Lefever A Grade
Lefever Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1885
Also known as: Lefever A Quality, Lefever Arms A Grade
Overview
The Lefever A Grade is a high-grade, hammerless, side-by-side double-barrel shotgun built by the Lefever Arms Company of Syracuse, New York. Based on Daniel Myron Lefever's pioneering hammerless design, the A Grade sat in the upper tier of Lefever's quality ladder, offering finest Damascus or Krupp fluid-steel barrels, best English rebounding sidelocks, a selected French walnut pistol-grip stock, and elegant hand engraving with a gold shield for the owner's name. Chambered most commonly in 12 gauge, it was a favorite of American trap and field shooters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3300 g (116.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1180 mm (46.46") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Internal Hammer |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 2 rounds |
| Muzzle Velocity | 400 m/s (1312 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 2560 J (1888 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Damascus Or Fluid Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued Barrels, Case-Colored Engraved Receiver |
Calibers
- 12 Gauge · primary — also known as 12GA, 12 Bore
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Break-Open
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Cocking Indicators
- Features: Sidelock Action, Hammerless Design, Side-By-Side Barrels, Double Triggers, Automatic Ejectors, Engraved Receiver With Sideplates, Checkered Walnut Pistol-Grip Stock
Production
Production years: 1885-1916
Produced in Syracuse, New York until the Ithaca Gun Company acquired Lefever Arms in 1916; offered in 12, 16, 20 gauge and .410 bore.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Daniel Myron Lefever
Discontinued: 1916
Notes
The grade 'A' marking usually appears on the left side of the barrels near the breech. Examples with automatic ejectors command a significant premium among collectors. Lefever was the first commercially successful American hammerless double.
Background
In 1878 Daniel Myron Lefever patented one of the first practical hammerless shotgun actions, and his Syracuse firm produced the first commercially successful hammerless double barrel made in America. The graded guns, from field-grade to the ornate Optimus and Thousand Dollar grades, established Lefever as one of the premier American shotgun makers of its era.