doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com L.C.Smith SxS Stock ?

Gentlemen:
I am working with a early 1900's vintage SxS Box Lock and upon removal of the black composition butt stock plate I discovered a wood plug approximately 1/2" in diameter that is glued into a hole behind the plate. I don't believe this stock is attached to the receiver via a long through bolt, and if it were, it would most likely not be hidden behind a wood plug glued into its hole.

My thought initially was that a anti-recoil device had been installed during the gun lifetime, however, the plug/hole at > 1/2" diameter would most likely not accept such a tublar device. The double is a Featherweight. Anyone have an experience such as what I have described.

The parts list that I reviewed had no "through bolt" for stock attachment listed. Thanks for your input. B.M.

It may have had lead poured in for added weight for recoil / balance then the wood glued in to help keep the lead in place.

Have your freindly dentist X-ray the stock
Mike

There is no full length "thru bolt" on LC's.....

Drew Hause will be along in a bit and give you an attachment to the LC web site for stock removal..........follow those instructions............

Best,

I would say most likely lead was poured into the hole.

Here 'tis, but the stock removal is the easy part
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/15525639

But is it a sidelock L.C. Smith Featherweight (which was not introduced until 1909) or boxlock Hunter Arms Fulton?

Good Morning bsteele;

I had not thought of the old process of drilling a cavity and then filling it with lead as a method of recoil reduction, but I know that proceedure was widely practiced is times past.

I, or course, could carve out the wooden plug and verify your theory of a lead slug implant. However, the cavity just may have been filled with liquid mercury instead of solid lead.

Regards,
Dr.W.E.Brown

1. Drew, there was NO Featherweight Fulton or Hunter Special that I know of........he said Featherweight....has to be a side lock gun......

2. I've seen quite a few LC's with pre-cast lead weights installed in the stocks....then plugged and glued with wood plugs to keep the lead plug from rattling around......I don't think any were ever poured with hot lead into a hole in the stock........

Lead plugs were installed to balance the gun as per the customers request...the longer the barrels the heavier the lead plug to balance..............the dense wood (figured higher grade) stocks generally have no weight added as the figured tight grain Walnut is heavier......

3. The serial number will give you a production year on your gun......if you post it, we'll give you the exact year.......include all prefix's...like R, FW or FWS etc........

Best,

Hello PA24 :

I have researched the serial number on this particular SxS and have determined from the reference material that it was produced in 1914.

However, the interesting component of this particular gun consists of the fact that the frame is marked with the letter "R", following the serial number 347,XXX.

In spite of the "R", which indicates to me that the gun is on a "Regular" frame as opposed to being a "FW" "Featherweight" frame, the right hand side plate has five screw holes and not four. Additionally, on the underside of the frame, the cut-out for the barrel bolt has a radius end on the rectangle which measures 0.375" wide X 0.689" length.

Could it be that my SxS is a Featherweight model, but was incorrectly stamped with the letter "R" by mistake?

Regards,
Dr.W.E.Brown

Doug,

The letter "R" on this gun is not a prefix, but rather a suffix letter spaced after the serial number if that makes a difference in your consideration.