L C Smith Restoration

[tarheel]

I picked up this Elsie from the estate of my wife's old boss for $150 a number of years ago, much the worse for wear. The wrist of the old oil saturated stock was shattered into 6 pieces but I was able to find a 90% butt stock at a stock turner a couple of counties away for $100 which needed the final inletting of the sidelocks and quite a bit of wood removal to make it look anything like the original.

I put it off for a few years for many reasons, the most dominant of which was the inletting and fitting it to the action, but I finally got started on it this past winter and piddled with it off and on through the summer as the mood struck me. I finally set the dove opener as my goal to have it completed and just made it under the wire but we were in quarantine due to exposure to a Covid victim so I'll have to break it in Monday but thought I'd share a couple of pics of the old girl which dates back to 1924, and she closes up as tight as a tick, settles to my shoulder as if it had grown there and will be passed down to roam the quail woods and pine plantations of North Carolina for many years to come.

 

[grizzly63]

Good job, looks great.

 

[morgaj1]

Man, I'm impressed!

 

[geetar]

I picked up this Elsie from the estate of my wife's old boss for $150 a number of years ago, much the worse for wear. The wrist of the old oil saturated stock was shattered into 6 pieces but I was able to find a 90% butt stock at a stock turner a couple of counties away for $100 which needed the final inletting of the sidelocks and quite a bit of wood removal to make it look anything like the original.

I put it off for a few years for many reasons, the most dominant of which was the inletting and fitting it to the action, but I finally got started on it this past winter and piddled with it off and on through the summer as the mood struck me. I finally set the dove opener as my goal to have it completed and just made it under the wire but we were in quarantine due to exposure to a Covid victim so I'll have to break it in Monday but thought I'd share a couple of pics of the old girl which dates back to 1924, and she closes up as tight as a tick, settles to my shoulder as if it had grown there and will be passed down to roam the quail woods and pine plantations of North Carolina for many years to come.

Very nice! Thanks for sharing. A SxS is on my radar.

 

[noharleyyet]

Classy piece and sentiment tarheel...

 

[Phaseolus]

Very nice! I’ve got a Hunter Arms LC Smith which I think is from 1939.

 

[Ben Lamb]

Outstanding stock work, @tarheel. That'll put as many memories in the pot as quail.

 

[tarheel]

Outstanding stock work, @tarheel. That'll put as many memories in the pot as quail.

Thanks Ben. The stock maker only had one on hand so my choice of grain and figure was pretty limited but the intent was to get a serviceable stock just to get the gun afield again, The original stock is serialized so I glued it back together as best as I could and put some acraglas reinforcement in it where possible and am keeping it in case I ever sell it, but that is unlikely. If I ever want to change out the stock to a nicer piece of wood the maker can always use the original as a guide. There's a company in Eastern NC which makes some pretty decent repro butt and grip caps so I ordered them and ground and polished the edges to a patina finish. Considering the many hours I put into the inletting and fitting it's unlikely I'll ever do another unless I really want to do a full restoration with case hardening and the lot. At some time the expense will surpass the value so I'll likely just hand it over to my son eventually.

 

[chefcreed]

That came out great! I have my grandfathers LCS that he bought from my great grandfather because “it didn’t shoot right”. Somehow he managed to kill plenty of deer, quail and turkeys with it in South GA. I am hoping to get it to a smith here in SC soon to have it spiffed up. I don’t trust myself to mess with it. Again nice job and a fine piece to pass on.

 

[tarheel]

That came out great! I have my grandfathers LCS that he bought from my great grandfather because “it didn’t shoot right”. Somehow he managed to kill plenty of deer, quail and turkeys with it in South GA. I am hoping to get it to a smith here in SC soon to have it spiffed up. I don’t trust myself to mess with it. Again nice job and a fine piece to pass on.

Where in SC are you? There's a pretty good smith down around Greenwood though I think he's slowly retiring as he just listed a complete collet set for sale on the Mauser Forum. I can get you his particulars if interested. I think there's also one in Florence.

 

[Salmonchaser]

Outstanding.

 

[Pmacc60]

Very nice , it’s a beautiful gun !

 

[std7mag]

Beautiful job!

No better place to quarantine than the woods & fields doing some upland game hunting!

 

[Nostromo]

Nice work tarheel.

 

[chefcreed]

Where in SC are you? There's a pretty good smith down around Greenwood though I think he's slowly retiring as he just listed a complete collet set for sale on the Mauser Forum. I can get you his particulars if interested. I think there's also one in Florence.

In Myrtle Beach. I’ve heard of a guy in Darlington-maybe the one in Florence you mentioned, supposedly he’s the LC Smith guy in our parts.

 

[tarheel]

In Myrtle Beach. I’ve heard of a guy in Darlington-maybe the one in Florence you mentioned, supposedly he’s the LC Smith guy in our parts.

Name's Bob Veasy; he also developed several recipes for rust blueing. I've used his products on several guns and they work great as long as you follow the instructions.

 

[chefcreed]

Great I’ll check it out. Thanks much.

 

[FLS]

Jim Kelly. Darlington Gun Works.

 

[kansasdad]

How great would it be if venerable guns could share the stories of their lives?

I hope that you and she will get along just right.

 

[OleRedbeard]

She's a beautiful gun! Theres nothing better than taking along a old shotgun with some history behind it along with you in the woods.
Ive always had a soft spot for old doubles. Still hunt with a couple I have had for years from time to time.