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Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Portland OR

Could you fellow 16ners help with this? I have what I believe is a flues?
Ithaca ser # 291488. Thanks to help from this site, I think it was made in 1918. It is just an old shooter, but is it safe to shoot all modern ammo..it is a bit ugly but tite action with clean bores. I assume it is 2 3/4"? Thanks for the help.

Member Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 602 Location: western pa

Most likely the chambers will be 2 9/16 inch. Have a gunsmith check it out before use. Ithaca made these guns for the roll crimped paper cases and fiber wads that were in current use prior to 1920. The New Ithaca Doubles will digest about anything you want to feed them, The Flues models can be iffy. Others on this site can give you more info.But don't just go out and bang away with it till you have it checked.

Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 32

Your gun was indeed made in 1918 and you can not use modern loads in it . The gun should be 2 9/16 unless it has been bored and you should only use low pressure loads. They are good guns and there are ammo companys online that sell the appropraite ammo for it. Interestingly most gun manufactureres early on in the 1920's I believe, swithched to 2 3/4 but the 16ga stayed at 2 9/16 for quite awhile so some early model 37's are actually chambered in 2 9/16.

Might I add that ithaca went to 2 3/4" chambers on 16's in August 1924 but thier catalogs still called out the shorter chamber for some time afterwards. Also the 16 ga. Standard Model 37 came out in 1938 and was chambered for the 2 3/4" hull. Won't find any 2 9\16 chambers in the Model 37's.
The big issue with the Flues line has been frame cracking but they can be safely used with low pressure loads. I have a Flues from 1913 I bought from an oldtimer in 1962 that still gets shot weekly. I laugh when I think that I bought this gun and a "41 Ford Coupe" for $90 !!! Wish I had the "41 Ford" still. You'll enjoy that Flues just have it checked for condition. Nice quick pointing bird and bunny gun in 16 of course Exclamation

Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 32

I stand corrected see you learn something new every day. I can't remember where I read or heard that at maybe it is just poor memory or I am thinking of another manufacturer.

Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Portland OR

Thanks for the help with the Flues...just what I needed...sounds like I need to be careful with ammo. Question: Is all 2 1/2" ammo "low pressure"? What ammo is right for the old flues. Thanks Again

16
No not all 2 1/2" ammo is low pressure. I shoot alot of it and roll my own. You can purchase it online from various suppliers of which I am not familar with. Hang in there one of the gang here will chime in some links for you and your old Flusey. Very Happy

Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 10 Location: Portland OR

I just discovered the "low pressure group" Very Happy

so once again thanks for all the info.

Member Joined: 26 Apr 2005 Posts: 743

Billy, I believe you slipped in your date for Ithaca's conversion to 2 3/4" in the 16. They may have converted to 2 3/4" as a 12ga standard in 1924, but definitely not in 16. I've owned several NID's and Lefever Nitros (most recently one from 1929) that were 2 9/16. This topic has been discussed over on doublegunshop, and I think they converted to 16ga 2 3/4" some time in the mid-30's.

Generally speaking, on American shotguns, if they're not marked 2 3/4", chances are very good that they aren't 2 3/4", or at least did not come from the factory as 2 3/4".

I recall that discussion over on Doublegunshop. What I am quoting is from page 352 on chamber diminsions in Walt's book. I think all of us will agree that anything was possible with Ithaca guns. What stuck in my mind from that old discussion on Doublegunshop was that 16's were not called out as 2 3/4" till the 30's in catalogs. Oh well, as Russ use to say " I could be wrong Exclamation

" I did slip today though--on some ice outside my barn. Laughing

When I took my 16 gauge Nitro Special to the gunsmith last December, he measured the chambers and told me they wer 2 3/4 inches. I was surprised. The gun was built in 1924 and I had been told the chambers were 2/9/16.

Go figure.

Jim H