Red, I'm talking about the "'Lefever' Long Range" singles made by Ithaca, including the Long Range Trap. Some of them were marked "Western Arms" instead of Lefever. I've seen a few of those and had one many years ago. I assume that Savage bought the "Western Arms" trade name when they bought Stevens.
Real Lefever nuts resent the use of that name by Ithaca (which apparently bought either the gun company or the trade name). Real Lefevers are really fine guns, and the "Long Range" guns aren't up to that standard, just "usin' guns"! Since we now have many of our "name" sporting goods made in China or Turkey or wherever the labor is cheapest, I guess we should get used to that. Or maybe not!
I was told the "Western Long Range" double is the Ithaca "Nitro Special" action with a cast rather than a forged receiver, and that the "Western Long Range" singles are the "Lefever" singles with a cast action. I'm no metallurgist and probably couldn't prove it if I had the two side-by side.
As an aside, many--probably most--successful 19th and early 20th Century economy break-open shotguns had cast iron receivers and are still blasting away just fine. I've seen a very few cracked receivers but never one that blew up and caused injuries.
When there was an exception to this practice, the manufacturer usually advertised it as such, hence the Winchester Model 37 "Steelbilt" shotguns, whose receivers were made on auto manufacturing equipment Winchester bought from a failed auto plant, as were the Model 24 doubles!
