doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com L.C. Smith 3E - special?

What is engraved on the top rib of that 3E?

Sure, Lloyd. I'll put them up tonight when I get home.

Here they are. I bought it from RWTF (Francis), but it had been briefly advertised by his good friend Brad Bachelder, and these photos are ones I saved from Bachelder's site.





















Hope this is of interest, Stan

I don't know what I'm looking at, except that I know that I'm looking at some well-made shotguns. That fleur-de-lis chequering on the original poster's musket... Damn my eyes.

It's fun to own shootable artwork, innit?

Dewey Vicknair lambasted L C Smiths pretty hard. Some here think that he hung the moon.

So far, I have lost no sleep over Dewey's opinions.

Any issues with the HOT trigger?

Stan:

Thank you for that. This one seems to be a rather unique combination of items (3E, HOT, vent rib, 3-inch, ejectors, beavertail, and pre-1913). I guess I had thought the 3-inch guns were much later?

Yeah, Mr. Vicknair was pretty unkind to Elsie. If you're taking about a hard-used, un-cared for, 1940s Plain-Jane Field Grade with a broken stock then maybe I can understand his frustrations. The better (& earlier) guns seem to have alot more going for them.

Only one. With heavy duck loads it doubled with me once ....... 1 1/4 oz. duck loads. Pretty sure that was because of a double tap on the trigger by me. Never happened before, or since. My other L C Smith is a 16 ga., and also has a HOT, and never a "bobble" with it, even with 1 1/8 oz. crow loads.

Stan very nice and interesting 3E. Your gun was made in 1905, on the underside of the for-end metal there is a 2 stamped which Hunter Arms stamped there to denote this gun had a second set of barrels, also the ventilated rib didn't come out until the 1920's and I believe the gun was sent back to the factory for the ventilated rib and re-enforced loop. In many cases there are no records of guns sent back for work. Also looks like a Jostam recoil pad.

Haven't seen Francis post in quite some time, hope he is doing well.

Thanks, David. Francis has had some health issues, and I haven't heard from him in awhile, but wish I could. I spoke with his wife last year, at some point, and she shared that he was getting better but still struggling.

I know that this is the second set of barrels the gun had, as Francis still has the first set. He had them fitted to another Smith gun, that he shot for a long time. He told me once that if he ever decided to get rid of the gun I could buy it. It'd be nice to put the original barrels back with the gun.

BTW, the original owner C. J. Backstran (whose name is etched, or lightly engraved, on the right barrel) was a pigeon shooter at the old Philadelphia Gun club. We speculate he had this set of barrels, with the 3" chambers, made for pigeons. They are certainly choked for the game.