April 9, 2013, 04:01 PM | #1 |
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Lefever Nitro Special
Somebody brief me on a Lefever Nitro Special. Anybody know anything I haven't found out.
It's a 16 ga, with 28" barrels. The gun shop guy checked and said it had 2 3/4" chambers. I didn't check the chokes. Twin Triggers and extractors. The wood looked pretty decent, and it seemed to lock up tight. After a quick wipedown with an oiley rag that seemed to remove an inch of dust, and maybe fine rust, the metal looked a lot better. The stock may have been cut, there is a really nicely installed recoil pad, a "White Line" I believe was the brand name. The S/N is 2580X which a website I found indicates a manufacture date of 1928 (They were made by Ithaca? Didn't know that.) I gather the Nitro Special was the low price line? It was tagged less than $200.00 so I put it on layaway while I do some research. I figure if I got through with it, the worst thing that I'll have will be a lamp pole. And I can cancel the layaway if I want. I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone. They're not very good I'm afraid.
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April 9, 2013, 06:26 PM | #2 |
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IIRC, Ithaca introduced the low-priced "Lefever Nitro Special" about 1919, then in a stroke of good timing, Ithaca Gun Co. also introduced an even lower priced double, the Western Arms Long Range Double in 1929, - just in time for the Great Depression.
Just like they had done with Lefever Arms, Ithaca made it a separate corporation that operated within the Ithaca factory. The big difference between the Western Arms Long Range Double and the Lefever Nitro Special was that the Western had a malleable iron frame while the Lefever Nitro Special had a forged steel frame. Also, the Western had a somewhat plainer stock and forearm. At some point in the mid-1930's Ithaca Gun Co. desolved the two separated corporations, and they became the Lefever Arms Branch and the Western Arms Branch (respectively) of the Ithaca Gun Co. . |
April 9, 2013, 07:06 PM | #3 |
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Double check those chambers. I was in Gander (back when they had "gunsmiths"), and a gun clearly marked with '65' for chamber lengths was checked by the smith who dropped an unfired hull and said it was 2-3/4".
Lefever made what many consider the best of the American double guns Either you are missing a digit from your serial number or something is awry as The Ithaca serial number history shows differently |
April 9, 2013, 07:53 PM | #4 | |
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April 9, 2013, 08:16 PM | #5 |
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Hard to tell, but is the butt stock a lot darker than the forearm? It appears that way, but that could just be the lighting. If it has, well, it IS old and was probably well-used during its heyday
You might want to check out these folks: Lefever Collector's |
April 9, 2013, 08:22 PM | #6 | |
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April 9, 2013, 09:01 PM | #7 |
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I have one. also a 16 ga. inexpensive serviceable shotgun.
I believe the forend on yours is not original. it's a trap forend. the shotgun would have come with the splinter field stock.. for $200 nothings bad.... |
April 10, 2013, 12:27 PM | #8 | |
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April 10, 2013, 02:24 PM | #9 |
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Fair enough - I know what I was trying to say - just didn't come out of my fingers they way it came out of my thought process.....
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