comparison shopping

[Tom Flanigan]

The Parker is my favorite SBT but the Ithaca comes in a close second in my opinion. I owned a Specialty grade Smith. It was a nice gun but the fit and finish did not equal the Parker or Ithaca. The gun didn't feel as good as the othert two and it didn't snap closed with a reassuring click like the others did. I rarely snap close a gun because I belive returning the top lever by hand causes less wear. The Smith didn't have a bolt through the foreend and it had developed cracks. My opinion is that they are less SBT guns than the Parker or Ithaca.

[John Davis]

I've got a Parker SC, Ithaca 5E (Flues) and L. C. Smith Specialty. I really like all three. None of them are collectors. I acquired them all considering only how they fit me and if I could shoot them. And I shoot them. On any given day any one of them can beat the other. So I'd say you can't go wrong with any of them. My recommendation is to buy one of each.