Posted by John L. on March 16, 2007, 11:27 am, in reply to "Re: Boomers???"
Hello Mike, Given the huge numbers of L.C. Smith shotguns still in service today, and the fact that the majority of these guns were purchased as work horses and not wall hangers, it might be a little harsh to categorize what we see in the stock to receiver connection as a design flaw. It might be more appropriate to categorize the infamous cracking issue as a maintenance flaw. The cracking we see today appears to be attributable primarily wood degradation due to oil soaked wood in the area of the receiver to stock connection. Chances are that the Old Boys of days gone by would fire a few drops of 3 in 1 oil in the firing pin holes at the end of the day and stand her up in the corner until the next shoot. Not only was this oil not really getting to the places that could use it, but it would eventually saturate and degrade wood until the little infamous smile would begin to appear south of the sideplates. Unfortunately, damage was present long before it manifested itself in the form of visible cracks to the rear of the sideplates. It's great that you use your gun on a regular basis, and no doubt the low pressure loads are helping reduce the possibility of cracks. Chances are that there is some cracking that you don't see yet, going on behind the sideplates, provided you haven't already taken them off for a look-see. Probably the best way to prevent problems in the future would be to have the receiver glass bedded to the stock. I recently had this performed on an 'O' grade purchased by my great grandfather in 1912. The connection was so deteriorated, due to oil soaked wood, that the gun would flap in the breeze upon lock-up. The gunsmith,(our own Dr. Bill) who performed the acra-glass and steel powder bedding dubbed her the "Qween Of The Crumbles". When he was finished the gun was as tight as a baseball bat. No visible repair, & the bad wood was replaced with a rock hard replacement material. As a matter of fact, the first time I took her to task, while putting her through all functions, I inadvertantly shifted her between the L and the R of the Hunter One Trigger, and you guessed it , she doubled... 6 drams of powder and 2 and 1/4 ounces of lead shot later the clay pidgeon was vaporized, and the the shotgun was certified as a bona-fide grenade launcher. When I got the gun and my aching shoulder home, I nervously removed the sideplates expecting the worst, and was pleasently surprised that no cracks were discernable, and the bedding was completely intact. Sorry for the lengthy post, but if your gun has been used a great deal over the years, and the oil gremlin hasn't bitten you yet, the safest way to prevent problems associated with the 'maintenance flaw' would be to have a glass bedding job performed, and continue to use amunition for which the gun was originally designed.