Lefever Nitro Express
 

(Title should be Nitro Special...It pays to proofread)

I don't know where a Lefever Nitro Special fits into the discussion of "fine doubles but I looked at one today at the LGS.

It's a 16 ga, with 28" barrels. The gun shop guy checked and said it had 2 3/4" chambers. I didn't check the chokes. Twin triggers and extractors. The wood looked pretty decent, and it seemed to lock up tight. After a quick wipedown with an oiley rag that seemed to remove an inch of dust, and maybe fine rust, the metal looked a lot better. The stock may have been cut, there is a really nicely installed recoil pad, a "White Line" I believe was the brand name. The S/N is 2580X which a website I found indicates a manufacture date of 1928 (They were made by Ithaca? Didn't know that.) I gather the Nitro Special was the low price line?

It was tagged less than $200.00 so I put it on layaway while I do some research. I figure if I got through with it, the worst thing that I'll have will be a lamp pole. And I can cancel the layaway if I want.

I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone. They're not very good I'm afraid.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps79193832.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b2...ps6c8be4a4.jpg

Wayne , what is the LGS? At that price you will not lose money and 16ga. is a great caliber ? A superb rainey day gun! Andy

The Nitro Special finished up life as an Ithica product, and was a pretty hardy working gun. They will, like everything else, eventually go up in value. I sold a .410 last month at the Baltimore show for a bit over $1200, but I've seen them fetching high teens regularly. Sixteens bring more than twelves, and the price you were quoted may even be lower than most twelves.

It's Greentops in Richmond, Va., Andy.

I figured for the money it would be hard to lose anything. As one of my buddies who works there said I couldn't buy a fake double to hang over a fireplace for that.

Certainly worth $200 I'd think. Not sure if the wood is original?

I don't know if it's original or not. May well not be. I'm new at this double gun stuff as you can probably tell. I was just looking over the rack and saw this one and noticed the price. I figured if it locked up tight, and it does, the safety holds firm, and the bores are shiney, there isn't much way to take much of a beating for $200.00. Even if the stock isn't original, it's not bad looking at all.

the Lefever Nitro Special started life as an Ithaca product as well

solid, durable "modern" (for its time) design - no relation to the other real Lefevers - Ithaca Gun owned the name and could put it on anything they wanted to (as Savage did with the Fox Model B).

I have owned two through the years and never had any trouble with either of them. One was a long barreled 12 - full and fuller - best goose killer I ever owned. I sold it off because I could not shoot steel through it, with the non-tox choices now - I hope someone is still dragging that one through the swamps.

may be a tad heavy but if it fits you, you can have fun in the uplands, it it doesn't - that is one you should not feel bad adjusting it until it does

You cant go wrong with a 200.00 dollar shooter. Work with bit a little and you will be happy with it. All that realy matters is that it functions properly and it kills game.

I've not seen one with a beavertail forend like that, all I've seen had splinter forends, I have had 2, a 12 and 16 and ended up selling them both--should have kept the 16.--why do I do that?
I knew an old Wv. grouse huntr that used a 20, and loved his Eng setters. He gave me his hand made strap vest that will outlast me.
My advice--Buy the damn gun!!!

I had wondered about the foreend myself. I didn't know what they came with, but the color seems lighter than the buttstock and a beavertail seems kind of upscale for what apparently would have been a fairly inexpensive gun.