga sounds like a very interesting gun..i almost had a 16 ga lefever one time.. if we could only turn the clock back...charlie

The eyes look like Loy's but the rest of the dogs aren't quite what I would call his. Maybe an understudy of his?





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Here are the dogs on my EE. Sorry The pics were not close ups.

https://i.imgur.com/NJojl45.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/0TOlGC7.jpg

Bruce,

Your Lefever EE detailed dogs make mine, well, look like Parker dogs. In fact, my EE dogs look like the dogs on most DH Parkers in my opinion.

Daniel Lefever campaigned setters fairly exclusively. I never heard of him running a pointer.

Jerry: Thanks. I really like them. I really like the engraving on this gun.

The following each reference different comments above:

1. There is no such thing as an "off-face" Lefever. Only one with socket ball not properly adjusted.
2. Not Loy. Pointer's head is wrong. Loy's pointers, and Glahn's setters, are generally pretty easy to pick out when you've seen enough. There are a number of old threads in the DGJ forum with pics.
3. The vast majority of E grades from the late 30k until the end have a single "window" with a pointer on one side, and a setter on the other. Pointers and setters are about equally represented on Lefevers fom any era. Sub-gauges can have a variety of birds, but also snakes, rabbits and squirrels. Rarely seen, is a deer, bear, and even hunters (men).

NDG

Yes there is such thing as an "off-face" Lefever. When moving the socket ball and the barrels do not line up with the breech and the ejectors don't work, it is not work for the amateur gunsmith or the faint at heart. It took someone far better than me to take care of a "socket ball not properly adjusted." I can tell by the amount of machinist/layout dye left on the barrels and rib extension that it was not a simple task. The gun had been shot extensively while loose and with the ejectors never properly working.

Still no.

A man-made "thing" abused beyond it's operating tolerances isn't evidence of design failure.

To get to the point that a rib extension has been stressed means not just lots of firing, but firing WAY out of spec loads. A well cared for Parker, Lefever or other well made make will operate indefinitely shooting WHATEVER number of [proper] shells, if accompanied by good maintainence/inspection/adjustment and replacement of key springs.

Abusing one says nothing about it's 'normal function.'

Amended quote: "With proper use, where the gun is not fired with 'pipe bomb' loads, and is inspected and adjusted for normal wear...Lefever's will not go off face."

NDG

Nick de Guerre - I didn’t see that anyone had suggested there was a “desing failure” nor would I expect anyone who knows anything about one of the best designed, probably THE best-designed of any American made gun of the era, to have a flaw in design.





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Are you from another planet who does not understand English? As Dean said, no one is talking about a design flaw. I did not own the gun for its first 90 years so I can't tell what was shot in it. If the ejectors don't function, barrels are loose and gaps exist between the frame and breech, it is "OFF FACE." I never shot the gun for that reason. People like you are the reason I quit posting for a long time. Guess I'll stop again.

Please don't stop Jerry. We know what you meant, besides we'd miss Mosby most of all.:)

Please stay Jerry!





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"Are you from another planet who does not understand English?"

And

"People like you..."

Careful Jerry, those who live in glass houses...

NDG

Jerry , really like your gun .

When the barrels are loose , even Buck Hamlin says they off face .

He also told me (as you already know ) there is alot more to tightening them up than just tightening the ball joint .

Maybe someone will explain what is involved when the ball socket is tight and the barrels still don't line up or the lever is loose.