L.C. Smith Premier Skeet One Trigger 26″ 12 GA SXS Shotgun, 1949 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,955.00
LSB#: LSB250515WM007
Make: L.C. Smith
Model: Premier Skeet
Serial Number: S54863
Year of Manufacture: 1949, shipped May 31, 1950.
Gauge: 12 GA
Action Type: Top Lever Opening Sideplate Double Barreled Shotgun with Ejectors
Barrel Length: 26″, Single Sighting Plane Rib
Choke: Left: Skeet, Right: Skeet, both fixed.
Sights / Optics: There is a silver-colored bead at the front of the rib and a smaller white mid-bead. The top of the rib is finely checkered for glare reduction.
Weight: 7 lb., 14.7 oz.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece deluxe checkered walnut with beavertail forend, capped pistol grip, straight comb, and ventilated brown rubber Pachmayr White Line recoil pad. The stocks have a few light nicks and scratches. There are thin, grain-line cracks at the rear of each sideplate. The checkering is well defined. The LOP measures 14 1/4″ from the front of the trigger to the back of the recoil pad, 13 1/4″ to the back of the wood. The pad has scattered light wear and has hardened some with age. Drop at comb is approximately 1 1/4″, drop at heel 2 1/4″. The cast is about neutral. Overall, the stocks are in Very Good-plus condition as restored or replaced.
Type of Finish: Blued & Case Color
Finish Originality: Professionally Restored
Bore Condition: The bores are mostly bright. There are infrequent spots of minor erosion and some stubborn dried grease in the bores. The left bore has a slight bulge about 8″ from the muzzle. In this writer’s opinion, the bores rate about 7 out of 10 and would rate higher but for the bulge.
Overall Condition: This shotgun retains about 96% of its current metal finish. There is a little finish loss along the edges of the barrel ribs. The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings range from clear to worn, but legible. Overall, this shotgun is in Fine condition as restored.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The barrels lock solidly to the frame. The safety does not engage automatically when opened, but functions properly when engaged manually. We have not fired this shotgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This shotgun comes in a leather-bound luggage case with brass corner bolsters and with a Cody Firearms Records Office records check indicating that this shotgun was produced as a Premier Skeet, 12 gauge, 26″ barrel, selective one-trigger, ejectors, single sighting plane rib and beavertail forend. Date started September 30, 1949, date shipped May 31, 1950, order number “Laurence Bogert”.
Our Assessment: The history of the L.C. Smith firearms is quite interesting. L. C. Smith formed a partnership with L. H. Smith and W.H. Baker to manufacture a three-barrel gun in 1879. L. C. Smith took over the company in 1880 and in 1884 began manufacturing hammer shotguns. Smith became interested in a new-fangled invention called the typewriter, and sold the company in 1888 to John Hunter. Smith went on to form the Smith-Corona company and became a world leader in the manufacture of typewriters. The L. C. Smith shotguns manufactured by Hunter Arms went on to become some of the highest quality shotguns made in the United States.
This is a particularly scarce L. C. Smith shotgun made in 1949. Produced for only two years, a grand total of 515 Premier Skeet Grade guns were made in all of their configurations, only 264 were made with 26″ 12 gauge barrels such as on this example. The gun has been quite expertly restored, though there is a shallow bulge in the left bore. Given the scarcity of the model, this would make a wonderful addition to any L.C. Smith, double-barrel, American, or really any shotgun collection and would be a neat gun to get back out in the field. Please see our photos and good luck!
Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud
