doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A ghost of Lefever?

While that style grip cap was used on a lot of Lefevers, it was a commercially available cap that any company could have purchased. It is just as likely there was a supply of them left in the Defiance plant when D.M. Lefever moved on to Bowling Green and Waverly took over. I note there is no extension of the barrel lug through the bottom of the frame as in both the sideplate and the box-frame/trigger-plate Lefevers.

I just found a letter to me from Joe Vorisek dated June 7, 1993, from a time when he and I were hashing out the last six years of Uncle Dan's struggle to produce his box-frame/trigger-plate gun. In the letter Joe mentions that in 1990 he found a Waverly Arms Co. boxlock double that was a virtual clone of the D.M. Lefever gun.

If I remember right Phil Kroll once owned one of these. He did an article in the Lefever newsletter on them. It was about 8 or 10 years ago.
Again, if I can remember right Phil felt that they were built when the crossbolt guns were built in Defiance.
I do remember that Phill had a picture of the lockplate and they looked like the early Lefever Lockplates.
Bob

Another question comes to mind. What part did US patent #865,310 play on the production of this gun. This patent was applied for on April 2, 1898 SN-676,180 but was not issued until Sept 3, 1907 to C F Lefever (Fred). This patent covers the "Small" single cocking hook as used on Lefever guns, without the extrator cam of the large hook. Patent drawing shows it on a gun having plate mounted sears. Why?? did it take 9 years & 5 months to issue. This would I believe, be the '07 date stamped on late Syracuse built LAC guns. This patent would have been applied for some time before Uncle Dan & his sons left LAC, but not issued until after his death & the demise of the New Lefever Co. What prevented the issuance of this patent in a timely manner & did it's issuance prevent Waverly from further using this hook. The hook in the pictured gun actually to me looks more like that used on some of the D M Lefever guns than on the LAC guns. At it's 1907 issuancence incidently, C F Lefever is listed as Assignor to Lefever Arms Co. Elliot lists him as being an inspector for Union Fire Arms Co of Toledo, OH from 1905-1910.

Miller,

Here you go...




Pete

Pete;
Thanks for putting up the pics, as I am not set up on a picture hosting site. One can plainly see from these drawings the application & issuance dates as well as that they show a small hook gun with plate mounted sears. I have a 12ga G #29,471 with large hook & frame mounted sears. Per Elliot's estimated chronology this should date to about 1899, which is also the year he estimates as the beginning of the large hook guns. As best as I can see in the pic where the Waverly hook differs from the LAC large hook is in the extractor cam portion. Here it more closely resembles the D M Lefever guns to me. I highly suspect it would be rather interesting to know all the legal ramifications transpiring between Lefever Arms Co & the D M Lefever Co during it's brief existence.

A ghost thread but a couple of Waverlys have come up for sale
https://www.proxibid.com/lotinformation/68702226/the-waverly-arms-co-double-barrel-12-ga

This one has good images of the cocking hook and the ball adjuster
https://oldarmsofidaho.com/product/...-sxs-12-gauge-shotgun-mfg-defiance-ohio/

In spite of a couple similarities to the sideplate Lefevers, those Waverly shotguns always seemed pretty crude in comparison to even the lowest grade Lefever. If I saw one on a table at a gun show, I'd barely slow down. I guess imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery.

Now for a real "ghost of a Lefever" that you wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen with, check out the J.A. Prechtel that was built in Cleveland, Ohio. I recall seeing another J.A. Prechtel SxS that sold on Gunbroker about 15-20 years ago. I'm almost sure it had the later conventional top lever, but wouldn't swear to it. It was also a pretty high grade gun, more ornately engraved than this one, with the stepped or rebated sideplates typical of B Grades and higher. It is said that J.A. Prechtel was an apprentice under Dan Lefever, but I've never heard that any indenture papers or records have been found:

https://www.dogsanddoubles.com/2013...auge-j-a-prechtel-lefever-double-barrel/

Previous Prechtel thread here
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forum...mp;Board=1&main=2197&type=thread

Thread on the PGCA. Unfortunately, the Sporting Life links no longer work, the images are gone
https://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=15521
I can't edit the thread, but do have the valid links.

Here's the double
https://www.dogsanddoubles.com/2013...auge-j-a-prechtel-lefever-double-barrel/