Lefever Excelsior Grade
D.M. Lefever Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1905
Also known as: D.M. Lefever Excelsior, O Excelsior Grade, Excelsior Grade
Overview
The Lefever Excelsior Grade was an entry-level hammerless side-by-side shotgun built by the D.M. Lefever Company of Bowling Green, Ohio, during the firm founded by Daniel Myron Lefever after he left the Syracuse Lefever Arms Company. Marked "O EXCELSIOR", this 12-gauge break-action double gun featured the maker's crossbolt-locked, fully compensating boxlock action with double triggers, Damascus or Imperial steel barrels, a checkered walnut stock available in straight, half-pistol or full-pistol grip, and simple line engraving. It sat near the bottom of the D.M. Lefever grade ladder, offering the firm's sound mechanical design without the premium materials and elaborate engraving of the higher grades.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3300 g (116.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1181 mm (46.50") |
| Barrel Length | 762 mm (30.00") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Internal Hammer |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 2 rounds |
| Effective Range | 40 m (44 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Smoothbore |
| 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: Manual Safety
- Features: Side By Side, Hammerless Boxlock, Crossbolt Locking, Compensating Action, Double Triggers, Damascus Or Imperial Steel Barrels, Line Engraving, Checkered Walnut Stock, Straight Or Pistol Grip Option
Production
Production years: 1905-1906
Low-volume entry grade from the short-lived Bowling Green, Ohio, D.M. Lefever Company; surviving examples are uncommon.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Daniel Myron Lefever
Discontinued: 1906
Notes
The Excelsior occupied the second-lowest tier of the circa-1905 D.M. Lefever Company grade ladder, above only the specialized single trap gun and below the F, E, C, B, AA and Uncle Dan grades. Weight and length are typical-range approximations for a 12-gauge field configuration with 30 inch (762 mm) barrels; grip style, barrel length and barrel material varied per order. The short-lived Ohio company was absorbed by Ithaca Gun Company around 1906.
Background
Daniel Myron 'Dan' Lefever, called the 'father of the American hammerless double' for his pioneering 1880s designs, lost control of the Syracuse company that bore his name and started over in Bowling Green, Ohio, around 1901. His new D.M. Lefever Company built a fresh line of crossbolt-locked doubles graded from the humble Excelsior up to the deluxe Uncle Dan grade before Lefever's death and the firm's absorption into Ithaca ended production after only a few years, making all D.M. Lefever guns scarce collector items.