New Ithaca Double

[Bobby Cash]

I bought the book then I bought the gun. Thank you Walt Snyder.

https://i.imgur.com/tCGazB3.png

I picked up a scarce little NID in the very desirable 28 gauge.
Flaking and peeling Shellac finish has been replaced by Tru-oil.
There's enough degradation on forend iron and barrels that lead me to believe the metal surfaces are original.
Original butt plate and 3/4" period Hawkins pad interchange on a whim.
Barrels are factory bore diameter of .549 and.550. Choked .013/.007.
Minimum barrel wall thickness of .026 /.027.

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

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

One feature escapes me. Cocking indicates, really??

https://i.imgur.com/y4Q5BFS.jpg

[Stan Hoover]

Waiting on pictures of the gun.

I've seen a few NID 28 Field grades, a few Grade 2's, a Grade 3, and a Grade 4 but no Grade 1's that I recall.

It seems like more had ejectors than extractors, how about this one?

Stan

[Garry L Gordon]

What a wonderfully configured gun!

[Dave Noreen]

Congratulations on getting a great Ithaca!!

I have an NID 28-gauge No. 1 just a bit later. Info I got from Walter thirty-five years ago when I got my gun at Shuman's states it was shipped 04/11/35 to Henry Tharoff. Is that April 11th or November 4th? My gun has the later 1935 style stock and forearm and no cocking indicators.

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[Dan Steingraber]

Lovely gun. I have a Flues 28 from 1920 (+-) with the floral engraving. How did you clean up the wood before using the Tru-Oil? I also just picked up an
NID 20 gauge at the Southern with the cocking indicators. Really solid feeling gun.

[Bobby Cash]

Extractors, 14 3/8 LOP with pad and tips the scales at a BEEFY 6 lbs.
I like how they lock-up.

https://i.imgur.com/8hNPl6Q.jpg

[Zacharysmith]

Fantastic gun. Good for you. I own a 2E with a single trigger, pad and dual ivories. Early gun as well with the indicators. Really enjoy those 3/4 oz, 8.5 AA's on woodcock.

[Bill Davis]

I collected NID small bores for years and your gun is a fine example. It’s a very late example of a gun with cocking indicators. They were basically gone by the 460 serial number range. Much of the information I included in my DGJ article in the Winter 2000 still holds true today regarding 28 gauge NID’s. Since that time I acquired some other examples, including a 4-E 2 gun— 3 barrel set that was fully optioned , including vent ribs. The Ithaca NID guns were under appreciated for many years and still, in some instances, represent excellent values in all gauges.

[Stan Hoover]

including a 4-E 2 gun— 3 barrel Set

Bill,
That sounds like a very interesting set, so were these consecutive serial numbered guns built as a pair with the 3 barrels being shared?

Either way, a NID 4E 28 gauge is pretty darn rare,
Stan

[Bill Davis]

including a 4-E 2 gun— 3 barrel Set

Bill,
That sounds like a very interesting set, so were these consecutive serial numbered guns built as a pair with the 3 barrels being shared?

Either way, a NID 4E 28 gauge is pretty darn rare,
Stan

Stan--these two guns were purchased together and shipped together on the same invoice to Los Angeles and were one number apart. Two barrels were fitted to one gun and the other was a single set of barrels. Of note, all 3 sets of barrels were 28 inches long.

[Stan Hoover]

Very interesting there Bill, it would seem that customer knew what he wanted and had a purpose in mind,
Will we see an article on these guns, they must have quite a story to tell?
Stan

[Dave Noreen]

Generally speaking, I see the cocking indicators disappearing during the 459xxx range. I've recorded guns in the 4591xx and 4592xx with the indicators and the earlier style stocks, while guns in the 4595xx and higher without indicators and the 1935 style stocks. Earlier some customers must have specified no cocking indicators as I have recorded 12-gauge guns in the 448xxx and 450xxx range without indicators and a No. 5E 20-gauge in the 457xxx range.

I handled those fully optioned No. 4E 28-inch 28-gauges with serial numbers one digit apart at Jacqua's about 35 years ago. They also had a No. 5E .410-bore that day.

[charlie cleveland]

wish I could have seen those guns...charlie

[Bill Davis]

Very interesting there Bill, it would seem that customer knew what he wanted and had a purpose in mind,
Will we see an article on these guns, they must have quite a story to tell?
Stan

Well Stan, I don’t think there’s enough known to warrant a story, but I was always intrigued by the fact that they were originally shipped to a Western Auto store—sort of a prewar Pep Boys!

[Bobby Cash]

So Bill.
I bought a back issue of the winter 2000 Double Gun Journal. WOW !!!

[Bobby Cash]

Had an opportunity to pattern my NID-28 at Skeet distances (aka Quail distances),
3/4 oz #9 shot.

Right barrel, .007, 75% pellets in 30" circle

https://i.imgur.com/6pxABPa.jpg

Left barrel, .013, 90% pellets inside 30" circle

https://i.imgur.com/B4ULvxy.jpg

20 / 22 / 23 / 22

[Bobby Cash]

With Bills permission,

https://i.imgur.com/eajsnq0.png

http://i.imgur.com/NaYtzjs.png (https://imgur.com/NaYtzjs)

Would you please tell us what we're looking at?

[Bill Davis]

Those are all 28 gauge NID’s! Grade 5 on down. (No 3’s). They were the subject of an article written in 2000.

[Dave Noreen]

Here is a/the NID No. 7E 28-gauge Barnett had for sale at one of the Vintage Cups at Orvis Sandanona.

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[Bill Davis]

This is the rarest of the Ithaca 28 gauge NID’s! Records indicate only 2 were made but I believe only this one has ever surfaced. I have a recollection that the other one was stolen, but I’m not positive as I write this.

[Stan Hoover]

I took a few pics of some 28 gauges I was able to assemble at Hausmans in 2019, I thought I was fortunate to see 4 different grades at one event, but I’ve never held an NID 28 gauge above a Grade 4.
These a Grade 4E, 3E, 2E, and a New Ithaca Field Grade, also with ejectors!

[Daryl Hallquist]

I owned a 5E NID 28 gauge. Fine, high condition, gun. It's pictured in Walt's book.

[John Wayman]

Wow, great pictures. I must be looking in the wrong places. Would love to find an Ithaca 28 ga., flues or NID. Thanks to all for comments and photos!

[Dave Noreen]

A bit of Ithaca 28-gauge history. With the introduction of the NID in 1926, Ithaca added the .410-bore to their catalog offerings and dropped the 28-gauge.

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That remained the case through 1931.

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Western Cartridge Co. introduced the progressive burning smokeless powder, high velocity, 3/4-ounce, 28-gauge load in their March 1, 1931, Western Ammunition for Rifle, Revolver and Shotgun.

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The specifications in the first 1932 Ithaca Gun Co. catalog includes the 28-gauge.

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Ithaca Gun Co ad from the April 1932 issue of Field & Stream.

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All the above said, Ithaca did make and ship 28-gauge NIDs during the 1926 to 31 period. Walter lettered my No. 2 28-gauge with a serial number in the 431xxx range as shipped 03/29/27.

[Bobby Cash]

I shot some Skeet yesterday with Joe Breda (of CNC ejector hammer fame).
He has a 1926 Nid grade 1 in .410. I, my 1934 grade 1 28 gauge.
We laid our guns side by side and a casual comparison showed similar features and almost identical dimensions.

The coolest thing...
His barrels snapped perfectly onto my gun.

[Dave Noreen]

It certainly appears to me the NID .410-bores and 28-gauges are on the same frame. To me the 28-gauges handle much better. The heavy breech ends of the .410-bore barrels --

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put too much of the gun's weight between the hands and with those tiny tubes not enough weight out front.