Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters LC Smith for ducks?

This was in the summer of 2022, from Mack's Prairie Wings (https://www.mackspw.com/). It might have even been a sale, but don't remember. They don't have any now.

I tend to be one of those who check on ammo availability and prices frequently, and buy before I need it. (Also have plenty of shotshell handloading stuff, in several gauges, including bismuth shot in various sizes.)

Thanks for the reply. I do the same with ammo, but I just got back into waterfowl hunting, and haven't bought non toxic loads for decades.When they mandated non toxic shot, I decided to send more time hunting other stuff. But recent job changes left me with more time, so I decided to start hunting ducks again. I picked up a case of boss's ammo, but it was a lot more than $225.

The other thing that's been happening is the price of bismuth itself has been going up and a down rapidly for a while now!

Gosh, as pretty as a "speckled pup" !!!

Have been hunting upland birds with an old 12 gauge Remington 32. Great old shotgun in production from 1932 - 1944. Have to use non-lead shot where I hunt, and turned to bismuth for this one. I've been using Federal 2 3/4" shells with 1 1/4 ounces of #5. First time I used it on pheasant, I was quite pleased with how hard it smacked those roosters!

Also my son has been using a little 28 gauge CZ side by side with Kent steel shot and is doing very well with it. It's a pleasure to see the young man enjoy hunting with the doubles.

Guy

Federal makes the 3" 20 1 1/8oz load #5's in there meateater series don't know if they are availible in 2 3/4". The Kent 1 oz 16 ga bismuth loads are the tits..mb

Not true at all. Elsie’s weigh about the same as every other double out there, maybe more. I’m currently trying to talk myself into a 1920 Specialty grade 20 that weighs 7lbs 2oz. I currently have a 1923 Trap Grade with 26” barrels that weighs 6lbs 4oz, and a 1942 Field grade that weighs 6lbs 10oz. The Field Grade weighs more than my Griffin and Howe Round Body 12 Guage.

To the OP. Make sure you run the serial number and know exactly when the gun was built, and or have the chambers measured. Smith 20’s had 2 1/2” chambers until 1936, unless it was stamped on the gun 2 3/4”. After 1936, I don’t believe they stamped them with the 2 3/4”. My 1923 Trap Grade has 2 1/2” chambers and my 1942 Field Grade has 2 3/4” Chambers, neither are stamped.

Sherman Bell wrote extensively on double guns and even Damascus barrels. He found no evidence of pressure spikes using plastic 2 3/4 hull loads in 2 1/2 inch chambers. YMMV. These were published in the double gun journal quite a few years ago. He was using a pressure lab to establish his baseline and a gun fitted with a piezoelectric transducer to experiment extensively on loads suitable for old doubles.

Just checked my records with the L.C. Smiths I've owned--and I keept good records of both my present and past guns, including not just weight but other details. Compared the Elsies with the other American doubles from the same era such as Foxes ans Ithacas. Also did not find any significant weight difference in guns of the same gauge and barrel length.