NRA National Firearms Museum
Exhibits Finest L.C. Smith Shotguns
Guns Owned by Bogart and Gable Included
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Clark Gable's Crown Grade 20 gauge (Top) and a Deluxe Grade 20 gauge (Bottom) are among the pieces on display in the National Firearms Museum’s new L.C. Smith Shotgun Exhibit.
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FAIRFAX, Va. – In cooperation with the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, the National Firearms Museum (NFM) is honored to present one of the finest displays of L.C. Smith shotguns ever assembled. Over the next year, thousands of visitors to the museum galleries will enjoy special smoothbores once owned by Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable, as well as Crown, Deluxe, Monogram, and Special Grade guns that are among the highest levels of condition for L.C. Smith arms.
Fifteen L.C. Smith shotguns are represented in this exhibit, featured in the NFM Orientation Theater at the museum entrance. Many of these well-known shotguns are illustrated in John Houchins’ recently published reference, L.C. Smith: The Legend Lives. One of the pieces in the exhibit, the Syracuse Hammerless Quality No.7 12 gauge gun, is shown on the cover of Mr. Houchins’ book, and was made by the factory in 1894. Another special piece is the Deluxe Grade L.C. Smith, considered the ultimate masterpiece of renowned L.C. Smith engraver Albert E. Kraus, the craftsman who for 55 years embellished arms for presidents and princes. In addition to guns, the exhibit presents rare ephemera and other artifacts that evoke the human side of firearms manufacture, including the simple wooden chest that holds the engraving tools and fixtures once used by master engraver Kraus.
Loaned by members of the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, an NRA-affiliated collecting organization that was formed in 2003, this exhibition joins the extensive galleries of the National Firearms Museum in presenting the story of the shooting sports in America. For more information on the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, visit www.lcsmith.org. To learn more about the National Firearms Museum, go to: www.nationalfirearmsmuseum.org.
