Classic Upland Guns

Lefever Arms Company, Part II

- Ernie Foster

The Optimus Grade

After cycling the combination lock on the walk-in vault door to his gunroom, where the walls displayed hundreds of collectible and modern side-by-sides and over-under shotguns, my friend Nick said, “Ernie, that wall contains all production-grade Lefevers ranging from I to Optimus ascending in value.”

He passed me a pair of soft, new tight-fitting gloves and a silicone cloth gun wipe and said, “Ernie, do your thing, and before putting each gun back in the rack, please wipe them with the cloth.” Dan Lefever would have been immensely proud of me!

Background research for this and last issue’s columns quickly revealed there was a lot going on from the time Daniel Myron Lefever went into the gun-making business as a 13-year-old apprentice in Canandaigua, New York, in 1848 and his death in 1906. In addition to Lefever’s innovations in shotgun design, the term a lot refers to the several partnerships into which he entered and iterations of the company he enjoyed.

By 1859, Lefever was an established gun-maker in Canandaigua, and by 1862 he had formed a partnership with James A. Ellis, which produced percussion-type firearms. During this time, Lefever experimented with the “new” breech-loading gun designs. The partnership dissolved in late 1867.

By 1870, Lefever had returned to Auburn, New York, where his partnership with F. S. Dangerfield resulted in a patent for a new top-lever locking system for a breech-loading shotgun. Also, it brought about the commitment to produce a finished product crafted to a higher quality than that of the basic Lefever/Ellis guns.