Nitro Special with ejectors

edgarspencer · 11-14-2011, 04:18 PM

I posted this in 'off topic' but it'll get stepped on over there.
A fellow showed me his Nitro Special Lefever 16 ga this weekend and I was very surprised to see it had ejectors, with a button release fore end instead of the usual pull-off style. I would assume this is a pretty rare thing, having just run through some 200 odd pieces for sale on the big-3 websites and didn't see any with either feature. I would assume it has button release because of the ejectors, and not in-addition to.

StubTwist · 11-14-2011, 05:31 PM

Edgar,

Checking Bob Elliotts book, they did make Nitro Lefever A grade Skeet with ejectors, single trigger, beaver tail. I would post your question at the Lefever Arms Collectors Assoc. They have a forum there and people with a bunch of knowledge on everything Lefever.

I'm sure you'll get your questions answered there.

http://www.lefevercollectors.com/

edgarspencer · 11-14-2011, 05:36 PM

Thanks for the info, Frank. This gun was a plain field grade with a splinter fore end, marked mod & full. Also, thank you for the link. I'll ask over there. The guy wants to sell it and sort of had a extracter gun price range in mind but I suggested he hold off till I found out if it was rare. I'm not interested in buying it, but it definitely is unusual.

B. Dudley · 11-14-2011, 08:14 PM

Yeah. Nice find there! Never seen one of those yet with ejectors. I have come across a few of the Nitros and the Western Arms Long Range versions with single triggers. And that is a rarer option too.

The values book does list that Ejectors were an option on both the Lefever Nitros and the Western Arms Long Range doubles. It is a $200 value adder.

edgarspencer · 11-14-2011, 08:27 PM

Bob Decker replied to my inquiry to him and felt it likely it was an "A" variant of the Nitro Special. It seems there are fewer Lefever collectors interested in the later Ithica guns though. I suppose I ought to be more interested in the gun as it's an honest, unmolested piece, condition wise, but it's always awkward when someone asks for advise of me when I'm actively interested in it. I have too much stuff anyway.
The old gent who owns it has some pretty unique pieces, including Mr Reising's personal 22. Now there's a gun I've always liked.

Bill Murphy · 11-18-2011, 08:16 AM

You may get much more information if you visit the lefeverforum.informe.com site. Lefever collectors post there, not on the lefever collectors site..

B. Dudley · 11-18-2011, 08:42 AM

Edgar, Post pics of the gun if you can. Would like to see it.

The Lefever A grade is a nice gun. I had a Model 5 in 12g. a while ago and I wish I hadn't have gotten rid of it. The A grades were a higher quality, dressed up version of the Nirto Special. Upgrades included: Sculpted frame, fine line engraving, extended trigger guard, checkered low profile safety, ebony forend tip wedge and slightly nicer checkering.

The A grades would have been Marked "Lefever A Grade" on the top of the barrels. And had a "A" on the water table and forend iron. And they did NOT have the flying duck on the sides of the receiver. Only the Nitro Special had the duck. A few of the later production Nitro Specials had the sculpted frame however.

edgarspencer · 11-18-2011, 01:01 PM

Brian, as I said in the first post, it isn't my gun, nor is it in my possession. I may be able to catch up with the owner if he hasn't gone back North for deer hunting. I know he'll let me take a few pics of it.
I distinctly remember it saying 'Nitro Special" and maybe mu memory is playing tricks on me, but I may have seen an A, stamped on the left table.

B. Dudley · 11-18-2011, 01:05 PM

Oh, I forgot that it wasn't yours. It could be a gun that was put together from a Nitro and an A grade or something. I have seen Nitros with A grade barrels fitted to them. In fact there is one on GB right now.

Researcher · 11-22-2011, 11:09 PM

During some years the Ithaca built Lefever Nitro Special was offered with ejectors. The ejector forearm used on both the Nitro Special and the Western Arms Long Range Double used the push-botton release that had been used on the Flues Model Ithaca doubles.

Ithaca dropped ejectors for these entry-level guns by 1936--

Early Lefever Nitro Specials had a receiver with this profile --

The upscale Ithaca built Lefever A-Grade was introduced circa 1934 and dropped by 1939.

After the A-Grade was dropped, the later Nitro Specials had an A-Grade profile receiver --