I Finally Bought Another of my Favorites Today

[Dean Romig]

A sweet little Ithaca Grade-2 twenty gauge with original 24” fluid steel barrels. I sold it about eight years ago and it’s just another of those things that make me question my sanity…
Well it’s back in my curatorship and I think I’ll hang on to it.
The friend I sold it to has terrible arthritis in his knees, hips and lumbar region of his back and has had to very reluctantly throw in the towel and call it quits as far as hunting and fishing go.

On the trigger guard bow engraved in beautiful script is Mrs. E. W. B. And I would dearly love to know who she was and who her husband E.W.B. was.
Any thoughts?


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[Harold Lee Pickens]

Darn that's nice Dean
No don't ever sell it, but if you do I'd be interested.
I sold grade 1 1/2 Ithaca 20 years ago, I think k I had bought it for 300.

[Drew Hause]

Scroll down to p.11. Possibly Mrs. E.W. (possibly a typo) Belknap
https://digitalmaine.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1582&context=maine_woods_newspaper

Mrs. E.B. Belknap (Alice) was one of the “Ithaca’s Golden Girls”. See The Double Gun Journal, Winter 2016, p. 129

https://photos.smugmug.com/Shooters/Ladies-/i-Qsz5JtS/0/KmgVJSVT5NpFH2KXJ3jMxbJwSFWtVB8B9Zh8FKR7N/M/Mrs.%20E.B.%20%28Alice%29%20Belknamp-M.png (https://drewhause.smugmug.com/Shooters/Ladies-/i-Qsz5JtS/A)

[Kevin McCormack]

Was going to suggest Edith Bunker but I think Drew has nailed it.

[Dean Romig]

WOW - Thanks Drew!

That's a wonderful lead. I'll definitely follow up on MRS. Belknap

I think you nailed it!!





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[edgarspencer]

Seems odd a Trap Shooter would have a 24" 20ga, but then I think people who choose an Ithica over a Parker are a bit odd out of the gate.

[Dean Romig]

This may just have been her grouse and woodcock gun. She lived in Wyoming, NY.






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[Frank Srebro]

So Dean you you plan to shoot this nice Ithaca 20g Flues, and if so what ammo (shot load and velocity)? As I'm sure you know, smallbore Floosies are prone to frame cracking in the hammer cocking cutouts. frank

[allen newell]

I would think that any load under 1200 fps would be fine

[Dean Romig]

Frank, I’ll either shoot RST shells or my own light reloads.





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[Dean Romig]

One thing I haven’t done, but I will when I’m back home, is to measure the chokes.





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[Dave Noreen]

As I'm sure you know, smallbore Floosies are prone to frame cracking in the hammer cocking cutouts. frank

I used to think that, but then I got a sheaf of letters about the cracking of the frame of a No. 4 10-gauge --

143840

143841

There are several more letters back and forth and while Ithaca offers the customer an NID No. 4 10-gauge for $50, he insists they repair the Flues!

[Frank Srebro]

Capt Askins wrote; all this is why Ithaca went to its NID Model with a beefier frame and much improved hammer cocking system that didn't compromise the side walls of the frame.

[Mills Morrison]

On the other end of the spectrum, I have an Ithaca Mag 10 which I love.

[Dean Romig]

Frank, until you informed me earlier in this thread, I was unaware of this inherent weakness in the small bore Flues model.
Thank You.





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[Dave Noreen]

By the mid-1920s, Ithaca had beefed up their Flues doubles quite a bit. In the 1912 through at least 1915 Ithaca catalogues they give their smallbore weights as --

16-ga 5 3/4 to 6 1/4
20-ga 5 1/4 to 5 3/4
28-ga 4 3/4 to 5 1/4

In the July 1919, Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 5 lbs. 14 ozs. to 6 1/2
20-ga 5 1/2 to 6
28-ga 5 to 5 1/2

In the December 1, 1919, Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 6 to 6 3/4
20-ga 5 3/4 to 6
28-ga 5 1/4 to 5 3/4

In the 1925 Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 6 1/4 to 6 3/4
20-ga 6 to 6 1/2
28-ga 5 3/4 to 6 1/4