Ithaca Pigeon Gun

[Russ Jackson]

Gentlemen ,Do we have any Ithaca Gun Guru's on our Parker Site ? I picked this gun up walking a Gun Show some time back just because I liked it and Condition is everything in Old Guns ! Can anyone tell me more than what I think I know already ? Ithaca Lewis Era Gun , Grade 2 ,Pigeon Gun which I am told over and over ,they never really made a Pigeon Gun :corn: Thank You for any Info. you can give me on this Gun ! Russ

[Bob Jurewicz]

Russ,
Can't tell you anything other than the obvious: that is a hell of a great gun!!
Bob J

[Rick Losey]

i am anything but an expert

but did real pigeon guns have a safety?



and oh yeah------ great gun in any case

[Robin Lewis]

I don't know about them but you are not the only one that thinks they made a pigeon gun. In a google Ithaca +"pigeon gun" returned several Ithaca Grade #2 Pigeon guns on the internet. Why do "they" say Ithaca didn't make them when they seem to be out there? You have a nice one.

[Bill Murphy]

Krupp Steel #2 Grade Ithacas of that era were "named" The Pigeon Gun. Had nothing to do with them being a real pigeon gun. That is about the nicest one I've seen.

[Russ Jackson]

Gentlemen ,I have found three Pigeon's on the WEB and what I can find is that there is not much info. out there but this is the lowest serial# I have seen about 4 to 6 years earlier than the Flues guns I have been able to dig up ! The serial # is 96568 ,I believe ,1904 ! It does have a White Lime Pad that is as hard as a Brick but appears to have aged for quite a while and fits the gun perfectly !

[Russ Jackson]

Would anyone have an idea when the Ithaca Gun Company would have started importing the Krupp Steel Barrels from Germany and how many might have been labeled Pigeon Guns ?

[Dave Noreen]

Ithaca Gun Co. began offering steel barrels right around 1900. The No. 2 Krupp Pigeon was in their offerings from the Lewis era into the Flues era to 1915. The No. 2 Krupp Pigeon had a list price of $70 while the regular No. 2 with Damascus barrels had a list price of $60. A ten dollar premium for the Krupp barrels. In mid-1915, when Ithaca Gun Co. introduced their new engraving patterns they began offering the new floral engraved No. 1 1/2, their $50 list price gun with either Damascus or Krupp barrels at the same price --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v316/Ansleyone/Ithaca%20and%20Lefever/IthacaFluesNo1andonehalfJuly1915.jpg

and from then on the No. 2 Krupp Pigeon was no longer catalogued. Only the Lewis Models seem to be found marked PIGEON GUN. That marking hasn't been observed on the Minier of Flues Models.

In addition to the No. 2 Krupp Pigeon, Krupp barrels were offered on higher priced Ithacas for a time at the same price as the Damascus barrels. WW-I ended composite iron and steel barrels and Krupp barrels at Ithaca Gun Co.

[Rich Anderson]

A very nice find Russ, congrats on a beauty.

[charlie cleveland]

you sure found a nice gun russ..charlie

[Harold Lee Pickens]

That was a great find Russ. I found a Grade 3 Lewis 12 with chain link Damascus earlier this year. It too is a wonderful quality gun. I had posted pictures of it last spring. I carried mine hunting for the first time last week, and took a ringneck over a beautiful point and back by my 2 setters. I would love to find one of these in a 16 0r 20. I had not noticed until carrying that day that it has a 3 way safety like an LC Smith--I don't care for that feature. BTW, the Washington County gun show where we met is coming up on Jan. 10-11, are you going?
Merry Christmas, Russ.

[Russ Jackson]

Hello Harold ,Merry Christmas to you ! I didn't realize the Washington show was upon us ,I have been on vacation since the 27'th of Oct. and have to return to work on the 2'nd of Jan. so I imagine my schedule will be pretty hectic but if not ,I may just run into you down there ! I found my Ithaca Grade 2 ,Pigeon at the Monroeville show quite a while back ,some fella was walking the gun and had a story to tell about it being in the Family for quite a while and he inherited the gun but he ,himself didn't shoot etc. ,it wasn't a Parker but it had such wonderful condition ,I couldn't pass it up ! I still have never shot her but she feels nice coming to the shoulder and balances really nice !

[Harold Lee Pickens]

My Grade 3 Lewis:
I am impressed with the quality of these old Ithacas. Russ, your's is in super condition.

[Russ Jackson]

Harold ,Very Nice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They really are nice old guns ,you would think they would have a much larger following !

[KCordell]

Fantastic pieces of history. That pigeon is really neat. I have a grade 3 Crass that's been a great upland companion.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn128/code337/20140527_214037_zpsw3zcc4rf.jpg (http://s303.photobucket.com/user/code337/media/20140527_214037_zpsw3zcc4rf.jpg.html)

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Wow, nice! Wouldn't a 16 or 20 bore be a find! There is an Ithaca gun forum, but it has very little activity.

[Russ Jackson]

Very nice gun ! It would be great to have a nice condition 20 Gauge in Grade 3 or higher !

[KCordell]

Agree on the 20 or 16 gauge. Never have encountered any of the higher grades outside of 10 and 12. I think there is a rather comprehensive book on Ithacas however since I only have this and another NID 4, Obtaining it didn't really interest me.

[Dave Noreen]

Walter Snyder's The Ithaca Gun Company - From the Beginning has sold out and has become pretty pricy in the second hand market. The much expanded second edition is the bible for Ithacas.

[Lloyd Bernstein]

It's worth having a good Ithaca just for the engraved dogs !

[Russ Jackson]

Don't you wonder why the Ithaca's don't have a larger following !!!!!!! I ran across a 4 Grade Damascus Gun the other day and the wood was comparable to a nice B Grade Parker and the Dog and Scroll engraving was absolutely Gorgeous !!!!!!! The guns also feel great in hand and the small bore graded guns must be on the Rare side for collector interest as they are hardly ever seen !

[Dave Noreen]

When it comes to guns to shoot I prefer the NID Model Ithacas, but for the best engraving I like the Crass, Lewis, Minier and early Flues up to the engraving change in 1915. As far as gauges go, Ithacas were only made in 10-, 12- and 16-gauges up to their introduction of the 20-gauge in 1906 in the last of the Lewis Models. Here is a nice No. 4E Lewis Model 20-gauge --

http://www.gunsinternational.com/Ithaca-4E-20-gauge-28.cfm?gun_id=100455691

[Russ Jackson]

Dave , That is a beauty indeed ,Thank You for the Posts on these guns ! The checkering on the Graded Ithaca Models really catch my eye ! I agree ,from the little I know of these guns ,The Crass and Lewis engraving appeals to me the most also ! Would you happen to know what the " Nig " listed after Lewis in your link stands for ? "" Lewis and Nig "", I always figured ,NID stood for New Ithaca Double ?????? but the Nig. is new to me ! Thank You ; Russ

[Bill Murphy]

Oh, teacher, call on me!!! NIG is New Ithaca Gun, a neat line of guns around the late nineties if I recall. I had a screaming New Ithaca Gun, exposed hammers, fluid steel. Yup, I sold it.

[Rick Losey]

I think all NIG's were external hammers

But I think the serial number ran in the same series as the Lewis hammerles

Again no expert