Daniel Myron Lefever was one of America’s most inventive gunmakers. Born in upstate New York in 1835, he was apprenticed to a gunmaker in 1848 and opened his first gunshop in 1857. Over the next two decades, he formed partnerships with a number men — Ellis, Dangerfield, Barber & Nichols — and built a wide range of muzzle- and breech-loading firearms.
In 1878, DM created his first successful model of a hammerless side-by-side shotgun and a year later he struck out on his own to build it. This model would be tweaked and refined until around 1884 when it was replaced by the Lefever Arms Co. shotgun most people think of as the “True Lefever”.
In 1901, DM left Lefever Arms Co and started DM Lefever & Sons in Syracuse, NY. This company built D.M. Lefever’s new “Cross-Bolt” shotguns. The 12 gauge 7D you see here is one of those doubles.
Cross-Bolt Lefevers are sort of “True Lefever” hybrids. They use a similar hook to cock the locks. And like True Lefevers, they also use a grooved rib extension to lock to down the barrels. To this rib extension, DM added a Greener-style cross bolt. He then modified the internal lockwork so that it’s somewhat similar to an Anson & Deeley-style boxlock and did away with the sideplates see on his earlier designs.
D.M. Lefever 7D 12 Gauge Side By Side: DOM 1902. Nice Original Condition. Engraved And Case Colored. Rare, Vintage American Firearm from Syracuse, NY. Price: $2,995
SPECIFICATIONS
- MAKE: D.M. LEFEVER
- MODEL: 7D
- DATE OF MANUFACTURE: 1902
- 12 GAUGE
- 32″ SIDE BY SIDE BARRELS
- EXTRA BEAVERTAIL FOREND
- CHOKED MODIFIED AND IMPROVED
- BOXLOCK, CROSS BOLT
- KRUPP FLUID STEEL
D.M. Lefever 7D 12 Gauge Side By Side - HAWKINS RECOIL PAD
- LOP: FRONT=14″, REAR=13″
- OVERALL LENGTH: 48″
- WEIGHT: 7lbs 11ozs
- ALL PIECES HAVE MATCHING SERIAL NUMBER
