by frank finch, jrments and majestic stroke put life and power into all the wheels. we pause to...

We are on the move! Let’s keep the momen-tum rolling… Membership is increasing each month along with the dues to keep our organization afloat. The 2004 Event Schedule has twice as many events for L.C. Smith enthusiasts as last year; hits to our Website lcsmith.org has increased 30% each month for the last few months with ap-proximately 54,000 hits since its inception in April; the addition of pictures with descriptions of the pre-1913 L.C. Smith guns generated over 11,000 hits to the site in the first three weeks of the new year; our quar-terly newsletter has grown from four pages in March to twelve pages in December; the number of queries re-

garding research of L.C. Smith guns to our Board of Directors have gone up dramatically and most important of all, every-one’s knowledge and appreciation of the L.C. Smith gun has increased.

So, how do we improve our organization? We need to set goals and de-velop plans. Previously, I spoke about our organi-zation having goals and objectives. By formaliz-ing those goals and ob-jectives through the de-velopment of a Strategic Plan not only will our

goals be more clearly defined but it will indi-cate how the goals will be achieved over the next three to five years. A Strategic Plan is a lot of work to develop and implement, but the time and effort are well worth

it. It gives us the map of how to go from where we are today to where we want to be in the next five years. The Board of Direc-tors will work on building our road map to the fu-ture. But in the meantime …

“Crystal Ball, what could the future for the new L.C. Smith Collec-tors Association be?” As I ponder this ques-tion, I think the future is in the hands of the cur-rent members. What would it be like if every

(Continued on page 2)

Volume 2, Issue 1

Looking Ahead from Our Executive Director By Frank Finch, Jr

March 2004

Special points of in-terest:

• Let’s keep the momentum rolling...

• Early L.C. Smith History un-covered.

• New Feature—Member’s Forum Page

Looking Ahead from Our Executive Director

1

L.C.Smith, Maker, Syra-cuse, N.Y.

2

Shooting the L.C. Smith 8 Gauge

6

2004 Events 8

Membership and News-letter Update

9

Members Forum 9

L.C. Smith Classified & Yellow Page

10,11

Inside this issue:

L. C. Smith Speaks for Itself

Publ icat ion o f the LC Smith Col lectors Assoc iat ion

current member invited one friend to join? Double the mem-bership? What would happen if many cur-rent members displayed their fa-vorite L.C. Smith at one of the various upcoming shows? Lots of good camaraderie and discus-

(Looking Ahead from Our Executive Director Continued from page 1)

sion? What if you suggested a shoot in your area for L.C. Smith enthusi-asts to shoot their favorite gun? Lots of fun and new friendships? As we begin the New Year, you may want to consider how you can contribute to this club. Sugges-tions, comments, and your per-

sonal involvement are welcome. Let’s bring our organization to the next level together! I invite you to join us at our Sec-ond Annual Meeting and Banquet in Baltimore, MD at the Turf Inn Saturday Evening, March 20th, fol-lowing the Baltimore Show. (See details in Newsletter)

L. C. Smith Maker, Syracuse, New York By John N. Davis

PAGE 2 L . C. SMITH SPEAKS FOR ITSELF VOLUME 2 , ISSUE 1

Editors note: It has been said that Lyman Cornelius (L.C.) was a ner-do-well that really didn’t care about the shotguns he produced on Clinton Street in Syracuse from 1880 to 1888. It has even been said that no one has been able to find any incorporation papers for L.C. Smith Maker, Syracuse, New York. We are indeed fortunate that John Davis a member of the PGCA is also a Smith lover and member of our organiza-tion. I believe that his article that follows along with ones that will appear in subsequent newsletters are the most impor-tant research done on the early L.C. Smith gun since Colonel Brophy wrote his book in 1977. Read and enjoy. Unlike the Parker shotgun, there are very few modern reference books which tell the story and history of the L. C. Smith gun. In fact, the only one I know of is William S. Brophy’s, L. C. Smith Shotguns. Col. Brophy’s

It deals extensively with the Hunter Arms’ guns and provides a fairly comprehensive history of the Hunter Arms Company and the L. C. Smith Company. However, he only devotes two short pages to L. C. Smith, Maker, Syracuse, New York. Col. Brophy explains that Lyman C. Smith began manu-facturing guns around 1880 and sold his concern to John Hunter, Sr., of Fulton, New York, in 1888. It has been said that Mr. Smith was more interested in typewriters than guns. I take exception to this statement. Over the past year I have been researching the life of a man named Fred Kimble, famous duck hunter, one of the original 15 inductees into the Trap Shooter’s Hall of Fame and the inventor of the Peoria blackbird (the first successful composition clay target). Much of my effort has been centered on the 1870's and 80's. As a result, I have


book is an excellent resource, and I have read it several times and referred to it countless more.

Lyman Cornelius Smith

L . C. SMITH SPEAKS FOR ITSELF VOLUME 2 , ISSUE 1

compiled a rather large, although very incomplete, collection of American Field and Forrest & Stream magazines from that era. These were the leading sports journals of the day. What I have gleaned from them is that Lyman C. Smith was actually very active in his gun factory and the promo-tion of his guns. It is my desire to convey to you a bit of the flavor of what I have found through some of the articles which ap-peared in the sporting pulp of the 1880's. Perhaps this will add to the overall body of knowledge and inspire further research into a part of the “Elsie” history, of which little has been written. So, let’s begin with a tour of the Syra-cuse factory and a visit with Mr. Smith himself. American Field, November 28, 1885: A VISIT TO A GUN FACTORY Editor American Field: - Away for a month’s vacation, and having a few unoccupied hours to squander in Syracuse, N. Y., on the return I decided upon a short tour of inspection among the lat-est and best of modern appli-ances, methods and processes of gun construction. My purpose was twofold, viz.: to indulge Yan-kee inquisitiveness for a short time and add something perhaps to a somewhat limited knowledge of the science of gun-making. Prominent among the var-ied and extensive manufacturing and other interests of beautiful

(L.C. Smith Maker, Syracuse, New York Continued from page 2)

Syracuse, and occupying a com-manding location on Clinton Street, of great commercial value as well as local importance, are the now famous gun works of L. C. Smith. Having had no previous acquaintance with the proprietor, I naturally approached the office somewhat timidly, knowing well that the character and purpose of a visit in such an institution would determine how far behind the scenes our longing eyes might penetrate. We found Mr. Smith knee-deep in correspondence, and giving directions by tube and ‘phone to the various departments of his business as they required his personal attention, and special supervision. Satisfied that we were on hand in purely a visiting capacity and not a pirate in any sense of the word, the gentleman became communicative, courte-ous and obliging so far as was consistent with the somewhat se-cret nature of his business. Wait-ing for Mr. Smith to wade through the morning mail, and give some attention to details wanted by the stenographer, we spent the interim drinking in the beauty, the bewitching loveliness of a huge piece of silver magnifi-cence, a cup donated by him to the New York State Tournament, June, 1885, as a prize to be con-tested for by Smith guns. It stands twenty-six inches high and ten inches in diameter at the base. The cup rests upon a clump of tree-like branches, the trunk forming its central support, while on either side it is supported by a pair of guns and hunting hatchet in combination and surmounted

by a brace of beautiful Ameri-can grouse. Immediately under the cup and on either side of the tree we see a grand old setter dog of regulation form pre-sumably on a stanch point, with their canine olfactories no doubt full of the game-laden air that floats from the top of the cup. The whole is beautifully and artistically engraved and embel-lished and was designed by an employee of the factory, which speaks well for the class of skill employed there. We think a limited number of photographs of this cup would be mailed to applicants who would appreci-ate it as a souvenir. We are ready now to look over the dusky machines and find a beginning among some of the mammoths of the first floor. We are confronted first with the great sixty-five horse-power engine, a model of itself, whose noiseless move-ments and majestic stroke put life and power into all the wheels. We pause to admire the engine on account of its mag-nificent movement, its elastic and noiseless balance, its fault-less fittings, finish, etc., differ-ing from the majority of other engines chiefly in its superiority to them. A powerful dynamo is located but a short distance from here. This modern parent of the new and superior electric light was promptly adopted by Mr. Smith as a far more brilliant and desirable light, facilitating skilled work on delicate parts, as well as being a step to the front in the matter of progress and business economy.


L. C. SMITH SPEAKS FOR ITSELF VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

Another room to the left contains three monster ovens, where the case hardening, bluing and annealing is done. This class of work engages the best efforts of the specialist, and requires constant practice and care on his part to produce uniform and per-fect effects. From this point we enter the stock turning room, which is a most interesting feature of the business to the visitor. It is shelved on three sides from floor to ceiling, having pigeonholes throughout, containing from five to seven thousand rough stocks of various woods and qualities, the immense selection embracing some of the choicest growths of many foreign lands. We have an opportunity, here, to inspect the magnificent wood of Spain, the mot-tled beauties of sunny Italia, and the fine grained, tough and gnarled ones from the foot-hills of the grand old Alps. We learn that it is a great mistake to suppose that Eng-lish stocks are used to any extent in American gun making. It is, however, so repre-sented by some makers, though it is a fact that our English cousins themselves import almost exclusively from the countries named . The stock-turning machine is a marvelous piece of ingenious mechanism.

(L.C. Smith, Maker, Syracuse, NY Continued from page 3)

In fashioning the irregular shape of the stock, even the graceful grip, this lathe does it all without any assistance of human help, so that when fin-ished it is distinctively ma-chine-made, and of such perfec-tion that one would not hope for such results from tools in the hands of the workman. This machine differs from these of other gun factories mainly in the fact that its fixtures are made entirely adjustable and so graduated that the stocks can be machined accurately for any desired drop and length. The foreman here has a real knowl-edge of stock making and all its details’ but, being his own par-ticular sphere of labor, his knowledge of gun making be-gins and ends in his own de-partment. In the polishing

rooms and browning depart-ment, where perfected surfaces are the objects in view, we see long lines of polishers at work on the gun barrels, which look bright and glistening as the

bayonets of war. The brazing room is another distinct depart-ment, where the thousands of pairs of gun barrels are brazed together, and the ribs and lumps brazed on them. The barrels and lugs are wired fast in temporary shape until the brazing operation makes it all permanent and be-yond the power of powder to break the fastenings. Entering the forging and stamping room we find the ma-chinery constantly kept busy pro-ducing the various parts of the gun, and could not fail to note with what ease and rapidity the great machines can trim and cor-rect the rough shapes of the dif-ferent parts preparatory to going to the machining department, which we find located on the sec-ond floor. Standing at the open door

of this second room, which we must properly name “machinery hall,” and look-ing down the long aisles run-ning between the straight and un-broken line of machines - really the only unoccu-pied space in this department - our first feeling is

one of bewilder-ment; a first glance

suggests only a solid mass of ma-chinery. A mechanic stands at each one of these machines, knowing well what it can do, and how the work must be done, and


The L.C. Smith Gun Factory Syracuse, N.Y.


if not right, he knows why and the remedy. Years of experi-ence at one machine, working on one part or on a particular portion or section of that part of the gun, has made him the skilled and painstaking artisan that he is. An imperfection or defect which would pass unno-ticed by the ordinary or half-trained mechanic is always and quickly detected by the keen eye of the specialist. This room containing such a great number of machines has also a great variety of them, each one constantly at work perfecting and completing the various pieces of metal which enter into the construction of the final gun. Every machine is fitted with an expensive class of tools of finest material and fix-tures, which, aided by the most accurate sensitive gauges in the hands of skilled operatives, produce with extreme accu-racy the different parts in great numbers. The superior gauges invented and in use at this fac-tory will instantly locate a dif-ficulty or indicate its absence with such absolute certainty that there is no room for doubt. In this respect alone this insti-tution is half an age ahead of all competitors. This room has also several multiple drill-ing machines, which, with the aid of special jigs, make the holes of all sizes, and with the same accuracy which has been noted in other kinds of work. At the extreme end of the room, where the light is best

(L.C.Smith, Maker, Syracuse, NY Continued from page 4)

the tools. Every man, no matter how simple his part, seems to real-ize that it is at least important for him to do his work well. The idea has been instilled into the operatives by the proprietor himself. We know he loses no opportunity to demon-strate that no unit composed of parts can be perfect unless the parts them-selves are so. All the parts of this gun find a common destination on the third floor. This is called the assembling room, which is really the fitting and finishing department, where all those fine little artistic rubs, re-touchings and polishing occur just before the gun becomes its beautiful self, and goes into the testing gallery for approval and acceptance by Mr. Smith. This testing gallery is Mr. Smith’s only and sufficient evidence of what his guns will do, and here is where each one gets its record that is published on the tag which ac-companies the gun. The testing is so thorough that very large quantities of powder and shot are used; the powder being purchased in fifty and one hundred keg lots and the shot never less than a ton at a time. The gun passes two inspectors before it reaches Mr. Smith, who is rigid and unsparing at every point. We think no sportsman should hesitate to buy a gun that L. C. Smith will pass. Pattern, penetra-tion, even distribution of shot and workmanship must come up to a very high standard of excellence or be rejected until made so. The guns now go into the salesroom, where they await ship-ment, which occurs about as fast as they are finished. The general de-pression in trade is not felt in this business in the sense of a dull, or


and brightest, we observe the barrel borer at his work, the chambering and inside polish-ing also being done here. Twelve machines of peculiar design and construction are employed on this work alone. The system of multiplied choke-boring is the original and patented idea of these works, and its advantages can-not be secured in any except the new L. C. Smith gun. The superintendent of this department is a man of quick and correct perceptions, better than ordinary intellect, and almost “growed” inside a gun, his life so far having been spent in the interest and devel-opment of what now seems to be conceded as the best and most satisfactory system of choke-boring guns. He will throw a pair of barrels up to the light and a single glance tells him what must be done to produce a desired change. It is difficult to understand how a pair of polished inside surfaces can present anything but a uni-form appearance, but they do, and do so by shadows which reveal nothing except to trained and practiced eyes. The tool-making room is a complete and well-appointed machine shop of itself, containing four engine lathes, three planning ma-chines, besides many universal and upright milling and drill-ing machines which are al-ways occupied in keeping the machining tools in order. We observed nothing remarkable here except the extreme care used in dressing and refitting


light demand for the goods. The capacity of the works is hourly taxed to keep within sight of orders. Owing to the wide popularity of the gun, a boom in business would flood the concern with orders it could never fill with present facilities. Mr. Smith has plans now under consideration for an early extension of his factories an additional ninety-five feet. It will probably be necessary to get the enterprise under way by Spring to meet the possible in-crease in the volume of busi-ness for 1886. In a short after-chat with Mr. Smith, I learned some facts which may be of interest to your readers: He commenced busi-ness in September, 1877, with eight men, three machines and a three-horse power engine. There are now about two hun-dred men employed , and one hundred and forty machines

(L.C. Smith, Maker, Syracuse, NY Continued from page 5)

belted and running. The monthly expenses of the factory are about ten thousand dollars. The amount of money wrapped up in stock on hand, and mate-rial on the way to completion, represents something more than a quarter of a million dollars. The trade extends into every state and territory of the Union, and into many foreign countries, a good and growing trade being located in the British Provinces, where some of the royal hunts-men are now using this gun in preference to those of their own celebrated makers. This foreign trade is constantly increasing until it will soon be necessary to establish foreign offices to take the matter more firmly in hand and attend more satisfactorily to foreign wants. The rigid requirements of this factory respecting the quality of its work - none ever being done to well - and its su-periority at every point over that of similar institutions, is what has made its gun a great success,

and the spirit which suggested such extreme care and accuracy certainly should command our greatest admiration. The secret of the uninterrupted popularity and success of the L. C. Smith gun factory lies in the fact of its high and unflinching determina-tion to have the best mechanics, produce the best work, from the best material, after the best me-chanical plans known. Mr. Smith, as proprietor, is all the business will ever need. He bears the stamp of a man in every line, and will on account of that “honesty which is best policy,” draw people to him as the magnet does the needle. He is genial socially, shrewd, pains-taking and obliging in a business way, and deserves the great suc-cess he has achieved in the pro-duction of the Smith gun, and no one knows better than he what it has cost to deserve the reward, which we trust he may receive without the envy which some-times accompanies it. A Tourist.

Shooting the L.C. Smith 8 Gauge By Jim Stubbendieck

The first cock pheasant of the day burst from the cover of the cattails and made a sharp turn to the right before crumpling to the ground at 40 yards. I pulled the trigger, but I didn’t see the bird fall. The air was too full of smoke. Paul Hayes hollered “nice shot”, and I saw Brandy his Labrador race to make the

retrieve. I was shooting a black powder hand load in an 8 gauge L.C. Smith. The shotgun is big, heavy, slow to point, and diffi-cult to clean. Why do I shoot it? It is great fun that every shooter should have the opportunity to experience.

For many decades, it has been illegal in the United States

to shoot waterfowl with any shotgun larger than a 10 gauge. I am not familiar with the laws in other states, but it is illegal to hunt any game in Nebraska with anything larger than a 10 gauge. A controlled shooting area is the only remaining place where one can use an 8 gauge. I have taken the L.C. Smith 8 gauge to the L


& P Ranch (87727 514 Ave, Or-chard, NE 68764-6436, 402/655-2244) in northern Ne-braska on several occasions. Linda and Paul Hayes operate an outstanding controlled shoot-ing area. Not only do they have great facilities, incomparable food, many pheasants, and fan-tastic dogs, they also encourage people to hunt with their out-of-the-ordinary shotguns.

Eight gauge shotguns are not common. Occasionally, they are still used in England, but those in the United States are largely relics of the water fowling days before the turn of the twentieth century. My shot-gun is a Grade 2 with a quail engraved on the left lock plate and a woodcock on the right, hardly birds that you would hunt with an 8 gauge. It has 32-inch barrels with 3 1/4 inch chambers, and weighs 13 pounds. You can understand why it is slow to point. I don’t have any trouble with follow through, because once I get the barrels in motion, they are diffi-cult to stop.

Brophy, in L.C. Smith Shotguns, said that only 32 were made. Members of the L.C. Smith Collectors Asso-ciation (see Andy Anderson’s Unlisted Serial Numbers, Volume 1, Issue 2 of L.C. Smith Speaks for Itself ) have documented that more were manufactured, but the total number is unknown. The Cody Firearms Museum has no manufacturing records for my gun or for another Grade

(Shooting the L.C.Smith 8 Gauge Continued from page 6)

2 in the same serial number range owned by Anderson.

I enjoy shooting all of my Smiths, but finding 8 gauge

shells that I would shoot in a gun with damascus barrels was a challenge. I found some Fiocchi Gamebore Mammoth Load 3 1/8 inch shells in London. They have 4 drams of smokeless powder and 2 1/4 ounces of shot in a plastic hull with a rolled crimp. I didn’t want to shoot them in my Smith, but I tried to take them apart and

reload them with black powder. The crimp was troublesome, and the results were not satisfactory. Rocky Mountain Cartridge, LLC (P.O. Box 2892, Cody, WY 82414; www.rocky-mountaincartridge.com) turns 3 1/4 inch 8 gauge shells out of solid brass stock. I acquired a few, and I am impressed by the quality. They are heavier than the antique 8 gauge shells in my collection, and they take modern shotgun primers. I purchased a bag of 8 gauge plastic wads and some overshot cards in England.

The load that I use is 4 drams of ffg black powder or Pyrodex and 2 ounces of shot. My Smith has been inspected by a gunsmith and is in perfect me-chanical condition. I am not rec-ommending that you reproduce this load, but I am giving it to you as a reference. After placing the overshot card, I use my fin-ger to apply a very small amount of clear silicon seal around its edge where the card meets the inside wall of the brass shell. The silicon seal holds the card in place and seals out the moisture. Each loaded shell weighs one-third of a pound, so you don’t fill up your pockets before going

hunting. “Does it kick?” is the

most frequently asked ques-tion. My answer is different than that of my teen-age son. The recoil is manage-able because of the weight of the gun and the loads we are shooting, but I wouldn’t want to shoot it all day with 6 or 8 dram loads that were used by the old market hunt-



ers. My son used to have the bad habit of placing two fingers on two triggers of a double gun.

(Shooting the L.C. Smith 8 Gauge Continued from page 7)

He first shot the 8 gauge at a blue rock. You guessed it – both barrels went off at once. It set him back a few steps. That experience went a long way in

helping to cure his two-finger habit.

2004 Events By Len Applegate

We have a full schedule this year. In March we will have our annual meeting and banquet in association with the Maryland Arms Collectors Association. The theme for this year’s display at the show will be “A salute to the Chesapeake Long Range, Wild Fowl, and 3 inch Cham-bered Gun”. The display is be-ing assembled by Bill Winter and will include antique decoys from Bill Vincenti’s Decoy Museum as well as some wonderful L.C. Smiths. The Banquet will be on Saturday night. Please come with your suggestions as to how we can make the organization

LCSCA EVENT CALENDAR

Date Event Location Contact LCSCA Contact

3/20 – 3/21/04 Maryland Arms Col-lectors Show

Maryland State Fair-grounds Timonium, MD

Bill Winter

3/20/04 Annual Meeting Turf Inn Timonium, MD

Bob Trefry/Bill Winter

3/22/04 Sporting Clays Pintail Point Queenstown, MD

Bob Trefry/Charlie Brooks

4/3 – 4/4/04 Tulsa Arms Show Tulsa Fairgrounds Tulsa, OK

Joe Wanen-macher

Andy Anderson

4/23 – 4/25/04 Southern Side by Side

Deep River Shooting School Sanford, NC

Bill Kempffer Tom Archer

5/14 – 5/16/04 National Side by Side

Quail Ridge Sports-men’s Club Sunman, IN

Ray Poudrier Len Applegate

7/10 – 7/11/04 Ohio Gun Collec-tors Show

Roberts’ Center Wilmington, OH

Laura Knotts Len Applegate

9/16 – 9/19/04 Vintage Cup Orvis Sandanona, NY

Ray Poudrier Andy Anderson

better. The annual meeting weekend will end with a round of sporting clays at Pintail Point. Andy Anderson, Jim Stubbendieck, and John Houchins will have a display at the Tulsa Arms show in early April followed immediately by the Southern Side-by-Side at Deep River in Sanford, NC. The excitement is building for the first annual L.C. Smith vs. Parker Five Stand shoot off. The winning team will get to keep the cup and the bragging rights for a year until the 2005 shoot at the Southern Side-by-Side. The Vintagers National

Side-by-Side at Quail Ridge Sportsman Club in Sunman Indiana (very close to Cincin-nati, OH) will feature lots of side-by-side shooting events, a barbeque, and a display of L.C. Smiths. Join myself Frank and MaryAnne Finch , and Andy Anderson at the Ohio Gun Col-lectors Show in July for their display show. Again this year we will be at the premier double gun event, the Vintage Cup in San-danona, NY. Please contact the LCSCA event coordinating per-son for information.

This refers to Bob Trefry’s article More Questions Than Answers in the December 2003 newsletter. As the 19th century was drawing to a close so was the era of the large bore gun. The market hunters, with their passion for the 8 and 4 gauges, were on the wane and competitive shooters were starting to move away from heavy “steady” pointing guns to light “rapid” pointing guns. The gun makers answered the call with ever lighter guns and smaller gauges. Steel barrels allowed the Hunter Brothers to advertise “light weight” models in 1907 with introduction of the 20 gauge. By 1909 the Hunter Brothers brought out a whole new frame design, called the “Featherwieght”. After 1909 the manufacturers became almost ob-sessed with the weight of the gun recording the final weight on the hang tag and the end of the shipping box. The real variable in the weight of the gun was the barrels. So they could keep track of the weight as the manufacture progressed to possibly hit a customer specified target weight, the weight of the barrels was stamped on them. I believe that the 4 4 on the barrels of Bob’s gun means that at some point they weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces. It was stamped at some point before the final polish because the marks don’t survive on many guns. I had a featherweight Specialty shipped in December 1912 (one of the first Specialtys). That had 3 10 stamped on the barrels. I took it to UPS and had them weigh the barrels without the extrac-tors. The barrels weighed 3 pounds 8 ounces. I was able to make out another stamp, shown here. I believe that to be the tube incoming inspector acceptance stamp. This gun also had an “R” suffix


AC

PAGE 9 L. C. SMITH SPEAKS FOR ITSELF VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1

The 2003 Election for two positions on the Board of Directors is history. Each Fall there will be an election for two seats on the board. To be eligi-ble to sit on the board the candi-date must be a life member. The terms are for three years. This last fall incumbents Andy Anderson and Bob Trefry ran to renew their seats on the board as well as Bob Devlin, Stanley Hackett, and John Houchins. The two candidates with the

highest number of votes were elected. The incumbents Andy and Bob were reelected by quite a wide margin. I hope that means that the membership generally agrees with the way the organiza-tion is being run. If you have something to say about how the organization is being run or would like to answer a question a member poses in an article but don’t want to contrib-ute an entire article we are, with

this issue starting a Member’s fo-rum page. You can submit your thoughts via e-mail or snail mail to me. The deadline for each newsletter is one month before the month is to be distributed, that is, February 1st, May 1st, August 1st, and November 1st for the March, June, September, and De-cember issues respectively. We currently have 82 members. Seventeen of those are Life members. Enclosed is the current membership list.

Membership and Newsletter Update By Len Applegate

Member’s Forum

Member Rich Beyer has published a book on Hunter Arms. It is 80 pages and full of information and photos on Hunter Arms and the employees. Rich has lived in the Sterling valley of Upstate New York near Fulton for a long time and has spent a lot of that time compiling this history and interviewing the few sur-viving employees of Fulton’s most famous employer. He will gladly send you a copy of his book if you send $20.00 plus $2.00 shipping to him at 1560 Co. Rt 4, Central Square, NY 13036. I’m going to get my copy signed by the author.


L. C. Smith Collectors Association Mem-bership Application. Make checks Payable to “The L. C. Smith Collectors Association, Inc” Please send this application and you 2004 dues to : Bob Trefry 5104 Salima ST Clinton, MD 20735 Membership type:

Name: Annual $ 25.00

Address: Phone: E-mail:

Check here if you would prefer your address and phone not to be included in the published list

Life $ 300.00

Dutchman Wood Works: Reproduction Butt Plates & Grip Caps Stock-making Repairs and Restorations. Larry Schuk-necht (716)741-2335 www.dutchmanwoodworks.com E-mail:[email protected] 7750 Salt Road, Clarence Center, N.Y. 14032 Galazan 35 Woodland St. New Britain, CT 06051 (800)515-4867 Contact: Tony Galazan Specialty: Fine Doubles and Accessories

L. C. Smith Yellow Page


L. C. Smith Classifieds The L.C. Smith Collectors Association accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the seller’s description. All negotiations are strictly between the buyer and seller. The buyer and seller are responsible for complying with all applicable state and federal laws.

FOR SALE: Field grade feather weight 12ga pistol grip stock in very good condition no crack showing no butt pad but the pistol grip cap is there and in good condi-tion ser # 325XX $350.00 contact; Bill Winter at [email protected] High grade beavertail forend wood and non-ejector forend iron $150.00 for both. Carl 585-344-7183

WANTED: L.C. Smith Grade 1 in 20 ga and Grade A-1 in 16 ga. Collectors quality. Will consider trade for other L. C. Smith guns possible. Frank 732-899-1498 L.C. Smith, GRADE 2, 16 gauge, with game scenes. Steel or damascus barrels. Collector quality. Andy 845-657-8491 OO steel or damascus barrels, collector quality. Len Applegate (513)777-1946 L.C.Smith field grade up to #2 & Trap any condition even those missing parts. Serial numbers 39000 and under. Pete (763)494-4057 12 gauge and 20 gauge Crown grade guns. Original only, no refinished guns. Carl (864)391-3440 Push button forend parts needed prefer complete forend however any parts for the latching mecha-nism desired contact; Bill Winter at shotgunwilllie@ aol.com Forend iron with auto-ejector mechanism for 16 gauge. Carl 585-344-7183 Greetings L.C. Smith enthusiasts. I’m a great-great-grandson of the Hunter family who owned the Com-pany at the turn of the century, and beginning to do research for our mutual benefit. I would be inter-ested to hear from anyone with historical informa-tion and/or memorabilia for this study. I can be con-tacted at: Ken Baumgardt, 49 N. Old Baltimore Pike, Newark, DE 19702, 302-286-6223 [email protected]

The purpose of The L.C. Smith Collectors Association is:

1. To Stimulate and educate members and the public in their

knowledge of the history and production of the L.C. Smith shot-

gun.

2. To support the Cody Museum in utilization of the surviving L.C.

Smith records.

3. To encourage creation of a L.C. Smith museum.

4. To encourage the value of good sportsmanship to members and

the public.

5. To promote a positive and responsible use of firearms to mem-

bers and the public.

Organization Address: For the time being you can reach us in care of, L. C. Smith Collectors Association C/o Len Applegate 6709 Windwood Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45241

PUBLICATION OF THE LC SMITH COLLECTORS ASSOCIATION

Phone: 513-777-1946 Email: [email protected] www.lcsmith.org

L.C. Smith the gun that speaks for itself

added to the serial number. The gun was in excellent condition and had a shipping box that was definitely not a 1913 box. I think the “R” meant factory refurbished. I do not know when the practice began, but the box had the ICC stamp on the box. This stamped was required by the Commission to document the strength of the fiberboard used in the box. - Len Applegate

(Members Forum Continued from page 9)

by frank finch, jrments and majestic stroke put life and power into all the wheels. we pause to...

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