Any chance of somebody posting a few Syracuse-era Elsie pix here to compare? The LCSCA site isn't as photograph-rich as it once was and I've had very little luck finding good photography of the earlier-era guns (which, I presume represents only a fraction of the total production for the years at Fulton), especially in the lower grades.
From the minor education I've had researching these earlier Smiths (over these last few weeks), I've come to appreciate them a great-deal more than I have in the last, say 30 years or so(?). I had, quite frankly, dismissed them from any consideration (for purchase and/or use) in my search for the more-perfect upland gun. I'm now thinking that the pre-1913 guns (especially in the lower grades) represent a pretty-decent value in the modern doublegun world, at least these days. They've been largely passed-over by the yuppies of my generation & later (& for all the reasons I'd considered as well). The later Field Grades still leave me a little cold, but 1890 to 1913 production, even in the lower grades, isn't half-bad. They still weigh far too-much for their respective gauges (IMHO) but....they do represent a better-era of production quality in this country (is it time to wave the flag here yet?) and if they were properly cared for over the years (a big if), they were seemingly very well-made and accordingly... can still be quite serviceable.
I'd like them even-better if they had been built with skosh-more gun-safety in mind (intercepting sears and/or even slightly more-sophisticated safeties would have been a huge improvement) but they are what they are, and that is historic, substantial, and attractive.
Last edited by Lloyd3; 08/07/23 04:37 PM.
