L.C. Smith Specialty Grade
Hunter Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1913
Also known as: LC Smith Specialty Grade, L.C. Smith No. 5
Overview
A high-grade break-action side-by-side shotgun in the L.C. Smith hammerless sidelock line, positioned as a finely finished mid-to-upper catalog grade. The Specialty Grade carried broad leafy-scroll engraving on a case-hardened action, with a pair of quail cut into the left lock plate and a waterfowl scene on the right, black-letter L.C. SMITH maker's marks on each lock, nicely figured walnut stocks in full-pistol, half-pistol or straight grip, and Nitro Steel barrels in 26, 28, 30 or 32 inch lengths. Most examples were fitted with automatic ejectors and chambered in 12 gauge.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3400 g (119.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1194 mm (47.01") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 2 rounds |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Case Hardened |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12GA, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Break Action
- Safety mechanisms: Automatic Tang Safety
- Features: Side By Side, Hammerless Sidelock, Automatic Ejectors, Fine Scroll Engraving, Figured Walnut Stock, Double Cross Locking Rotary Bolt, Double Trigger, Gold Line Inlay
Base model
Production
Estimated total produced: 6,911 · Production years: 1913-1950
6,911 Specialty Grade guns of all bores; 5,032 in 12 gauge; automatic ejectors fitted to 6,012; 148 made under the L.C. Smith Gun Company 1945-1950.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Lyman Cornelius Smith
Discontinued: 1950
Notes
Introduced when L.C. Smith renamed its grade system in 1913. Total production of 6,911 across all bores (5,032 in 12 gauge; also 10, 16, 20 gauge and .410), with automatic ejectors on 6,012 of them; 148 were built by the L.C. Smith Gun Company after the Marlin takeover between 1945 and 1950. Single triggers and Damascus barrels were available at extra cost. Weight, overall length and barrel length are typical-range figures for a 12-gauge 30-inch gun.
Background
The Specialty Grade sat among the named grades L.C. Smith adopted in 1913 - Field, Ideal, Trap, Specialty, Eagle, Crown, Monogram, Premier and De Luxe - and became one of the most collected of the sidelock doubles from Fulton, New York. The 1913 catalog pitched it as 'a fine gun in all details, built to last a lifetime,' aimed at the sportsman who wanted engraving and figured wood without the cost of the top Crown or Monogram grades.