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Thread: Fudd Tactical

  1. #11
    Member gato naranja's Avatar
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    Dec 2018
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    Between two major rivers that begin with the letter "M."
    Quote Originally Posted by NH Shooter View Post
    The shotgun is a Lefever Nitro Special in 16 gauge, manufactured by Ithaca Gun Co. in 1923. I inherited it from my grandfather about 50 years ago and the barrels had already been cut from 28-inches to 26-1/2" (for what reason I do not know).

    Since it has little collector value with the barrels already cut I had it professionally refinished in the 90s. A few years ago I decided to make it a coach gun so the barrels were cut again to 20 inches. I also installed the FO front sight at that time. The action still locks up tight with no play.
    My late father-in-law used to tell about the shotguns his father and grandfather were using into the 1950's, and they were always shortening a barrel because the muzzle would somehow get damaged. IIRC, they blew the muzzles off when firing them while obstructed by mud or packed snow, lost them to rust by leaning them muzzle down in the barn, dented them by hitting fenceposts or clay-block structures, etc, etc. They were quite the bunch, and they used up or wore out everything they had because they could not afford to do otherwise.

    With one exception, the guns were all inexpensive, break-open singles. I ran across two of the lot on the then-abandoned farm in the 1990's, and they were not useable... the Mass. Arms Co. 12 gauge was still minus the little "rocker" that pushed out the extractor, just as described to me ten years earlier. (Even back in the 1950's, they got the fired hull out of this gun by dropping a carriage bolt down the open barrel!) It still sits propped up in a closet here at the Cat house* only because someone refit a long, old US musket forearm and barrel band to it and did some corncrib inlay work (as shown) to boot... which gives it enough family street cred to warrant keeping.

    *As opposed to cathouse.
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    gn

    "On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."

  2. #12
    Supporting Business NH Shooter's Avatar
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    Sep 2014
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    New Hampshire, U.S.A.
    Quote Originally Posted by gato naranja View Post
    My late father-in-law used to tell about the shotguns his father and grandfather were using into the 1950's, and they were always shortening a barrel because the muzzle would somehow get damaged. IIRC, they blew the muzzles off when firing them while obstructed by mud or packed snow, lost them to rust by leaning them muzzle down in the barn, dented them by hitting fenceposts or clay-block structures, etc, etc.
    I very much suspect my Lefever (which is now almost 100 years old) had the barrels cut due to damage as well. There was a little bit of choke left in one barrel and none at all in the other.

    Mine also had a damaged butt plate, which was some kind of primitive plastic. My grandfather set it butt-down on a pipe going to a cast iron radiator and melted the shape of the pipe into it. A local gunsmith found an original replacement so that issue was resolved.

    When I was a teenager I took this gun to shoot skeet, tin cans, etc. with my friends. It already has a long history in my family and I told my son it will be his some day.

  3. #13
    Hammertime
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
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    Desert Southwest
    Beautiful shotgun.

    Dammit now I want a double barrel.

  4. #14
    Member gato naranja's Avatar
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    Dec 2018
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    Between two major rivers that begin with the letter "M."
    Quote Originally Posted by NH Shooter View Post
    I very much suspect my Lefever (which is now almost 100 years old) had the barrels cut due to damage as well. There was a little bit of choke left in one barrel and none at all in the other.
    I had an older buddy who was pretty competent with a similar cut-down double that he used as sort of a "walking around" gun when he just wanted to get out for a hike and some fresh air.

    There was a time when those I was shooting and running around with were following the local fad of making "survival"/beater guns from old break-open, single barreled shotguns. The first thing people did was cut the barrel to the minimum legal length, after which they would further mess with it as their individual abilities/circumstances allowed. Invariably, they were short, very light, and had old-fashioned stocks with a crapload of "drop." As a general thing, they had no recoil pad really worth a rat's rump. Many were left with no front bead after the muzzle-ectomy. These efforts almost always ended up:

    1. throwing a pattern which the average Buick of the time could fly through if it was about 15-20 or more yards out
    2. having recoil that would nearly separate a shooter from his dental work and/or bless him somewhere on the strong side of his head; even the 20 gauges were prone to it.

    There were exceptions, but not very many. A few did get a good recoil pad and even fewer got a Poly-Choke or some legitimate attempt at choke, but most did not. To give them their due, they all would have been lethal enough up close. It was mostly just good, clean fun on the cheap... emphasis on "cheap."

    Most of the SxS shotguns any of us had access to were either worth too much to tinker with or so old and decrepit that even we merry band of young dolts left them alone.
    gn

    "On the internet, nobody knows if you are a dog... or even a cat."

  5. #15
    Member LHS's Avatar
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    Jan 2012
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    Behind that cactus
    10/10 would shoot off the balcony.

    Seriously though, that's a pretty gauge. I have long wished that the 16ga would become more popular.


    Matt Haught
    SYMTAC Consulting LLC
    https://sym-tac.com

  6. #16
    Member
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    Jul 2019
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    Almost Heaven
    Quote Originally Posted by NH Shooter View Post
    The shotgun is a Lefever Nitro Special in 16 gauge, manufactured by Ithaca Gun Co. in 1923. I inherited it from my grandfather about 50 years ago and the barrels had already been cut from 28-inches to 26-1/2".
    In my humble opinion you get extra extra style points for it being a 16ga. That gauge just works when soldering two barrels side x side. The only gun my dad owned when I was growing up was a 16ga Winchester Model 12, it handles like a 20ga and kills like a 12ga.

  7. #17
    Member jtcarm's Avatar
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    Jul 2018
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    Texas Cross Timbers
    Is it duck season, or wabbit season?

  8. #18
    Site Supporter
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    Feb 2016
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    In the desert, looking for water.
    Quote Originally Posted by jtcarm View Post
    Is it duck season, or wabbit season?
    Wabbits are in season all year here, so it’s always wabbit season. My Brittany loves bumping them out of bushes and watching them run.

  9. #19
    Murder Machine, Harmless Fuzzball TCinVA's Avatar
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    Feb 2011
    Location
    Virginia
    I would love for there to be a good quality double barrel with ejectors, decent wood, and a 12.5" LOP out there with express style sights aimed at defensive use.
    3/15/2016

  10. #20
    Site Supporter entropy's Avatar
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    Apr 2012
    Location
    Far Upper Midwest. Lower Midwest When I Absolutely Have To
    I missed much coolness here during my absence...

    Such is this.

    I got a Stoeger sitting in a closet that I’m scratching my chin about now...
    Working diligently to enlarge my group size.

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