doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Lefever - Maker of Double Rifle Barrels?

Hello Sir!

I'd definitely like to see more detail of this set of barrels.
They're looking pretty crude and haggard in these photos, but there's likely to be more of a tale for them to tell.

The interesting style of sleeving has a bit of MacNaughton or C&H to it with that 'chamber' detail...



I've been looking at a micro-mini toplever back action hammer double I have that I've 'been meaning to convert' to 25-25 Stevens for the past couple (three?) years. I'd wanted to do something similar with the sleeve job on that one, but I don't think I'll be going this route with the 'long-shoe' method seen above.

There seems to be a very thick wall (or thick filler rod fillet) at the sleeve joint where the barrels emerge from the 'chamber block'.
I think I'd prefer a joint much more like the MacNaughton I show here.
My little project needs forend wood anyway!




Cheers
Tinker

I agree with 400 Nitro Express that they are/were scattergun tubes and the "W", which looks like a backwards "J" "1" is actually an "11" for 11 bore which would make it a 10 bore struck-up and the load data seems to indicate it, possibly for a 2 7/8" cartridge? I have a set of 10 bore H&H tubes with a similar stamp.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Gaugedrifles,

Lefever in partnership with other gunmakers (first Ellis, then Barber and finally Nichols) did conversions of percussion to breech loaders, hammerguns to hammerless, and made some double rifles and combination guns in addition to his double shotguns. I'm not aware he ever sleeved shotguns with rifle barrels (could this have been done in the 1870-1890 era?)

If the 5764 is a serial number that Lefever provided, that would date the gun to the partnership of Nichols and Lefever (1876-1879).

Jeff

This is a Barber-Lefever 14ga


This is a Nichols-Lefever


Pete

The Un-Bolted Doll's Head in combination with a Double Underbolt is not indicative of a Lefever, though I could not state "Positively" he never made one that way. The 4Dram-1¼oz would seem to indicate a 10ga though the 11 could indicate either an undersize 10ga or an overbored 12ga. Since this was not a mark applied by the proof house but would have been the maker's it could have been applicable to a 12ga chambered for a long brass case.

These definitely have the appearance of the kind of work a jack-of-trades crank would have turned out in his basement workshop, not the mysterious lost works of a famous master builder.

Still, they're neat for what they are, and there's lots of conversation material nestled around the rust pits and artistic barrel-sleeving methodology.

I'd like to see color images of the areas around the joint between the forward edges of what used to be the shotgun chambers and the rearward exposed portion of the rifle barrels.
I suspect there'll be generous filler material to see there.



--Tinker

How long are the tubes and have they been possibly cut? A first class 10 bore would have been bored up from a 11 bore pushed plug gauge set of tubes. During this time, or just before, the rule of thumb for a gun with respect to a set of waterfowling tubes would be approx. 1/2 lb added to the baseline of 8 lbs for every additional inch over 24 inches. I know 5 drams was paired with 2 to 2 1/4 oz of shot. They may have been looking extra penetration with the 4 drams and 1 1/4 oz shot.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

The digit to the left clearly has a tail on it like a lower case "t", which the "1" on the right does not have. I don't think the left digit could be a "1", so I don't think it's an 11 bore stamp.

Does anyone recognize the patent date information on the barrels in question? I've seen Lefever rifles, more than a couple, and I've seen Lefevers rebarrelled in Europe with combo barrels, but nothing like these.

That's your prerogative but get a set of tubes from the period and look at the stamp. Usually it's two "1"s with one inverted with respect to the other and facing. Pull the image into some image viewer, zoom in and rotate it to see all perspectives. The left digit is more of a "j" in this case due to wear or pitting. The location and orientation is typical for the period. Look at the "1" in the "1 1/4" above it and consider that there is wear or pitting at the tip of the left, inverted "1" possibly by a worn die or ill struck "1". It's the stamp for a 11 bore.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse