doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OO Buck loads for L. C. smith

The pressure doesn't make any difference in your gun, as long as it doesn't exceed SAAMI specs, which is about 11,500 PSI for a 12 ga gun. 1 oz at 1150 fps should be a good load for your gun.

L C is very poor design insofar as recoil and set back into the stock wood. A 1 1/8 oz load at 1200 is well within capablity of other designs of the period. Your best bet is to sell the L C before it cracks and buy a parker, fox, Ithaca, nitrospecial, western arms. None of them have to be glasbedded to shoot moderate loads.

I have no problem bedding my receiver. I`ll just keep my L.C.

Plenty of recipes up on Hodgdons. There is no need for black powder in a 1947 Smith. That gun was made well after the invention of nitro powder and magnum loads. I'm shooting loads up to 8,000 psi, but limit it to 1-1/8oz at 1250fps in my 1910. In my 1949, I shoot reloads, but wouldn't hesitate to shoot any commercial lead shell I could fit into the chamber. Glassbedding is not so hard, I recommend you give it a go. As to cracking stocks, ignore the naysayers. That Smith is built like a vault door. Treat the wood nice and it will last a very long time. There are plenty of Parkers, Ithacas, Foxes, and Lefevers with rotted oil-soaked heads full of cracks.

You aought to be writing nostalgia stuff for the L C member newspaper. There are 2 types of L C guns, those that have cracked and those that will crack sooner or later. L C is one of the poorest designs ever sold to american shooters. it always amazes me the number of chaps with blinders on when it comes to L C. You have a steel and wood gun and then are told to glasbed to be able to shoot it a lot and then limit to light loads ezily handled by other period guns. ya right. Its always an adventure shooting a L C. You shoot two shots and look for cracks behing the tang or lock plates. Load and shoot two more, look again. repeat as long as you dare.

I have seen cracks on everything from .22's - 10 gauge.
50 - 100 years of use, old walnut that has been oil soaked by previous owners and a sidelock design to top it off.
Yes the gun is likely to crack the same as most other sidelock designs of the same time period.
Glassbedding is needed if you are going to shoot it a lot.
The Sidelock design take's away a lot of wood in a very critical area of the stock.
The boxlock is a stronger design...but old wood is still likely to crack over time. Over the years I have repaired cracks in a lot of stocks of both types.
My old guns and my old body spend a lot of time shooting sporting clays. After 100 shells and not nearly as many busted clays, Shooting low pressure low recoil pipsqueak loads lets me and my gun come home with a few less cracks.
Is it all worth the effort?
I have learned over the years, That it is a lot easier to put up with the nagging and problems of a beautiful woman than one not so good to look at.
To me the LC Smith is a beauty to own and shoot even with the problems.

I beg to differ, Sir. I at present own 7 pre-1946 Smith guns, all are 12 gauge, four are graded guns made prior to 1912, the OO or field grade is the exception in the rogue's gallery--- the "youngest" is a Ideal Grade made in 1945 (came with factory tag) 26" DT, Ejectors, which I bought from a Sagola Gun Club member in June 2010 (after a 1927 era Parker 12 gauges GHE 'went South' on me at a SC shoot)- the oldest is a Grade 3 with Damascus barrels and first series ejectors made in 1892- My favorites are- the OO 12 "barnyard" gun- DT, Ext 28" F&F, and my Grade 2 30" M&F DT made in 1911-

I shoot all of them year-round-= barn pigeons, crows, starlings, plus bird hunting- etc. and occasional SC- None have oil soaked stock heads- due to care and diligence on both my part, and care and diligence on that of the previous owners as well. All 12 gauge Smiths (except the LONG RANGE and WILDFOWL series mid-1920's--production I believe had std. 2&3/4" chambering- I use 1150 fps. loads, AA, Rem, and my favorite RST loads- not a problem-

I should add here that all of these "Sweet Elsies" have std. double triggers, the older ones have 3 position safties- Sweet trigger pulls, reliable ejectors (not like on the Parkers) and fit me exceedingly well-

One man's meat is another man's malt-o-meal I guess, bit I am a Smith man from "Who laid de rails", and so was Dr. Charles C. Norris, before he got into the Purdey realm- friend of the late George B. Evans- not too shabby company I should think!!

To answer the question of the original post.
It all depends on the condition of the gun and barrel type and wall thickness
Here is the place to start looking for the answers to your questions.

http://www.lcsmith.org/faq/loadsuse.html

The naysayer reminds me of a poster on another forum (similar user name) who always has something negative to say about everything posted.
Having said that, I own 13 Elsies-- all pre-'13 guns, and shoot them all. None have cracks, none have been bedded, none are oil soaked, and all are shot with the appropriate ammo. I was careful to examine them for signs of oil stains at the head before purchasing, and maintain and store them properly. I've seen plenty of Elsies with cracked stocks, and an equal number of old boxlocks, i.e. Foxes, Parkers, and Ithacas with pinned heads and cracks-- all as the result of improper cleaning, storage, and/or improper ammo.
Elsies don't have a corner on that market----.

[Read Hemingway's "True At First Light" the part where he wounds a treed leopard with his 03" sporterized Springfield 06-- and changes the SSG in his 12 gauge Model 12 for No. 8 birdshot loads- He survived, the leopard- not so much!!!quote=burch]I just wanted something extra to carry with me. I definatly don`t wanna beat up my gun. [/quote]