The fall crow season is off to a rather slow start in my part of NH. I got out with "10ga" on Wed morning and this morning. Earlier this summer I picked up what is now my oldest shotgun. A Lefever F grade 10ga double from 1891. Light for a 10ga double at 8 lbs 2 oz it's 30" barrels shoot 53% and 85% at 40 yards with 1 1/8 ounce of #6 shot. Stock dimensions are "modern" which is a big plus. All original unmessed with and mechanically tight in all respects. So far 3 for 3 with it.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Sunday 19th of August 2018 12:01:06 AM
Pete, I think it's nice that you breathe new life in to those ole classic doubles. Makes you wonder what that firearm has seen in the last century. To bad you can't time travel back and hunt some waterfowl with that fowling piece.
Pete, I think it's nice that you breathe new life in to those ole classic doubles. Makes you wonder what that firearm has seen in the last century. To bad you can't time travel back and hunt some waterfowl with that fowling piece.
Bob A.
Thanks Bob, I do not believe this gun was ordered or built as a "fowler", I believe it is a true "Upland" 10ga, it's weight is very light for a double barrel 10 at 8' 2" and the barrels appear to be original Lefever tapered chokes with .003 in the right barrel and .018 in the left barrel. I was very surprised by the 85% pattern with a mere .018 in the left barrel. An upland 10 sounds absurd today but things were different in the 19th century.
A nice new toy to play around with! You should have lots of fun with this fine piece.
Never got the itch for a Side-by-Side...A money saving trait, as it turns out. Guess the big reasons is that as much as I shoot I would have severe forearm finger burns, even with a glove! And, when crow hunting, I would hate to pause to reload every two shots!
Demi
-- Edited by Island Shooter on Monday 20th of August 2018 05:28:04 PM
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Thanks, it's a really nice old gun. It's satisfying to shoot them old school. Took down another one yesterday with a classic reload. REM-UMC waxed paper hull, roll crimp, Rem 57 primer 1 1/8 ounce lead #6. This is the second loading for these hulls, they were crisp on the first. Normally I shoot plastic hulls with fold crimp but I had time to put a few of these together.
-- Edited by nhcrowshooter on Monday 20th of August 2018 08:08:07 PM
Drill, I roll crimp my waterfowl hunting loads, usually Federal plastic hulls. I write the shot size with a marker on the overshot card so I instantly know what I pulled out of my pocket. Crow shooting is high volume later in the fall so I am just shooting a few of these now to use them up. I would not take paper hulls duck hunting for fear they would get wet and swell and not chamber.
Classy double! Got to give you a lot of credit on the 10ga. Stuff. I've always been to scared to even try one (lol). Hope you heat the barrels up a lot this season and look forward to the reports.
It's that "time of year" so I figured I would check in on the Crow Buster Forum to see what the NH boys are up to.
Pete, It's great to see your newly acquired Lefever back in the blind again smashing some feathered critters..... This is a great gun and "lightweight" short ten gauges are a great field gun and versatile. The pivot lever to open the action is crisp on these guns and I bet you notice it when you have to do a quick reload to get that third crow trying to make a break for it....
Can you imagine the look on a crows' face when a ten gauge just let rip before impact?! Man oh man comical! The crow is about 2 Lbs before impact dropping with a weight of ten pounds!
