*SOLD* 1924 Ithaca Lefever Nitro Special 20Ga Blue *CLASSIC DOUBLE-BARREL SHOTGUN*

Bryant Ridge's Analysis:

In 1880, Daniel Myron Lefever patented the first commercially successful hammerless breach-loading shotgun. He had been involved in several unsuccessful firearms businesses after the Civil War, but his new shotgun design quickly became popular. Unfortunately, “Uncle Dan” lost control of the Lefever Arms Co. in 1883 after a fire. The founder was named Superintendent of the company bearing his name, but A. Ames Howlett became president. After years of success, Lefever left the company in 1901 and took along his sons George, Charles F. (Fred), and Frank to establish D.M. Lefever & Sons in Syracuse, New York. This company produced a new box lock crossbolt-design shotgun. 
 
The guns built from 1880-1919 are “the” Lefevers of fame and fortune. Keep these dates in mind. Meanwhile, the Lefever Arms Co. — the earlier company founded by Lefever but run by Howlett — continued producing the earlier sidelock shotgun designed by Daniel until they sold to the Ithaca Gun Company of Ithaca, New York, in 1916. Ithaca continued to produce Lefever Arms Co. guns using stock parts from Howlett’s company until about 1921. Daniel left Syracuse in 1904 and continued to manufacture firearms with a new company, the D.M. Lefever Arms Co. He moved the company to Bowling Green, Ohio, in 1905 and finally departed this mortal coil in 1906. His passing undoubtedly left behind countless boxes of corporate paperwork. 
 
At Ithaca, they dropped the Lefever-designed gun from their lineup in 1921 after all the old-stock spare parts had been used up. The following year, in 1922, the Lefever Nitro Special debuted, wholly intended to capitalize on the famous name Ithaca had purchased. The Nitro Special was a budget-friendly mass-market gun widely sold in hardware stores and mail-order catalogs.
 
Specifications:
  • Manufacturer: Ithaca
  • Model: Lefever Nitro Special
  • Serial: 192293
  • Date of Manufacture: 1924
  • Caliber: 20 Gauge 
  • Finish: Blue 
  • Barrel Length: 28" Barrel with Full and Improved Cylinder Chokes
  • Optics/Sights: Brass Bead Front 
  • Stock/Grips: Walnut Buttstock and Forearm with Checkered Grips
  • Action: Break-Action 
  • Markings: Standard
Mar 13th 2025 Bryant RIdge

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