None of my 5 LC Smiths are for sale, I shoot all of them-with RST shells-Hunter Arms was the first American gun company to use the AISI 6150 Chrome Vanadium steel (that Henry Ford discovered on a business trip to France about 1904-- never heard of a cocking rod in a Smith breaking-they were made from 6150-- the only leaf spring that can crack or fracture is usually the top lever spring-anchored with a small set screw in the trigger guard plate, a tricky bit of business to position correctly when re-assembly is required I will admit, but as the trigger plate is anchored "for and aft" in the receiver floor and at the rear tang with a machine screw anchored to the top rear tang, seems like a solid enough design to a layman like me. Smith frames are in proportion to the gauge of the gun, something not quite the same with the carriage bolt doubles many seem to favor. I started collecting shootable Smiths in 12 gauge because (1) they shoot well for me and my shooting habits, and (2) due to the law of supply and demand- more Smiths and Ithacas available, especially in 12 gauge in my marketing base, than M21's, Parkers (except the durable Trojan series) and A.H. Fox guns- all have their strong and salient points in a ever-shrinking shooter/collector market, you pays your $ and you takes your choice- But I appreciate a craftsman like Dewey Vicknair, who is willing to answer questions without subterfuge- try to get that from a gun "dealer"--not a gun master craftsman--

"The field is the touchstone of the man"..