doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com LeFever BARRELS CUT or NOT CUT?

Gentlemen: I currently have a Lefever Grade G shotgun for sale on-line and it has raised some questions. The overall barrel lenth as measured is exactly 26 3/8" long. I have been told that the barrels have been cut down. I am by no means an expert on this type of firearm so I thought I would post here to get some advice. Please review the two pictures and let me know your opinion. Thank you in advance.

[img:left]http://s284.beta.photobucket.com/user/RA...687462354657343[/img] [img:right]http://s284.beta.photobucket.com/user/RA...047603356500363[/img]

Barrels touch but the edge of the muzzel is sharp like new. Most guns of that age are worn round. I would be looking for a collector that know more about Lefevers.
bill

On full length barrels, Lefever usually has the upper keel integral with the rib. These barrels appear not to have the integral keel. Probably cut.

A 1898 12g Lefever G was choked .027 right with 3" of choke taper; left .036 with 4".

An occasional Lefever 12 gauge has bores tapering from the breech to the muzzle (.756 to .708 and .715 courtesy of Daryl Hallquist), some have a parallel bore and choke taper of 4 inches, and others a standard 2 � 2 1/2 inch taper.

Using 1 1/8 oz. of No. 8 chilled shot (449 pellets) Lefever claimed a 77% pattern in a 30� circle at 40 yards using a full choke.
See "Shotgun Review" in the 1912 Hunter-Trader-Trapper
http://books.google.com/books?id=Uy7OAAA...gun&f=false
Click on p. 73

Bottom line: if there is no choke constriction, or it is less than 2" the barrels are very likely to have been cut.

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This is what Daryl is talking about. Clearly the front of the rib has been cut on the gun in question, not on the gun in my photo. The top photo is a Lefever top rib. Note the triangular piece extending to the front. When cut back to where the rib is flat on the bottom there is a space which was filled on the gun in question.

Very nice description and pictorial of the rib and how it extends at what would be the factory barrel end. It is obvious to me now that the barrel has been cut. I knew I came to the right location! Thanks to everyone. As mentioned the gun in question is for sale on-line. My intention is not to place an ad but to gather some information. If anyone is intersted please contact me and I can forward a link to the auction offline. Thanks again, Jim My email is designri@cox.net

Forgot to mention, photos compliment of Buck Hamlin.

You guys missed the most obvious sign on this particular cut job. The sight bead was set too far back after the barrels were trimmed. Look at the distance from the front of the uncut stripped rib to the bead hole in Buck Hamlin's photo versus the gun in question. Even in cases where the end of the barrels don't have that sharp newly cut look that Bill Schodlatz mentions, or where the end has been blackened so you don't easily see that shiny solder, most choppers have a tendancy to replace the bead further back than on originals. What grabbed my attention before even seeing any pictures on this G grade was the 26 3/8" length given. While some of the earlier hammerless Lefevers may be off by 1/16" or even 3/32' from an even 28", 30", etc., I've never seen an uncut one so far off even numbers.

Signs like this put me off this morning when I was examining an otherwise very nice Colt 1883 10 gauge. Everything else on the gun was original and much better condition than usually found. The price would have been very attractive if it hadn't been cut. Seller insisted it wasn't cut. Imagine that.

I need to look in the gun safe but I think I have one where the triangle keel piece is seperate from the rib and soldered in place.