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when an lc smith sxs latch lever has moved well left of center how is the mechanism adjusted/repaired to move the latch lever well right of center?

The L.C. Smith guns used a rotary bolt which engages the barrel rib extension. As the camming surface of the rotary bolt and bolting surface of the rib extension wear, the top lever spring gradually moves the lever to the left.

Various methods are used to fix this situation. The worn out rotary bolt can be replaced using good spare parts. The bolting surface in the rib extension can be built up with TIG or laser welding, and remachined to replace the worn metal. Sometimes, crude repairs are made by peening the rib extension, but this method is temporary at best. This is something to look for when buying an L.C. Smith.

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thank you keith for the reply. i posted this question on 4 discussion pages -- your reply has been the only reply. only have one lc smith and it is a bit of a project. the barrels had ben cut to 26" so it was affordable for me to buy as i only use it on the skeet field -- perfect for me. only issue with this gun is it is very difficult to unbreech to reload -- sometimes -- not every time. i have not explored this issue. for now it may be firing pin drag but that is more guess than fact. have been surfing double gun about 10 years. on thing sticks out about the rotary breech locking system -- lc smith, fox, and ithaca is these gun have the most gun with the latch lever well right of center. the majority of old sxs have well worn breech locking systems and it shows in good pictures. the 3 brands of older sxs mentioned stand out with good breech locking. do the lc smith have rotary bolts in different sizes to install to compensate for wear?

As far as I know, Hunter Arms Co. did not use different sizes of rotary bolts, aside from normal manufacturing tolerances. The system was self-compensating. As the bolt and/or the bolting surface of the rib extension gradually wore, the top lever spring would pull the top lever further to center and then to the left.

When I mentioned the possibility of replacing the rotary bolt, I meant that you would have to try to find a good used part with less wear. The other possibility is building up the worn bolting surface on the rib extension. Removing the top lever and rotary bolt mechanism from an L.C. Smith is relatively easy. But putting it all back together can be difficult for even some experienced gunsmiths, so best left to someone who knows all the tricks. The hard part is fighting the tension of the top lever spring when trying to get the bottom of the top lever shaft into its' correct position in the bottom of the frame in order to align the screw with the threads.

Any gun can wear out, and L.C. Smith, Fox, and Ithaca guns with the rotary bolt system are no exception. Factors affecting wear include the type and heat treatment of the steel, the number of shots fired, and also lubrication or lack thereof. Fine grit and dirt in the lubricant can act like a lapping compound over time.

You could try coloring the part of your shells below the primer with dry erase marker to determine whether you are actually getting firing pin drag. Or you could also try switching to another brand of shells to see if anything changes due to harder or softer primer cups. The first step is correctly diagnosing the problem.