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Old February 14, 2014, 08:00 PM   #1
G2X
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Help Identifying Lefever Combo Triple Shotgun

Looking for help to identify this old triple barrel combo Lefever shotgun. Two 20 Gauge barrels, and about a .36" (about) rifled bore. Unfortunately I had to shrink the photos to post them.
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Old February 14, 2014, 08:10 PM   #2
James K
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I think a post got lost.

There is some info on the Lefever here:

http://www.thefirearmsforum.com/showthread.php?t=47567

Jim
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Old February 14, 2014, 08:16 PM   #3
billygun
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Don't know if this helps.

I think a lot of those came out of Germany in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Some can be worth a lot. There is a German term for them, I can not remember it for the life of me. They are illegal in some states to hunt with because of the rifle barrel.

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Old February 14, 2014, 09:12 PM   #4
James K
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The German term is "drilling" (triplet). IIRC someone once said the Lefever guns were actually imported from Germany, but I do not know that for a fact, though if it is true, the guns should have German proof marks.

Guns made by the Three-Barrel Gun Company were made in the U.S.

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Old February 14, 2014, 11:41 PM   #5
PetahW
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.

While Vierling's (4-bbl combo guns) have one of the rifle bbl's in the top rib (usually a smallbore, like a .22cal CF) - that's the first drilling (3-bbl combo gun) I've ever seen with a barrel arrangement like that.

These are the usual combinations.



Is that drilling actually marked "Lefever", or "Lefever Arms Co" (NY), or "D.M.Lefever" (OH) - or is somebody simply referring to it as bring "a Lefever" ?

Better pics, of the bbl tops & the bbl bottom flats, and of the action watertable/flats might help further.


I don't think the Three Barrel Gun Co made 9mm ("about .36") barrels.


.
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Old February 14, 2014, 11:53 PM   #6
Jim Watson
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Depends on how measured and how "about."
The usual American combination gun rifle barrel of the day was .38-55.
A caliper across the lands (bore diameter) and the habit of a caliper to read undersize on an inside diameter would lead to "about .36."

I saw a picture somewhere of a drilling with a top rib rifle barrel.

The lockplates look like a Lefever's.
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Old February 15, 2014, 02:14 PM   #7
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Thanks for all the responses. I also was unable to find any other combo guns in this configuration. At the end of the bore, the lands & grooves measure .36 & .373 respectively. I looked up the .38-55 cartridge which looks like it would be right, only with a chance that the casing rim (.506) might be some thousandths bigger than where it seats in the gun (.502 - .505"). Might just be a tight fit.
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Old February 15, 2014, 02:15 PM   #8
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A couple more.
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Old February 16, 2014, 04:37 PM   #9
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It's most likely a .38-55, a common-enough combo gun chambering.

IMHO, that particular Lefever's considerable value & rarity is high enough to have it professionally restored - I would urge you to have it done by one of the experts, IOW, nothing to try @ home.

There are a few gunsmiths who specialize in restoring these old guns, Buck Hamlin, Keith Kearcher, and Doug Turnbull come to mind. They have the expertise and experience to make your gun look like the day it left the factory.

The BBGV doesn't even list a combination gun, made by Lefever Arms, Syracuse, NY.

Don't take it from me - I heartily encourage you to contact the Lefever Collector's Assoc about your gem:

http://www.lefevercollectors.com/ind...=1_10_The-LACA

http://lefeverforum.informe.com/

Be sure to include pics, especially of the open triple breech & the top bbl with the "Levefer Arms" stamping.

.

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Old February 18, 2014, 12:40 PM   #10
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Really interesting configuration, especially since the rifle barrel placement prevents use of a Greener type secondary locking feature, commonly seen in European Drillings. OTOH, the .38-55 only has half the power of the German contemporary equivalent 9.3x72R, so you probably didn't need that strong a breech mechanism.
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Old February 20, 2014, 07:30 PM   #11
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Just a side comment...

A "vierling" is a four-barrel firearm because "vier" is 4 auf Deutsch.

A "drilling" is a misnomer. "Dreiling" is most correct as "drei" is 3 auf Deutsch.
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Old February 20, 2014, 08:26 PM   #12
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The origin of "drilling" is certainly in the word "drei" (three), but the term actually is "drilling", not "dreiling". In usage other than guns, it means "triplet", one of three siblings born close together. (In German, as in English, the terms "zwilling" (twin) and "drilling" (triplet) are normally plural, but colloquially, people say "He is a twin" or "She is a triplet", meaning that the person is one of close-born siblings.)

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Old March 2, 2014, 08:12 AM   #13
Terry Buffum
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Lefever three barrel

The second photo in Post 8 above seems to show that parts of the ribs between the rifle barrel and shotgun barrels have been removed at the breech end. I think that removed a major part of the lock up - sliding pins coming out of the standing breech going into sockets in those ribs. Until that is corrected (or my misunderstanding corrected), the gun is unsafe to shoot!

There are a lot of similarities to my double 16 Lefever made in the mid 1880s. Without seeing the serial number, I can't be sure, but I think it is from the same time frame.
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Old March 2, 2014, 10:24 PM   #14
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thats a cool looking gun you got there.
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Old March 4, 2014, 05:28 PM   #15
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Here are a couple of Lefever Arms Co double guns from the same era as the OP's three barrel gun. The top one is B grade,16 gauge, and has the same opening lever as the three barrel; the bottom one is A grade, 12 gauge, and has the more often seen "conventional" lever.

It appears the fore end is missing from the three barrel gun; I have a poor condition "side cocker" by Dan Lefever which just preceded the early Lefever Arms Co guns. Perhaps it could surrender its fore end which might be possible to fit if needed to complete the drilling. The OP has a gun worth saving!

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Old March 17, 2014, 11:25 AM   #16
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Yeah, it's not functional right now, and I am looking into it for a friend. Will be sure to tell him about your forend. Thanks again to all for the responses.
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