The 20 guage CE-grade Lefever you see here is one of the rarest American side-by-sides I’ve come across.
Daniel Myron Lefever started the Lefever Arms Co. in 1883 and guns were made under that name until around 1921. Over those 38 years, the company built around 73,000 SxS. Of those, twenty gauges were among the rarest
C-grades were middle-grade guns and several steps away from the company’s finest doubles — the $1000 Grade, the Optimus, and came after Lefever AAs, A, & B. According to the book Uncle Dan Lefever: Master Gunmakers by Robert Elliott, around 3,000 C-grades were built. How many of these were 20s? Maybe 30 – probably less. Because the records for Lefever Arms Co. firearms were lost, no one knows for sure.
Lefever CE Grade 20 ga. Shotgun: Outstanding and Rare Lefever CE Grade 20 bore in excellent condition with 26” steel barrels choked 1/4 and modified, twin beads, beautiful stock figure, Lefever butt plate, gold initial medallion, ejectors, double triggers, automatic safety, outstanding engraving, 72xxx s/n, some case colors, but mostly silver frame, excellent barrel blue, 14 x 1 9/16 x 2 3/4, 6.2 lbs., 2 3/4” chambers. Price: $12,500
