L.C. Smith Ideal Grade Side by Side
Posted by C W Chute on January 25, 2017, 7:46 pm
Hello gents, this shotgun has been on the family farm for several generations, though I do not know when it was last fired. It looks to be in pretty tough shape as you will see in the photos. The serial numbers (FW 28415 I) all match, and from what I can tell, it was manufactured in 1920. On top of the right barrel it has engraved <- L.C. Smith Ideal Grade ->, and on top of the left barrel Hunter Arms Co Inc (worn)??????? USA. On the bottoms of both barrels are engraved LONDON STEEL and what looks to be an 8 over a 10. I have no clue what gauge this weapon is. The stock is a wreck, with what looks like an epoxy type fill repair and a wrap with electricians tape. The butt plate is broken on the bottom. At one point in the 60's, my grandfather etched his SSN into the stock and onto the left barrel (along with everything esle "of value" in the house, TVs, appliances, etc). Here are my concerns; 1) the stock, repairable or needs to be replaced? 2) can the SSN on the barrel be removed? 3) if you look at the 2 pics of the barrels, the left (right in the pic) appears to be out-of-round, repairable? 4) is it worth investing any amount of money into this weapon? Thank you in advance, Chris
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