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Lefever Nitro Special 16 gauge

5K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Jolly Bill 
#1 ·
Hello, I have a Lefever Nitro Special 16 gauge shotgun given to me by my Grandpa. I dontknow much about it so I am trying to figure some mre on it. The serial number is S282082. It has one trigger for firing both barrels as well as a butt pad on the stock. A couple spots have said that this s considered an A-grade, but is that true? I would like to know what year it was made and possibly value on the gun. Thank you for taking the time to read.
 
#2 ·
kjmlrtime;

Your Lefever Nitro Special made by the Ithaca Gun Company with serial number 282082 was made in 1929. It is not an A grade. A grades were in serial number range from 300000 to about 302496.
The single trigger on your Nitro Special is not very common. It is a non selective single trigger and it shoots the right barrel first and then the left barrel. If the gun is broken open for reloading after firing just the right barrel, when closed it will revert back to the right barrel first function.
It probably has 28" barrels. If you break the gun down to its 3 main pieces, you will see some markings on the flat part of the barrels. The grade, probably an "S", the serial number and a single digit: 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 on each of the barrel flats. This is the designation for the choke of each barrel when it left the factory as "0" is for Cylinder bore, "1" is for Improved Cylinder, "2" is for Modified, "3" is for improved modified and "4" is for Full choke. Yours is more likely marked 2 and 4 or 4 and 4.
Value? If the gun is all original in excellent condition with most of its original barrel blue, receiver case color and wood finish, it would be worth around $400 to maybe $500 around here, upstate NY. If the gun has seen some alterations: barrels reblued or cut, wood refinished, wood cracked, dents in the barrel, or in just plain rough shape, that will lower the value of the gun.
Hope this helps.
Jolly
 
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