Ithaca 4E Knick SBT 34"

[Frank Srebro]

Wanted to share some pics of a new to me Ithaca Knick 4E SBT gun, 34 incher made in 1930. I had her out recently to check POI in prep for the W C Letterman Cup at the Northeast SxS in June, and the inaugural "Diesel Smoke" single shot sporting clays event at Rock Mountain in July. My shooting gang obliged, each target on call, and I shot up all of the paper shells I had loaded. Love those papers! Something different on a sporting clays course and great fun. :)

[Stan Hoover]

You have a nice one there Frank,

much harder to find a Knick with a 34” barrel than a Flues for sure. And a straight grip is also more rare on a Knick. I’m not sure I’ve seen that pad before, is that a leather covered Silvers?

Stan Hoover

[Frank Srebro]

Thanks gents. Stan, that’s a period Jostam single-ply foam pad. The Ithaca was pretty soft shooting with the combo of that Jostam and the Federal paper reloads with 1-ounce pushed by 700-X powder.

[Stan Hillis]

Very nice one, Frank. I recognized that Jostam immediately, but only by period advertising pictures, having never seen one in person. What are the pull and drop at heel dims on it, and the choke constriction?

What condition!

[Daryl Corona]

What can I say Frank. Another unique and gorgeous Srebro find.:bowdown:

[Frank Srebro]

Drops are 1-7/16 by 1-7/8 and LOP is 14-3/8" over the pad. Choke 36 points. Kind of interesting, I expected her to shoot pretty high and started out floating the birds; missed UNDER the first and fourth clay and learned/adjusted because she's actually just a tad high over dead flat. Only had 32 papers loaded and missed one bird later on to finish with 29 ex 32. Not too shabby for the first time out on a sporting course, not trap shooting. Yesterday I put the 1-ounce bar back in the MEC and I'll be doing up more papers later this week. I know I can shoot anything 2-3/4" in the Knick but like papers in the vintage guns. Nostalgia can be so powerful. :)

[keavin nelson]

Beautiful piece! Is it typical for the SBT guns to have straighter stocks?

[Drew Hause]

https://photos.smugmug.com/Vintage-Recoil-Pads/i-DfBmmtC/0/b2061e7f/M/Jostam%202-M.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Vintage-Recoil-Pads/i-DfBmmtC/A)

[John Dallas]

All trap guns are normally straighter to provide a built-in vertical lead, as the bird is rising from the trap

[Dave Noreen]

A Knick and papers!! Hard to get any better than that.

Must not have been owned by a trap shooter to remain in that nice condition!!

[Frank Srebro]

Time will tell on its history. My letter request had been pending at Cody for almost three weeks now. :)

[Phil Yearout]

Nice Frank. I have been enjoying my Knick 5E 32-incher...

https://i.imgur.com/DZKq9Pil.jpg

[Harold Lee Pickens]

My best friend has a 4E SBT--I'll have to find out the barrel length and stock type. I have shot it, and he did have it for sale for a while. They are really nice. He told me before I could borrow it, and thought about taking it to Hausmsnn's

[Phil Yearout]

According to Walt Snyder my 5E went to Phil Bekeart in San Francisco on May 31, 1929. Bekeart was a dealer and also a trap champion and sold a lot of Ithaca guns. Here is the front office of his store in SF; I imagine my Knick was ordered for stock or for a customer and of course I don't know if it passed through there, but kinda cool to think that it did...

https://i.imgur.com/s0fwvTEl.jpg

[Bill Murphy]

I was lucky. Walt Snyder sent me provenance on all of my Knicks before the records went to Cody. One was the last Knick Sousa, the only one I've seen in original finish. They are some guns, almost as wonderful as Parker singles.

[Frank Srebro]

I got the 34" SBT info from Cody today. Shipped in April 1931 to a California trap shooter of some note. I did a quick internet search and came up with many name hits and it seems he got this SBT gun late in his shooting career. Right now I'm thinking I'll save his name and details for an article. Interesting, she was shipped from Ithaca NY to San Francisco by Parcel Post for $2.18.

Also of interest, I did a Cody request for an Ithaca NID VR Double Trap gun and got that too. Serial number would seem to indicate a 1927/28 year gun but she was shipped in November 1936. Tough days and tight money during those days of the Great Depression.

[Dave Noreen]

I saved a picture of an October 17, 1942, Ithaca invoice, that Walter posted some years ago, for four fully loaded No. 4E double traps and two similar No. 5Es to Lou J. Eppinger, Inc. One gun had a serial number in the 448xxx range, four had serial numbers in the 454xxx range and one in the 457xxx range. By the serial number chronology in Walter's book those would be 1927 to 1930 guns.

Similarly Walter posted a couple pages of 1935 Lefever Arms Co., Inc. invoices for 250 and 430 12-gauge, 30-inch, Nitro Specials to Edw. K. Tryon. All the serial numbers in the 1927-29 range. Apparently the boys at Fall Creek had a lot of inventory to move.

95548

[Bill Murphy]

The best example of depression inventory problems was a Rifleman ad for Model 21s for $25.00 from Hudson's in New York.