Top of barrels marked ‘LeFever Nitro Special’ and ‘LeFever Arms Co.,Ithaca,N.Y.” There’s no telling how many squirrels I bagged with it. I used this scattergun to make my first kill: An armadillo. The checkering is basic, just like everything else about the gun. Looking at photos of other Nitro Specials, the checkering was simply decorative and the diamonds were never pointed. I asked my father about the different look of the checkering, and he said that he’d used a pocket knife to “freshen up” the well-worn checkering before he knew any better, but had stopped before he got very far. Hand-cut checkering is different on each side. Since the gun was made around 1924, it had ample opportunity to become well-worn even before Dad got hold of it. During long hours walking and sitting in the Florida woods, I got to know every mark on this old shotgun. The butt plate offers more testimony to this gun’s hard life, with chips missing from both top and bottom. A large chip has been missing from the butt plate for longer than I’ve been alive. I have no idea what caused the deep gouge in the left side of the stock wrist, but it looked really old the first time I saw it, lo those many years ago. I toted it for many a mile and I’m sure I gave it my share of wear & tear, but someone before me had put many more miles on it than I ever did, even wearing away the engraving from the steel receiver - and erasing every trace of the case coloring that used to adorn the receiver’s surface. My first forays into the woods in search of game were taken with this very shotgun clutched in my bony little hands. That gouge in the stock appeared ancient 40+ years ago when I first saw this gun. This old scattergun has the same engraved scene on both sides, mostly worn away. It was a LeFever Nitro Special, essentially a mass-produced shotgun of good quality. His mama made him give one to his brother, so naturally Dad kept the double. Somewhere around young adulthood, my father became enamored of firearms and laid claim to them both there was a single-shot and a double barrel. They had to be cheap, because there was never much money to go around. ![]() The story goes that my father’s father managed to get hold of a couple old 410 shotguns for cheap. ![]() In my case, the first firearm I could call my own was a side-by-side 410 shotgun, which I first carried in the woods nigh on 40 years ago. What was your first gun? Chances are, it’s the one that made the biggest impression on you, but it may not be the first one you fired. My first gun, a LeFever Nitro Special, has a lot of miles on it. Lefever nitro special 12 gauge double barrel firing pin full#Crescent-Davis brand guns remained in Steven's full line catalog until 1941, but from 1937 to 1941 the doubles sold in the C-D brand were on either Stevens or Davis boxlock frames.My First Gun Was This LeFever Nitro Special. where some sidelock doubles were assembled. In 1932 the operation was moved to the Stevens plant at Springfield, Mass. It was merged with Davis-Warner Arms Corp. Stevens Arms Co., Division of Savage Arms Corp. 9.&break &break Crescent was bought by J. ![]() 60 and in 1931 the Crescent-Davis "New Empire" No. ![]() In 1928 it became the Crescent "Empire" No. This very popular model became the Crescent "Peerless" No. In 1905 Crescent's first hammerless sidelock was introduced as the American Gun Co. of NY" and can be found on many thousands of doubles. In 1922 Crescent brand replaced "American Gun Co. In 1898 VL&D said these were the best American hammer guns in the market for the money.&break &break Huge quantities of these "Hardware Guns" were produced in a profusion of private brands as well as in Folsom's house brand "American Gun Co. Crescent guns were offered in 12-, 16-, 20- and 28-gauges and later, 44XL shot caliber with Damascus twist laminated or Armory steel barrels depending on the shooter's wants. It was bought by H&D Folsom of New York City, large importers and distributors of firearms and sporting goods, so they could add an American-made sidelock hammer side-by-side to their extensive range of imported guns. Company made good quality inexpensive single- and double-barrel shotguns at its Norwich works, beginning about 1892.
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