Western Arms .410

[John Marscher]

We found this 26" .410 in my great uncles closet. It will be shot as is, and most likely stay that way, but I am thinking about the possibility or restocking to better dimensions and upgrading some engraving. I know it isn't worth it financially.

Any thoughts on how to touch up the engraving? I am initially thinking flues style or the border engraving like a field grade NID. I know I want to leave the dog. Are there letters available for this gun?

[Drew Hause]

Not a "fine" double but it is high condition .410, made in 1941, and carries some "exuberant" value
Research letters are available for the Western Arms guns
https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/firearms-records/ithaca/

1933

https://photos.smugmug.com/US-Makers/Ithaca/i-Lb2Wwt9/0/L6LVZpkD7FBz9K7rKm8LRJXJJnMVXkZ4vXWws9mRT/M/Western%20Arms%201933-M.jpg (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/US-Makers/Ithaca/i-Lb2Wwt9/A)

[Brian Dudley]

An awesome way to go with these is to engrave them like the Lefever A grades. Simple yet attractive.

[Dave Noreen]

A nice condition .410-bore like that would get my vote to leave as it is and shoot gently. According to the best serial number chronology I know, the one in the Second Edition of Walter Snyder's book your gun is from 1941.

[Chris Robenalt]

I agree with Dave. Leave it alone and just shoot it. I had one of these 410s years back. It was a favorite and a good little shooter. Very nice John!

[Phil Yearout]

Great find! I'm not much for "upgrading" guns so I'd leave it alone but that's just me; it is elegant in its simplicity. It'll be great fun to shoot. I have a little Stevens from a similar era and have had a lot of fun with it.

https://i.imgur.com/7qCLl2Gl.jpg

[Dave Noreen]

Here is how Ithaca upgraded one of their 1928 Lefever Nitro Specials for a gun writer of the 1940/50s --

127526

127527

127528

[CraigThompson]

To each his own ! But if it were me I’d clean it up a bit . If the comb was to low I’d use the Velcro thing to bring the comb up to more comfortable dimensions and shoot it as much as I wanted .

[Mike Koneski]

We found this 26" .410 in my great uncles closet. It will be shot as is, and most likely stay that way, but I am thinking about the possibility or restocking to better dimensions and upgrading some engraving. I know it isn't worth it financially.

Any thoughts on how to touch up the engraving? I am initially thinking flues style or the border engraving like a field grade NID. I know I want to leave the dog. Are there letters available for this gun?

John, I have that gun's brother. Fun gun to shoot. Mine has taken chukar, pheasant, squirrels and clays.

[John Dallas]

I have my great uncle Fred's 12 Gauge Fox Sterlingworth (choked .041/.041!) He tells about hunting with a friend and they spotted two geese in a field. They snuck up on them, jumped up and shot them both. That made the two hunters in the blind with what had been their live decoys very mad. In Uncle Fred's words - " And then the track meet was on" I assume this was in the days when live decoys were legal

[Stan Hillis]

That's basically the gun I first hunted quail, doves, squirrels and rabbits with as a kid, John. There's a sweet spot in my memories for them.

WARNING!!! .410s for doves and quail are addicting!

[Bill Murphy]

Dave, thanks for the picture of Colonel George Busbey's Nitro Special. The Colonel was quite the personality and wrote extensively about his four years shooting birds in Paraguay while on the Army payroll.