- Lefever Double Barrel Shotguns Value
- Lefever Arms Company Serial Numbers
- Lefever Arms Double Barrel Shotgun
Grades
Grade marking A though E began with the Barber & Lefever Guns. Not all Barber and Lefever guns have a grade marking.
Most all of the Nichols & Lefever are marked A though E.
After Nichols went off on his own he added a AA grade.
The Sidecockers were marked AA though E.
Lefever Arms Co. guns started out with grades AA though F. F grade only had minimal border line engraving.
There are also unmarked guns that we call special order guns. Special order guns can be a very basic to higher than an Optimus grade.
The next grade to appear want the Optimus around the 102xx range.
The next grade Dan added was the G or Ideal grade around the 14xxx range. The G had little or no engraving. The F by now had a bird or a dog on each side.
The H was added around 19xxx and was basically a G grade with twist barrels. As a lower grade was added, it seems like the rest of the grade were up-graded.
The Special Order gun pretty much went away when Dan left lefever Arms.
The DS and I grades were add around the 36xxx range. The very first one had cocking indactors, a dolls head, and twist barrels. The was quickly changed to steel barrels with not dolls head and cocking indactors.
I'm not real sure when if at all the 1000 dollar grade came onto the scene.
DM Lefever & Sons guns were built in the 0 excelsior, 9F, 8E, 7D, 6C, 5B, 4AA, 3 Optimus, and the Uncle Dan grades.
Variations of LAC guns
Cockers
Cocking rods, 91xx-13xxx
2 piece, 12xxx-25xxx
Small hook, 17xxx-25xxx
large hook, 17xxx-73xxx
Forends
Push button, 91xx-27xxx
Dogs head, 20xxx-32xxx
Snap-on, 25xxx-73xxx
Clam shell, 45xxx-73xxx
Openers
Thunb puah, 91xx-99xx
Pivot, 95xx-14xxx
Standard, 15xxx-73xxxd
Gauges
8ga, 92xx-23xxx
10ga, 92xx-65xxx
12ga, 91xx-73xxx
14ga, 103xx-114xx
16ga, 91xx-72xxx
20ga, 24xxx-73xxx
3 Barrel, 91xx-92xx
Double rifle, 94xx-11xxx
Grade marking A though E began with the Barber & Lefever Guns. Not all Barber and Lefever guns have a grade marking.
Most all of the Nichols & Lefever are marked A though E.
After Nichols went off on his own he added a AA grade.
The Sidecockers were marked AA though E.
Lefever Arms Co. guns started out with grades AA though F. F grade only had minimal border line engraving.
There are also unmarked guns that we call special order guns. Special order guns can be a very basic to higher than an Optimus grade.
The next grade to appear want the Optimus around the 102xx range.
The next grade Dan added was the G or Ideal grade around the 14xxx range. The G had little or no engraving. The F by now had a bird or a dog on each side.
The H was added around 19xxx and was basically a G grade with twist barrels. As a lower grade was added, it seems like the rest of the grade were up-graded.
The Special Order gun pretty much went away when Dan left lefever Arms.
The DS and I grades were add around the 36xxx range. The very first one had cocking indactors, a dolls head, and twist barrels. The was quickly changed to steel barrels with not dolls head and cocking indactors.
I'm not real sure when if at all the 1000 dollar grade came onto the scene.
DM Lefever & Sons guns were built in the 0 excelsior, 9F, 8E, 7D, 6C, 5B, 4AA, 3 Optimus, and the Uncle Dan grades.
Variations of LAC guns
Cockers
Cocking rods, 91xx-13xxx
2 piece, 12xxx-25xxx
Small hook, 17xxx-25xxx
large hook, 17xxx-73xxx
Forends
Push button, 91xx-27xxx
Dogs head, 20xxx-32xxx
Snap-on, 25xxx-73xxx
Clam shell, 45xxx-73xxx
Openers
Thunb puah, 91xx-99xx
Pivot, 95xx-14xxx
Standard, 15xxx-73xxxd
Gauges
8ga, 92xx-23xxx
10ga, 92xx-65xxx
12ga, 91xx-73xxx
14ga, 103xx-114xx
16ga, 91xx-72xxx
20ga, 24xxx-73xxx
3 Barrel, 91xx-92xx
Double rifle, 94xx-11xxx
- Gun production started during latter half of 1883, at an industrial site located on Fall Creek, Ithaca, New York. Leroy Smith joined the company by 1885 and George Livermore joined the firm in 1887. By 1894, the company was under exclusive control of Leroy Smith and George Livermore.
- The Ithaca Gun Company acquired Lefever Arms in 1916, and manufactured the Lefever Nitro Special between 1921 and 1947. The serial number on your gun indicates it is an 'A Grade' made in 1937.
Things that strike me as a bid odd: pull off fore end, no city markings, just 'Lefever Arms Co' and 'Finest Damascus Steel' on barrels, 'Lefever Arms Co' on both side plates, string of patent dates on trigger plate. Grade marking is next to the serial number on the barrel. . LeFever guns numbered under 10000 are built by the old LeFever Arms Company located in Syracuse NY. This company went out of business around 1915.In 1941 the company reserved blocks of serial numbers for Solid Rib, Skeet and Trap models.
Production Dates. Please remember that there are no factory records for the Lefever Arms Co. Therefore these numbers are an extrapolation from known data. However, up to 1/3 of LAC guns were produced out of sequence. The below dates with associated serial numbers represent the approximate serial number range at the beginning of.
Lefever Double Barrel Shotguns Value
Lefever Arms Company Serial Numbers
Lefever Arms Double Barrel Shotgun
Grades
Grade marking A though E began with the Barber & Lefever Guns. Not all Barber and Lefever guns have a grade marking.
Most all of the Nichols & Lefever are marked A though E.
After Nichols went off on his own he added a AA grade.
The Sidecockers were marked AA though E.
Lefever Arms Co. guns started out with grades AA though F. F grade only had minimal border line engraving.
There are also unmarked guns that we call special order guns. Special order guns can be a very basic to higher than an Optimus grade.
The next grade to appear want the Optimus around the 102xx range.
The next grade Dan added was the G or Ideal grade around the 14xxx range. The G had little or no engraving. The F by now had a bird or a dog on each side.
The H was added around 19xxx and was basically a G grade with twist barrels. As a lower grade was added, it seems like the rest of the grade were up-graded.
The Special Order gun pretty much went away when Dan left lefever Arms.
The DS and I grades were add around the 36xxx range. The very first one had cocking indactors, a dolls head, and twist barrels. The was quickly changed to steel barrels with not dolls head and cocking indactors.
I'm not real sure when if at all the 1000 dollar grade came onto the scene.
DM Lefever & Sons guns were built in the 0 excelsior, 9F, 8E, 7D, 6C, 5B, 4AA, 3 Optimus, and the Uncle Dan grades.
Variations of LAC guns
Cockers
Cocking rods, 91xx-13xxx
2 piece, 12xxx-25xxx
Small hook, 17xxx-25xxx
large hook, 17xxx-73xxx
Forends
Push button, 91xx-27xxx
Dogs head, 20xxx-32xxx
Snap-on, 25xxx-73xxx
Clam shell, 45xxx-73xxx
Openers
Thunb puah, 91xx-99xx
Pivot, 95xx-14xxx
Standard, 15xxx-73xxxd
Gauges
8ga, 92xx-23xxx
10ga, 92xx-65xxx
12ga, 91xx-73xxx
14ga, 103xx-114xx
16ga, 91xx-72xxx
20ga, 24xxx-73xxx
3 Barrel, 91xx-92xx
Double rifle, 94xx-11xxx
Grade marking A though E began with the Barber & Lefever Guns. Not all Barber and Lefever guns have a grade marking.
Most all of the Nichols & Lefever are marked A though E.
After Nichols went off on his own he added a AA grade.
The Sidecockers were marked AA though E.
Lefever Arms Co. guns started out with grades AA though F. F grade only had minimal border line engraving.
There are also unmarked guns that we call special order guns. Special order guns can be a very basic to higher than an Optimus grade.
The next grade to appear want the Optimus around the 102xx range.
The next grade Dan added was the G or Ideal grade around the 14xxx range. The G had little or no engraving. The F by now had a bird or a dog on each side.
The H was added around 19xxx and was basically a G grade with twist barrels. As a lower grade was added, it seems like the rest of the grade were up-graded.
The Special Order gun pretty much went away when Dan left lefever Arms.
The DS and I grades were add around the 36xxx range. The very first one had cocking indactors, a dolls head, and twist barrels. The was quickly changed to steel barrels with not dolls head and cocking indactors.
I'm not real sure when if at all the 1000 dollar grade came onto the scene.
DM Lefever & Sons guns were built in the 0 excelsior, 9F, 8E, 7D, 6C, 5B, 4AA, 3 Optimus, and the Uncle Dan grades.
Variations of LAC guns
Cockers
Cocking rods, 91xx-13xxx
2 piece, 12xxx-25xxx
Small hook, 17xxx-25xxx
large hook, 17xxx-73xxx
Forends
Push button, 91xx-27xxx
Dogs head, 20xxx-32xxx
Snap-on, 25xxx-73xxx
Clam shell, 45xxx-73xxx
Openers
Thunb puah, 91xx-99xx
Pivot, 95xx-14xxx
Standard, 15xxx-73xxxd
Gauges
8ga, 92xx-23xxx
10ga, 92xx-65xxx
12ga, 91xx-73xxx
14ga, 103xx-114xx
16ga, 91xx-72xxx
20ga, 24xxx-73xxx
3 Barrel, 91xx-92xx
Double rifle, 94xx-11xxx