Production continued for 4 or 5 years until a portion of the factory collapsed, causing an eventual shutdown and the suspension of production. Though company ownership changed hands over the course of time, the next significant purchase came in 1945 when the Marlin Arms company purchased the L.C.
During this period of production, options and variety were added to the lineup, including a number of grades, gauges, stock configurations, ejectors and trigger options. Smith Gun that most folks are familiar with began at length. At that time the company passed to John Hunter of Fulton, N.Y., and the production of the L.C. Smith to make guns under the Baker name until 1889. Baker and Leroy Smith would go on to create the Ithaca Gun Company, leaving L.C. Their offerings included side-by-side shotguns with external hammers and three barrel guns - side-by-side shotgun barrels over a rifle barrel, commonly referred to as drillings. Baker and the brothers Leroy Smith and Lyman Cornelius Smith began making guns in partnership in 1879 under the Baker name. They are also unique in design when compared to many of the other popular doubles of their time and are inarguably tied to wingshooting history in the States. Smith is easily one of the most recognizable names in the world of American double guns. They both carried this big gun like I carry my 16 Gauge Grouse guns, course they were both very big men.Exploring the shotgun manufacturer famous for their American side lock Smith Collection, and my Great Grandfathers & Grandfathers favorite bird gun. Walt Schiessl has the other two in his Personal L.C.
Smith Pigeon Grade SXS double gun with pre-production Beavertail Forestock, made for competition Pigeon & Trap shooting, only three of these guns were ever produced, two for the Hunter Arms professional deminstration shooter, and one for my Great Grandfather who was a silent partner with John Hunter Sr. Smith SxS Double gun with her likeness engraved on both side plates, her Elsie SXS Double gun is considered almost priceless today. Frank Butler, her husband Special ordered Anne a L.C. In fact Anne Oakley won the British World Championship with her Elsie SXS, 16 Gauge double gun, outshooting every great shooter of her time. Smith Trap Grade and Pigeon Grade double guns, In the 20's thru the 50's trap was shot with SxS double guns and some of the greatest shooters in history used L.C. Such a gun would need a display safe all of its won. I would love to own one of the 2 Speciality Grade 12 gauge double guns, built on the rare Hunter Arms "C" Frame. We can only hope the guns still exist, each is identified with original Hunter Arms, L.C.
So the next time you are gun shopping and you see an old Specility Grade Elsie or even an old Field Grade, you might want to check out the SN closely, nobody knows exactly where these rare guns really are, the shipping records only show the businesses that Hunter Arms shipped too, individual ownership was never recorded.ĥ individual owners are sitting on a fortune and have no idea what they actually own. Smith book are these weapons documented, they are that rare. No where in the Parts and Specificatons L.C. The destroyed 126,976 gun was an auto-ejector gun.
There were 2, C Frame field Grade guns produced, with Auto-ejectors, and 2 with extractors.
The C Frame Speciality Grade weapons were all CEOBV, meaning C Frame, Auto- Ejector, Hunter One Trigger, Beavertail, Ventilated Rib, double guns, they both had 32" BBLs. So only 5 of the C Frame guns were ever finished and shipped. The CE126,976 frame was found by Bill Brophy in a scrap box, ready for the alchemist to convert back to base metal,
The Serial Numbers of these guns run from 126,972 to 126,977. The combination of the front end of the FW Frame with the lock Plate and rear of the R Frame, and you have the rare and unusual "C" Frame Elsie. One Field Grade had 26" BBls and one had 28" BBls the 4 other guns all had BBLs 30" - 32" in length. In reality there were 6 C Frame double guns produced, all were 12 Gauge double guns, 4 were Field Grade guns and 2 were Specialty Grade double guns. Brophy believed the C may have identified the combination engineering, of the C Frame double gun. However the Elsie was also produced on the very rare (C) Frame. Smith double guns was produced on only 2 different type frames the Regular Frame (R)Īnd the Feather Weight frame (FW). However there are 5-6 rare Elsie weapons that most collector/ownersĪre seldom aware of, and few have ever seen. The graded weapons holding the highest value. Smith collectors/owners believe that the rare Elsie double guns are the most sought after and highest priced L.C.