Re: Details on 2E 12-sn 1074 I purchased 17 Oct. 2008 Archived Message
Posted by USMC Armorer on October 20, 2008, 11:20 am, in reply to "Re: Details on 2E 12-sn 1074 I purchased 17 Oct. 2008"
Thank you indeed David for the most informative reply. You and Mr. Murphy and other of the paid up membership at large here on the LCSCA have been extremely helpful in helping me identify the two pre-1913 mfg. Smith 12 ga. Grade 2 shotguns I am both fortunate and priviledged to own, and possibly someday, pass on to other hopefully appreciative hands.
If I follow the synopsis you have detailed for me on the Smith 1074- When it was originally made in 1894 (Syracuse or Fulton or perhaps a transition gun?) it had Damascus steel barrels, or as Mr. McIntosh called them in his book "Best Guns" barrels that shorten fingers in a rigged game of Damascus roulette. Would this gun have been equipped with the selective ejectors then, or did they become available after 1901?
It follows on then that somewhere after 1917, when the raised ventilated ribs were offered by Hunter Arms, and black powder shells replaced by smokeless powder, to some degree anyway, the owner at that point in time sent the weapon back and had this set of NP barrels fitted. Interesting. Had this vintage Smith been equipped with the Damascus barrels, I most likely would have passed on purchasing it.
I took it out yesterday afternoon, what we waterfowlers call "bluebird weather" here in the Great Lake State, and pattern tested it with various non-steel loads. It does have 3" chambers and a nominal bore dia. of .730 and using a vernier with digital readout, at muzzle the right barrel measures at .710, the left at .694. Bores are mirror bright and there are no dents anywhere in either tube.
There are NO markings anywhere on the barrel set except for on the flats and ahead of same. The post-1913 mfg. Smiths were marked on the top of each barrel near the breech, were they not? Such as L.C. Smith Ideal Grade and Hunter Arms Mfrs. Fulton N.Y. or something similar.
Mr. McIntosh seem,s to highly favor the AH Fox shotguns, but he did write about the Smiths in his book, and if memory serves me correctly, indicated that back then (1981?) Smiths were the most plentiful on the gun market and easy to obtain. I might choose to take issue with that.
Area gun shows in MI (Western side of the State) have Ithaca and the later Fox-Savage-Stevens for the "high-end" gun pricing strata, and a Heinz-mixture of lesser quality doubles under 4 figures. Of course, as we all know, or perhaps should know, there is a dealer asking price and the final price, at least in some cases.
I took the 2E out last evening for a one hour possible pass shooting experience on waterfowl-Nothing in range. But this morning an area private farm pond afforded incoming shots at both geese and ducks. I used the Hevi-Shot loads made for vintage doubles with non-toxic shot, availabl;e from Cabela's and other dealers, and I crumpled a goose at about 25 yards, about to land when the Smith and I "treated the webfooted gentleman from Canada most rudely", so to speak. I was ready to quit at 9:00 AM when three mallards approached with their flaps down, two hens and a male, and I dumped him into the pond.
Hoagy, my Lab retrieved both and to me, the dog work, the pinkish dawn and the leaves in peak, and two dead birds with 2 shells and the almost perfect retrieves, were a banner start to the season with the Smith gun. I hope your hunting this Fall with your Smith gun(s) is as rewarding as well.
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