Thanks!

Dave, when time allows I will sift through Walts book and see if there is any mention of those stamps. I will also hava a look at my examples of Crass, Lewis, Minier models.

John

I just got home(11:30PM EST). I pulled numerous Ithaca doubles(Crass, Lewis, Minier, & Flues) from the rack. Serial numbers ranged from Crass #37xxx through Flues 377xxx. All Flues models with a choke designation stamped on the barrel flats have no stamps under the extractor. All models (Crass-Flues) with no choke designation have numbers under the extractor. The last Flues I have without choke marks is 1879xx, the first with marks(4/4 &4/4) is 202xxx.

That said, I can not make any correlation between these numbers and anything relative to chokes. Some of the guns are four digits with two on the left and two on the right. Others are three digits with two left and one right. One gun has two left but only one on the right. NIG 487xx has four digits, all on the left. I believe there is more study to be done.

During this exercise of observation I also noticed several of the barrel lugs were also stamped on the rear face of the lug with an X or R. There is much yet to decipher.

John

John, do any of your numbers seen possibly correspond to abbreviated pellet counts or choke constrictions, or, are they random?

Jeffery,

While looking, they seemed random. Time permitting, I will examine them again and post a report of the actual numbers by Ser# and Model.

I have approx. 50 Ithaca SxS models from 1883- 1942

John

For what it is worth, I have a Grade 5 Crass in the 30,000 serial range. It has no stamps behind the extractor and has no choke markings on the barrel flats. Only marks on the barrel flats are the serial number.

Early Ithaca models
 

Dave,
Thanks for bringing these #’s to light, I was unaware of these #’s and went looking on a few of my guns. I found 4 different guns with #’s under the extractors, non on ejector guns. 2 of these are Lewis guns, 1 is the Minier model, and 1 is a 1st year Flues guns.

#1 photo Is Lewis, 62,000 range. This would seem to almost signify it was produced in 1892, but it is 1902 gun?

#2 photo is Lewis, 63,000 range. This is a 1902 gun also, these marks almost seem to signify choke markings by the 3 and 2, but why the small o?

#3 photo is Flues 180,000 range. This is 1908 gun, 1st year Flues, these marks more closely resemble the way the gun pictured by you is showing Dave.

So this shows 3 somewhat different styles of marking them, what they represent I'm not sure, would be fun to figure it out.
I gave Walt Snyder a call yesterday, he of course knew what I was talking about but said he never was able to find or discover what these #'s represent.

Gentlemen,

After looking at 32 Ithaca doubles I can say, I believe the Riddle is solved. Some time around the start of the 3rd type Crass frame, these stamps began appearing on both hammerless and NIG models. All my examples from 346xx (Crass) through 1879xx (Flues) has these stamps. It was not until I looked at the underside of the extractor itself that it clicked.

Answer solved,

John

Ithaca
 

John,
just so I'm understanding, are you saying these numbers were only for matching barrels to extractors?
Thanks,
Stan Hoover

PS: I'll have to look at my Crass models again, I didn't think any of them had these marks.

Stan, Yes, I believe them to be assembly numbers used to pair the extractors to the barrel sets.

There is another observation made during this examination. By ser# 240xx (type 1 Crass) and #277xx (type 2 Crass), the complete serial number is stamped on the extractor.

John

John, good work. Just to be sure, I rechecked my Grade 5, 30,500 serial range Ithaca Crass 12 ga. I removed the extractor and found no marks on the barrel behind the extractor, nor were there any marks on the inside of the extractor or on the outside of the extractor.