Questions on 1946 LC Smith 16 GaugeArchived Message
Posted by Cliff on November 24, 2015, 7:42 pm
Hello,
I am new to this site and I have some questions about an LC Smith 16 gauge that I own. I traded a pistol for this shotgun several years ago but I've never really used it much for a couple of reasons. First, I preferred hunting with my Model 12 16ga pumps, and secondly, I've never been a very good shot with this LC Smith. I loaned this shotgun out to a family member for several years and recently got it back. I'm thinking I'd like to have another go at it, but there are a couple of things I wanted to ask about.
First, the stock was cut to a 12" LOP at some point (prior to me owning it). There is an ancient 3/4" Pachmayer recoil pad on it, which is rotting off. One of the screws in the old pad will not anchor in the wood because the screw hole in the wood is stripped. In the past I had simply stuck a slip-on rubber recoil pad on it to bring the LOP to something I could work with. If I decide to hang on to it, though, I'd probably want to extend the LOP to at least 13.5" or 14". I'm not sure if I want to put money into this shotgun for a new or used stock, so I'd like to know how to go about extending the LOP with spacers, thick pads, etc. That's something I've never done before.
Secondly, I'm curious about the barrels. I've seen other LC Smith 16ga shotguns in shops and their blue looked different from mine. I think mine may be "painted", as with some of the modern doubles from Turkey. My barrels look much darker, almost black compared to Smith's just a few years older. If the barrels have been refinished, then I might be a little concerned about the barrels having been "hot blued" or whatever, which I've ready can cause damage to the barrels. How can I tell if this gun has been refinished? I'm including some photos that I hope will illustrate what I mean.
In short, I'm just wondering if this shotgun is worth putting any money into, or should I just try to fix the LOP and enjoy it as is?