Loading an LC Smith SxS 16ga?

[eldon519]

I inherited an LC Smith Field model side-by-side 16ga shotgun some years ago, and I have never shot it but would like to.

In messing around with it, I noticed it is difficult to load/unload. With the action open, the barrels do not fall far enough down for the caseheads to clear the back of the action. You almost have manually hold it open or the barrels will spring back up just enough that you cannot get shells in and out of the chambers easily. Is this normal?

Also, it has fixed chokes. Is it possible to easily determine what they are? It has double triggers, and I am unsure which trigger fires which barrel and then what each barrel might have as far as chokes are concerned.

Thanks for any help.

 

[gunut]

that's pretty much normal....you can have a good doublegun gunsmith work on it and he might improve it some but not worth the bother and money......

99.9% of the time the front trigger fires the right barrel.....hunter arms did not mark the chokes on the guns....you will have to measure them...or they make a drop in gauge that works for most shotguns ...brownells usually sell them.....if your Elsie is one of the older ones it might have short chambers also.....the field model was made 1914-till end of production.....if you take it into a good gunstore/gunsmith they should be able to measure the chambers and the chokes.....[RST ,POLYWAD, make short 2 1/2in low recoil shells ,also spreader loads]....so don't lengthen the chambers if short, and use spreader loads if the barrels are to tightly choked for your needs........some of the older ones also have a lot of drop in the stock.......lc smiths smaller than 12ga are mostly sweet handling guns....even with all the caveats of older guns ..I think you will love it....plus yours has a family history.....sweet..

BTW....never remove the forend from the gun without first making sure the gun is cocked....or you will have to manually cock the gun in order to put the forend back on......

 

[eldon519]

Thanks for the info. Is there a good technique to load them then? I almost feel like I need three hands, two to hold the action open far enough and one to put the shells in. I guess I could put the barrels against my leg to hold them open, but I don't really like pointing barrels at myself even if the action is open.

Also if you could elaborate on any of the usual caveats for older shotguns or point me towards a source, I would appreciate it. I really don't know much about shotguns other than a couple modern ones I have. I've got some calipers so measuring the chokes should be doable, but I'm not sure how to tell where a chamber ends. As long as it takes 2 3/4", I would be fine with that because that is all I can find for a 16, but I don't know what the norm is for a 16 as all my others are 12s.

Thanks again.

 

[44-henry]

Though you probably know this, don't shoot that nice old double with steel shot under any circumstances.

 

[kituwa]

Try taking your gun to a good gunsmith. It sounds like your gun has not been used a lot.I am thinking the extractor springs are stiff. A smith can probably put different springs in your gun so that it will open farther and it wont alter your gun other than the springs witch can be changed back any time.

 

[kituwa]

Oh , you asked about 2 3/4 inch shells and if they will go in the chamber are they ok? No, a 2 3/4 inch shell will chamber just fine in a 2 1/2 inch chamber. The chambers are cut for the length of the fired shell after the crimp is opened.So if you fire a shell that is too long there is not enough room for the crimp to open without raising the chamber pressures. You may get by shooting shells too long for the chamber but it could blow up at any time. Some older guns it pays to just have the chambers reamed for modern shells but a gun like yours i would really think about that before you do it, it is somewhat of a valuable gun.If yours has short chambers you may can find someone that reloads 16 ga that will trim some cases and load you up some shells. Or, you can buy all brass 16ga shells that you can load by hand without a reloader.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I had the chambers on this 16 gauge LeFever Nitro Special reamed to take 2 3/4" shells and also had the forcing cones lengthened.



I probably wouldn't do that to the L.C. Smith though.

Instead I would order and shoot 2.5" shells from one of these companies that specialize in manufacturing shot shells for older guns.

PolyWad, Inc. http://www.polywad.com/vintager.html

RST http://www.rstshells.com/

Ballistic Products, Inc. http://www.ballisticproducts.com/-2-1_2-2-1_4-Ammunition-/products/188/

 

[eldon519]

I ran the serial number and assuming that I did so correctly, it appears to be from 1949. Is there any way to tell if it is cut for 2 3/4"? I saw a tool on Brownells that will measure but would prefer not to have to buy it unless necessary.

 

[eastbank]

if it was made in 1949 it has 2-3/4 chambers. eastbank.

 

[loose noose]

Exactly what east bank just stated, I had a 12 gauge Elsie that was made in 1939 that was a deluxe model with exquisite engraving etc. and it had 2 3/4" chambers. Sorry to state I traded it in for a Winchester Model '73 several years ago. Should have kept both. Note in cocking the hammers I used my left elbow over the top of the barrels and my right forearm over the top of the stock and inserted two rounds into the chambers. It became a matter of habit without much practice. It was deadly on rooster pheasants, even in multiple flushes.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I've run across this before but...

I don't remember the exact application.

When the SxS exhibited this exact problem, I had re-assembled it with the actuating arms for the ejectors in the wrong position.

Some shotguns, this is impossible to do but others... not so impossible. For all I know, it could have been my own LC that I did this to.

I do recall that there were no long lasting effects to the incorrect re-assmebly.


Todd.