Lefever dbl barrel

Question
I have a Lefever 12 ga. double barrel with the serial number I6563 and would like to know what year it was made.

Answer
Hello Les. You ask about the year of manufacture of your Lefever DBL shotgun. I am not sure of the serial number you provide. Is it I6563 or is it 16563 ? There is no exact science for dating a Lefever DBL by a serial number. There were many Grades and Special Order guns that did not have sequential serial numbers. The manufacture date I have found for serial number 16563 is 1891-92. If it is highly engraved or has exceptionally fine wood grain, it could belong to one of the higher grade guns. This could actually effect the manufacture date, as well. I hope this answers your question and thank you for asking for me. Charles Gage

You should be able to tell which grade your shotgun is by removing the barrels and looking on the water table( the base the rear of the barrels rests on). Unless this was a Special Order gun, there will be the stamping: OPTIMUS,AA,A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I or DS. If it is not stamped here, carefully remove the grip cap if there is one. The grade can be stamped here, as well. The value of these grades can go into the thousands. Charles Gage