Ithaca Lefever Nitro Special Shotgun
A Shining Moment Of Disappointment
The Ithaca Lefever Nitro Special Shotgun — Lots of people confuse these hardware-store staples from the 1920s-40s
with their pricier cousins bearing a similar name.
One of my hand-me-down family guns is a Lefever side-by-side 20-gauge. I knew Lefever was a well-regarded name in the shotgun world and knew even a mediocre example would bring top dollar — not that I was interested in selling.
As a guy who likes to shoot shotguns a whole lot better than research them, for years, I naturally assumed my Lefever was an ace in the hole, a literal cash cow sitting quietly in my gun safe. However, the day finally came when I sat down at my desk in order to determine the dollar value of my semi-beat-up shotty. Boy, did I quickly learn the agony of defeat!
History
As with many early gun makers, the Lefever company genealogy is complicated, thanks to an era when non-compete clauses in contracts were still an unknown concept. 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 some 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.
Lefever never operated a plant in Ithaca, New York, until the name was purchased by Ithaca Gun Co.
The barrels have few markings aside from the makers mark and “Nitro Special.”
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. The original MSRP was $29.
Thus, it turns out my hopes of owning a rare and expensive shotgun were wholly dashed. Instead, it seems I owned a humble farmer’s side-by-side destined to keep weasels and skunks out of the hen house. After stomping around pouty-faced for a few minutes upon this revelation of my continuing poverty, I eventually saw past the disappointment to realize the gun is still a prized family possession, pedigree be damned.
The checkering and rounded wrist give the Nitro Express an elegant profile, especially for a “budget” gun.
Specs
The Lefever Nitro Special is a side-by-side with double triggers, plain black walnut stock with basic checkering, shell extractors (no ejectors), low rib, color case hardened receiver and a single brass bead front sight. There was also a rather crude mallard duck roll engraved on both sides of the receiver. The 26” fluid-steel barrels were offered in several choke combinations, though the majority sold were Modified-Full. My gun sports a 28” barrel, a popular option.
The color case hardening hasn’t held up well, as most Nitro Specials I’ve seen are worn to a silver finish. In fact, I didn’t realize they were case-hardened until I read old advertisements. On my gun, if you look closely, there is a bit of color inside the action but nowhere else.
The Nitro Special was originally offered in 12, 16 and 20 gauges, while a .410 was introduced in 1926. From 1934 to 1939, an A-Grade series was offered, which included ejectors, a beavertail fore-end and a single non-selective trigger. Ithaca also made single-barrel shotguns bearing the Lefever name from 1927 to 1941. The last Lefever Nitro Special rolled off the line in 1947.
The Nitro Specials use a two-trigger set-up, though a single alternating trigger was available.
Want to start a fight? Ask two bird hunters which type is better!
Choke specifications are stamped on the underside of the barrel on the “water table” or barrel flats. On my gun, the designation “2” and “4” show the left barrel is full while the right is modified choke. A micrometer verified this with the barrels measuring at .585 and .601”, respectively, at the muzzle. Apparently, it was a common practice for bird hunters to have a gunsmith open up the chokes a bit for larger patterns, so buyers should check their guns to verify.
The chamber length is open to speculation as the gun is not marked. The Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) came to oversee U.S. ammunition specifications in 1926 and designed “standard” shotgun shells to be 2-3/4”. Prior to this time, the industry standard for 12-gauge was 2-5/8”, the 16-gauge was 2-9/16” and the 20-gauge was 2-1/2.” Looking up the serial number on my gun, it would appear to be made in 1921, the first year of manufacture. Therefore, it stands to reason my gun likely has 2-1/2” chambers. However, other sources definitely — and defiantly — claim “the Nitro Special was chambered for 2-3/4” from the get-go.”
On the underside of the barrel are the choke markings, in this case, #2 and #4, indicating Full and Modified.
More than half the Nitro Specials made carried these chokes.
The slim ‘splinter’ fore end also sports a diamond of what appears to be hand-checking. Interestingly, the fore-end, barrel
and receiver all sport the serial number — unusual for such an inexpensive gun at the time.
At least one written source claims the earlier Nitro Specials gained a reputation for “kicking like a mule” when 2-3/4” shells are used in the shorter pre-1926 2-1/2” chamber barrels. Essentially, the folded crimp of the shell serves as a partial barrel obstruction as it opens and overlaps the throat of the chamber, leading to increased pressure and recoil. Earlier shells used a rolled crimp, which required less room to open and get out of the way, which is why the shell length was 2-5/8”
There is no way to accurately measure chamber length without a chamber length gauge so I’ve ordered one for my toolbox. Yes, I know about using a marked .615” dowel rod to verify chamber length but the professionals I asked suggest it’s much better to just buy an inexpensive gauge to know for sure.
Personally, I haven’t noticed any increase in recoil, but then again, it’s a 20-gauge, and you’d have to test both sizes of shells using something more precise than a Mark I shoulder. Regardless, if you own any pre-1926 smokeless powder shotgun, this is something to be aware of. All authorities agree the barrels and actions are stout and safe but should not be used with steel shot.
In this color-enhanced photo, you can see the faintest remnants of the color case hardening on the receiver.
This roller-stamped mallard “engraving” on both sides of the receiver was meant to add a little eye candy to this inexpensive gun.
Swing and a Miss
In value, the Nitro Special definitely rides the coattails of the “famous” Lefever shotguns. While the Ithaca Lefever guns have a reputation as being very reliable and well-made, they are a working man’s shotgun and not especially valuable. Currently, the average 20-gauge in decent shape will bring approximately $350 while 12-gauge models average around $100 more. If you happen to run across a .410 model in good condition, those are relatively rare and often bring upwards of $1000.
The difficulty comes when uninformed buyers or sellers attempt to value the gun. I’ve seen Nitro Specials offered for sale online for several thousand dollars. This tells you one thing for sure: The seller doesn’t know the difference between a Nitro Special and one of the earlier Lefever Arms Co. sidelocks.
I can’t laugh too loudly — until I dug deeper, I was one of those people.
Regardless, I now know the Lefever Nitro Special is a good-quality firearm, but it doesn’t cloud your judgment with a high collector value. Knowing this liberates me to start a careful home-brew restoration to keep my heirloom looking good for the next owner, whoever it might be.
And maybe, just maybe, I’ll do a nice enough job they’ll get momentarily disappointed, too! It’s the least I can do …
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