Today after missing out on a MAS 49/56 that I had spied in a pawn shop on Sunday and was waiting on proper funds for, I decided to hit a few gun shops in the area to see what was there. Lo and behold, I find this shotgun sitting behind the counter in a rack at one of the stores I checked.
The FFL there said it was a consignment item and there as a "gunsmith special". The seller had said it was a wall hanger and unsafe to fire, but did not specify a reason. It had some moderate pitting in the barrel when I inspected it but nothing really alarming to me. So I put my money down and walked out with it for a price that I suspected was heavily below market. Turns out I was right.
After doing some research I nailed down the year of production to 1911 and the model to an L.C. Smith 00. It was the lowest grade of shotgun made at the time, but still a premium double-barrel. In 1911 it sold for $32 in the state I have it (without ejectors). That would be over $800 in today's money!
I already love this shotgun and look forward to keeping it in the family for many more years to come and far better kept than it's previous owners.
Side-note: I fired it with some birdshot through both barrels and it had absolutely zero issues. Shotgun is fine.
The FFL there said it was a consignment item and there as a "gunsmith special". The seller had said it was a wall hanger and unsafe to fire, but did not specify a reason. It had some moderate pitting in the barrel when I inspected it but nothing really alarming to me. So I put my money down and walked out with it for a price that I suspected was heavily below market. Turns out I was right.
After doing some research I nailed down the year of production to 1911 and the model to an L.C. Smith 00. It was the lowest grade of shotgun made at the time, but still a premium double-barrel. In 1911 it sold for $32 in the state I have it (without ejectors). That would be over $800 in today's money!
I already love this shotgun and look forward to keeping it in the family for many more years to come and far better kept than it's previous owners.
Side-note: I fired it with some birdshot through both barrels and it had absolutely zero issues. Shotgun is fine.
