info & price L C Smith shotgun

Any info on an L C Smith 12 guage shotgun, serial # FW 80197 made by Hunter arms Co with 26 inch barrels. Choke unknown. Is an Ideal grade,checkered walnut stock & forearm, has leaf type engraving, stock, forearm & barrels are in very good to excellent condition. Any idea on value & is gun safe to fire today's shells? Thanks in advance.. This a great site. jbp

the lc smiths were made by hunter arms in fulton NY from 1914-1945 ,,in 1945 marlin bought hunter arms and continued to make them as lc smith untill 1951,,then they resurected them again in1968 and made them untill 1973when production ceased,,my refrence book lisys the value for an ideal grade as 1150 good -1750 excellent,,there are many lc collectors out there and i could see these prices from them or at auction,,as for your question on modern shells ,,i would think yours should be able to shoot modern 2+3/4 shells but id' ask a gunsmith to check it out before fireing ,,at the prices there going for unless it's the only shotgun you own ..why take the chance?
bigcurt

Thanks very much for the info & I appreciate the advice on the shells. Why take the chance is an excellent question.. Thanks again for the help. jbp