I spent a lot of time examining the L.C. Smith A-2 during my museum career. There was a spare stock for it that was numbered to the gun. It was a rather plain walnut stock that I am going to speculate was used in the field.

When Sousa's Grandson donated it to the museum he wrote that Sousa used that A-2 for both trap shooting and duck hunting. My guess is the nicer stock was installed for show and the trap shoots, with the plain one used in the duck blind.

I'm only speculating of course, but it would make sense.

Thanks, Bill. I will hunt up the DGJ article today!

The Sousa Remington Model 10F was displayed and written about in the first quarter issue, 2015, of the Remington Society Journal. Great pictures by Dean Breeden, co-author Tom Breeden's son.

John Philip Sousa’s Ithaca SBT at the ATA Hall of Fame in Sparta IL.



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If I've done so correctly, attached is an old B & W photo from the A.E Kraus estate of the special gold plated Smith gun Hunter Arms made for Sousa. This photo was made by Terry Allen from the original tattered photo, which is also featured in the inaugural issue of the DGJ.

Somehow, in my travels, I have also managed to add the last Sousa Grade Ithaca Knick to my collection. Documentation as the "Last Sousa Knick" courtesy of my friend Walt Snyder.

Last Sousa Knick SBT
 

Bill, I remember inquiring about the last Sousa Knick #4021xx a number of years ago when Ironman had it for sale...The had it priced very fair...

Last Knick Sousa
 

That’s very interesting Bill,

I would love to see that Knick sometime if I may, will you be attending the shoot at the famous Rock Mountain shooting grounds in late July?:corn:

Stan

Stan, Randy Davis just posted a picture of it. Randy, "priced very fair" is a bit of an understatement. I will probably not make it to The Rock in July. I'm a little weak on my feet lately.

Nice Ithaca Bill... I was just too picky...

That does look like a beauty Bill,

I'm sorry you're not going to make The Rock, I hope things improve for you.

Stan

PS. Did you replace that awful White Line pad I hope?

Randy, what caused you to be "picky" about the only Sousa out there in original metal finish? I was a little turned off by the wood, but the metal needed no attention. Stan, a good friend refinished the buttstock to match the forend, which didn't need refinishing. The stock and forend are now matching with the original sweat in the checkering. The Mershon pad has been replaced with an original Ithaca pad that I got from a serious Ithaca collector. The pad had never been on a gun. The gun is pictured on the shotgunworld.com forum in the "Ithaca Lovers" subforum. Search for "lowgun's Sousa" or just "Sousa".

Seriously Bill? - you posted a picture over there???





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The pictures on shotgunworld.com have been partially obscured with photobucket logos, but the whole story of the gun is in that thread along with many pictures that Walt Snyder posted for me.

Save some folks who might be looking for it:

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads...-sousa.425362/

Tom, thanks for linking the shotgunworld thread.