doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lefever Arms Co. bore diameters.

Gentlemen,

As I await my membership approval at the LACA site, could anyone provide the factory bore diameter for 20ga in the 1903 era? Was the tendency to build them to the 0.615 spec at this time? Would the bore differ from steel to Damascus?

Shoot straight,

Bird

Go on the Lefever forum and ask your question. The forum has no connection with LACA.

Thanks 8-bore, I mispoke about LACA vs. the Lefever forum. Thanks for clarifying.

Unfortunately, no one has come forth with information or an opinion. Must not be a popular topic considering how often opinions get thrown around sites like this one and the Lefever.

Jeff;
I have not replied because I simply have no data on the bore size of 20ga Lefevers. One first has to have one to measure. I have measured several 12ga's, one 10ga & one 16ga. certainly not enough to establish a pattern. While I do not temember the exact diameter on any of them the 10ga is an early rod cocker & has oversize bores. An early 12ga two-hook gun likewise is oversize. Most of my large hook 12's as well as the post 1907 16ga all have bores close to standard. The early black powder 10 & 12 gauge guns were often bored oversize for use with the all brass shells & their oversize wads. I do not know if this situation applied to early 16 & 20 gauge guns or not. They were not near as popular for waterfowl as the larger gauges. In the 1890s as smokeless powders began to be used more & these were nearly always put up in paper hulls the bore sizes became smaller & much closer to the standard of 10-.775", 12-.729", 16-.662" & 20-.615". I highly suspect, but without having done a lot of measuring cannot verify that the vast majority of 16 & 20 gauge Lefevers were bored very close to standard. I thought someone who had actually measured a 20 gauge would chime in with more positive info.

20 gauge sideplate Lefevers are pretty rare. I have only seen one in the flesh. I haven't seen very many on the internet either.

Jeff, I wish I could help and I hope you find your answer.

Mike, FWIW there is a Lefever 20ga for sale right now�
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=369443296

A 2 barrel set sold the other day�.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=367261843

And there is one for sale at my local Cabelas now, that I have seen and held in person, but is has many, many dents in the barrels that may or may not come out�.
http://www.cabelas.com/product/LeFever-H-Grade-SS-In-20-Gauge/1586835.uts?Ntk=GunLibrary&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DGunLibrary%26Ntt%3Dlefever%26x%3D0%26y%3D0%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-Gun%2BLibrary&Ntt=lefever

2-Piper,
Thank you very much for sharing. I think a plausible, gauge-dependent order/manufacturing tendency serves the discussion better than a single data point measurement...but I'd take one.

AM,
I'm thinking you're right.

RoT,
Thank you too. I asked the seller of the current auction for data. I hope he has the capability. The other sold one is a real honey. I've seen only one other straight grip lately.