The L.C. Smith Collectors Association

The L.C. Smith Collectors Association
[ The L.C. Smith Collectors Association ]

Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Douglas Precourt on May 11, 2024, 2:26 am

I found this 20 gauge LC featherweight field grade when we lived in the Richmond area of Virginia. It was at a gun show and it was the only 20 gauge Elsie I’ve ever seen for sale so I bought it and eventually removed the stock and spent a great deal of time, removing the oil and realized that the wood inside the head was very, very thin. Eventually, after I moved to Colorado, I became friends with a wonderful Gun Smith Hill live in Iowa and worked at a Gun Smith school there and he agreed to reinforce the head of the stock and refinish it as well as case color the action in blue the other central parts. I got it back almost a year ago, but never posted, any of the pictures I took when I first received it. Hope you like what you see.

I used it dove hunting this last September and did very well, but it was Surprised to eventually learn that contrary to the norm the right barrel was choked as Modified and the left barrel, which should’ve been tighter, was actually cylinder? Go figure?
-Doug

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Drew Hause on May 11, 2024, 6:01 am, in reply to "Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

Nice Doug. The gun was made at the introduction of the new shotgun game of Skeet, and Mod R (Skeet Out) and Cylinder (Skeet In) L was a popular choke option. With the ivory bead I'll bet it was ordered as a Skeet gun.

What is the chamber length?

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by David Williamson on May 11, 2024, 6:57 am, in reply to "Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

Doug, nice refurbishing job on this 20 gauge.
It would be interesting to note if the gun was ordered with that butt plate as they were put on the Hunter Arms box lock guns.

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Wade Copeland on May 11, 2024, 9:30 pm, in reply to "Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

Mr. Precourt,

Thanks for posting the great story and photos of your beautiful 20 gauge Smith, the saving and preservation of such fine things is an endeavor worthy of our best efforts, enjoy it in good health and pass it on to someone who will appreciate it.

Wade Copeland

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Douglas Precourt on May 12, 2024, 12:35 am, in reply to "Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

Thank you Wade, I will.

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Douglas Precourt on May 12, 2024, 5:18 pm, in reply to "Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

Hi Drew, I’m not sure if this gun is a “skeet upland special” or not. It does not have an ivory bead and the chamber is a standard 2 3/4 inch length.

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Drew Hause on May 12, 2024, 5:31 pm, in reply to "Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

The Skeet Upland Special had a unique engraving pattern. Certainly Field and higher grades were ordered set up for Skeet.

Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight

Posted by Douglas Precourt on May 12, 2024, 5:53 pm, in reply to "Re: Restored Elsie 20 Bore Field Grade Featherweight "

When I bought this gun at the show, I asked if there was a butt plate that should be included. I was told that the plate hasn’t been on it for many years and the prior owner told him when it did have a butt plate that it was the standard plate with the horizontal grooves. So it wasn’t a special order plate because I bought it and had it installed because I liked it!

Another interesting thing is the metal repair spacer that has been spliced into the rib. During the early cleaning process that area the color came off, revealing the silver metal piece. In order to solve that we used a black sharpie marker, seems to have held well. LOL! ;-)

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