The Research Division of the L.C. Smith Collectors Association (LCSCA) will search the Hunter Arms Company production records to gather information about specific shotguns and provide an accurate, attractive, high quality research certificate in the form of a letter. The available records include:
- Hunter Arms Company factory records,1890-1919 Hunter Arms Company shipping records, 1918-1946
- L.C. Smith Gun Company factory records, 1946-1950 (FWS prefix)
- Marlin Firearms Company factory records, 1969-71 (FWM prefix)
Please NoteResearch letters cannot be written for the following pre-1913 serial numbers because they are missing from the records:
46000 to 49999
58001 to 58999
70000 to 78999
90000 to 99999
You will receive a letter containing ALL of the information in the records about the shotgun printed on a reproduction of an early Hunter Arms Company letterhead. The heavy-weight letterhead is 100% cotton rag and acid-free. The letter will be placed in an archival plastic slip cover that will fit into a 3-ring binder. It will be mailed flat and protected from being bent and sent in the USPS mail First Class.
(Please allow up to 2 weeks (14 business days) to receive the letter in the mail.)
If you are not a member of the L.C. Smith Collectors Association, we suggest that you click on the Member Signup tab and fill out for a Membership (you can pay online or get an invoice to send with your payment). An annual membership is only $50.00. Therefore, a research letter AND a membership will cost $100.00 by check, while a letter alone for a nonmember is $78.00.
The new Blue Book of Gun Values coming out this year specifies that a research letter adds a minimum of an additional $100 to the value of any L.C. Smith. See the Membership Page for other membership benefits.
MEMBERS: You can print and fill out the Research Letter Request Form and mail it with a $50.00 check to the address on the form. OR, you can fill out the form online and pay by credit card. Please fill out the form online and then you will be given the opportunity to choose your payment type. It will allow you to input your credit card information for payment or if you choose to pay by check you will be given the opportunity to print the invoice and you will be given the mailing address at that time. Once payment has been received your letter will be processed and mailed to you.
NON-MEMBERS: You can print and fill out the Research Letter Request Form and mail it with a $75.00 check to the address on the form. OR, you can fill out the form online and pay by credit card. Please fill out the form online and then you will be given the opportunity to choose your payment type. If you choose to pay by credit card Club Express (who processes the credit cards for LCSCA) charges an additional fee of $3.00 bringing the total of the Research Letter to $78.00. It will allow you to print the invoice and give you the mailing address at that time. Once payment has been received your letter will be processed and mailed to you.
Reminder: All payments made by check--Research Letter will not be processed until after payment has been received by LCSCA.
Fill Out Research Letter Request
LCSCA does not issue digital Research Letters.
Griffin & Howe has begun an ongoing project to provide access to the sporting firearms sales records of Abercrombie & Fitch and Von Lengerke & Detmold. To date, they have indexed over 56,000 serial numbers of firearms in inventory between the year of 1901 and 1967. Most of these are sales of 'new' firearms. Over 2600 L.C. Smith serial numbers have been indexed. A more detailed description of the process and the information they can provide may be found on their Webpage