Last week I purchased an LC Smith 12 Gauge Field Grade, Regular Frame. The barrles were cut to 26 inches in years past. The LC Smith has 2 3/4 inch chambers and the wood is without cracks. The screws appear to have never been turned and while the barrel finish is about 80% the receiver has no case hardening left. I own a few different LC Smiths so I'm not new to the problems of stock cracking and the other little things that effect these vinatge doubles. I bought this one for a particular reasonable amount and I don't feel it has much if any collecter value. The gentlemen I purchased it from claimed he was the original owner and said he had the barrels cut down from 30 inches and initially used it for quali hunting. After a long discussion he stated that in 1976 he started hunting deer and that he decided to try the LC with slugs. He stated that with Remington Green Box Standard Slugs the gun shot a consistent 4 inch group at 60 yards. The LC Smith has no sights just a large silver bead. The price was right and he offered to let me shoot it. He retrieved a couple boxes of slugs from the house and out behind the well shed we went. I shot the gun at 25 yards and I must admit I was surprized that the gun placed a 4 shot group just under 3 inches to the POA. We backed up to sixty and the best I could get was about 8 inches, I must admit my eyes are not what they once were and that large bead covered up the entire target at 60 yards. While there the gentlemans grandson walked up and after a brief discussion about the new deer season I asked if the grandson (19 years old) would shoot the LC. He agreed and we cleaned the bores and turned him loose. The grandson shot 10 rounds, and we cleaned the bore after each L/R firing. The result was a 10 shot group that measured 6 1/2 inches center to center, (young eyes, young everything!) Anyway I bought the gun and headed home. Since then I have shot about 40 rounds through it at 25 yards and the groups are good. Much past 25 yards I can't tell where the bead is. My question is should I leave it alone and resolve myself to a 25 yard gun, or attempt to fit the gun with sights and some type of optics. I fair well with optics and use them on my Rem/Baikal side by side rifles but I'm concerned any significant changes will affect the gun as it performs now. Any suggestions would be welcomed. I'm considering this a project gun and don't mind spending the dollars to bring it to its full potential. So, what do you think? As always thanks for any information.

Respectfully
wcf