Lefever H Grade
Lefever Arms Company · Shotgun · Discontinued · 1898
Also known as: Lefever Arms H Grade, Lefever Grade H
Overview
The Lefever H Grade is a hammerless side-by-side double-barrel shotgun built by the Lefever Arms Company of Syracuse, New York. A field-grade offering that sat near the bottom of Lefever's extensive grade ladder, above only the DS (Durston Special) grade, it carried best-grade London Twist barrels, an English walnut stock with full pistol grip, and modest functional engraving rather than the elaborate ornamentation of the higher grades. Mechanically the H Grade shared the same fully compensated Lefever action with rebounding locks and double triggers found across the range, since grading reflected the quality of barrels, wood and engraving rather than any functional difference. Offered in 12, 16 and 20 gauge, the 16-gauge configuration made a light, well-balanced upland field gun.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 3000 g (105.8 oz) |
| Overall Length | 1143 mm (45.00") |
| Barrel Length | 711 mm (27.99") |
| Action Type | Break Action |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 2 rounds |
| Effective Range | 35 m (38 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | None |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Case Hardened |
Calibers
- 16 Gauge · primary — also known as 16 ga, 16 bore, 16/70
Features
- Firing modes: Manual
- Feed systems: Break Action
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Cocking Indicators
- Features: Side By Side, Hammerless Sidelock, Compensating Action, Rebounding Locks, Double Triggers, London Twist Barrels, English Walnut Stock, Full Pistol Grip, Checkered Grip And Forend
Base model
Production
Production years: 1898-1919
Field-grade guns like the H Grade made up the bulk of Lefever hammerless production, though exact per-grade figures are not recorded.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Daniel Myron Lefever
Discontinued: 1919
Notes
There were no mechanical differences between Lefever grades; the H Grade denotes plainer barrels, wood and engraving. The H Grade was added to the Lefever Arms Co. line around 1898 and originally carried no engraving; after the cheaper DS (Durston Special) grade appeared in 1904 the H Grade gained a little scroll work. Barrel length, chokes and gauge varied per order; the 711 mm (28 inch) barrel and 3.0 kg weight given here are typical of a 16-gauge field configuration. Grade markings appear on the watertable of Lefever Arms Co. (Syracuse) guns.
Background
Daniel Myron 'Dan' Lefever earned the title 'father of the American hammerless double' after patenting the first commercially successful American automatically cocking hammerless breech-loading shotgun in 1880. The lettered grades let a working sportsman own a genuine Lefever action at a field-gun price, with the same self-cocking mechanism as the presentation-grade Optimus but plainer wood and finish.