Of all the major American shotgun makers, the Lefever Arms Co. turned out the fewest side-by-sides – right around 70,000 or so in all. The vast majority of these were 12 gauges, followed by 10. Lefever turned out far fewer double barrels in 16 & 20 gauge, and finally any of them today, in any grade, is hard to do.
That makes this little 16 gauge GE grade a scarce gun, and the fact that it appears to be in excellent condition makes it even scarcer. Made around 1901-1902, this guns appears to be awfully original. I love the damascus bbls, and the ejectors are a nice bonus. As another plus, this 16 gauge was built on a 20 gauge frame (the X X marks on the action denote this), so I’m sure it’s a real lively shotgun.
BTW: under no circumstances should you lengthen the chambers on this gun to 2 3/4″. DON’T DO IT.
Gregg, I shoot damascus Brit doubles all the time …most with extended chambers. I think you might enjoy reading the series in Double Gun Journal where old guns were overloaded. I had an e grade Lefever with me in South Dakota two years ago and it was deadly on roosters but alas I sold it. I really enjoy your blog and feel fortunate to receive it..best, Andy kelley
Andy- what do you shoot? I love damascus, but why open the chambers? I’ve read the articles in the DGJ, but I don’t like the idea of taking metal out of bbls, especially when short shells are easy to find.
Thanks for the post and kind wordss.
Gregg
I have a Lafever 16 gauge that my dad bought in 1944 and it was a used gun then.. All it says on the barrel is Lafever Arms Co. If it’s an Ithcha, would it not say so on it some place? I may be making a mistake with it though. I’m having it restored at this time. Keeping everything orginal though. Just having it spruced up and maybe reblued. Thats about all I know about it. It still shoots great though, little rough looking and I don’t really care if redoing it drops the value because, I want to just keep it in the family. Thanks guys for letting me share this with ya….
what is the value of the Ithaca Lefever 16 gauge in decent condition?
Depends. Are you talking about a Lefever Nitro Special? Or a Lefever that kind of looks like the one you see in this post?
Most 16g Nitro Specials are worth less than $1000. The earlier Lefevers in 16g can be worth anywhere from $750 – $25,000+ depending on the grade, condition, etc.
If you send me some pics of your Lefever, I can take a look at it and tell you more.
Gregg