Question about my Ithaca Knick
 

I just noticed something is missing on my Knick; see photo of the forend latch. For all I know it'e never been there since I got it. Everything seems to work fine. The part of the Parker latch next to it isn't slotted like a screw head; don't know if the Ithaca would be the same. Questions: 1) How is it installed? 2) Is it important? 3) Can I get one? Thanks...

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

It's missing the retaining screw that is installed from the inside when you remove the forend.





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I see now that the hole is threaded for a screw from the outside. If I know what I'm looking at, the end of the screw is present on the inside; wonder of the screw is broken off somehow?

https://i.imgur.com/fi4pilol.jpg

Phil,
You are definitely missing a screw and it would be installed from the outside, not the inside although I know that was the case on some forends and then the tip of the screw was engraved.

I don’t have a close up picture of a Knick forend handy but I will post a picture of a few Ithaca Single Barrel Traps that I quick took before the owners chased me away at Rock Mtn a few weeks back:)

You may have to zoom in to see the screw that is missing on your Knick

Here's my 4E

Phil,
I believe if it were mine, I would definitely have it taken care of before shooting too much, for fear of the latch starting to moving around and damaging the inletting of your wood. It appears the screw snapped off, never seen that happen before.

I do not have the replacement screw you need, but I would have the connections to have one made and engraved correctly if you like, just let me know?

The hole in the outside portion of the latch is threaded; is it possible that it becomes a pin that goes down into the forend iron? I don't think I'm brave enough to start taking things apart to see how it works. Maybe someone who's been inside one will chime in?

And I am further educated - Thank You Stan.





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Both screw heads appear to be match-engraved, and without inspecting the gun I’d opine that someone cut the screw short for a reason, maybe its end was cross threaded and damaged, and then replaced the screw.

Dean, that's how it is on the Parker and my Foxes; guess the Ithaca is a different animal :).

Knick Screw
 

Well,

I was wrong also, it is only a small wood screw, not a show stopper till you get another Phil. I took a Knick apart and will post a couple pictures so to better explain.

Stan

If you need a new one, don't Gyro Gearloose it - call Diamond Gunsmithing in Ithaca NY and talk to Les Hovencamp. He and others there are veteran Ithaca gunsmiths (they actually built them "back in the day"). They have most all of the original parts (you may have to have it engraved per grade, or maybe Les can have that taken care of for you). I sent a member of our local club up to him in late February with a beautiful 4E that had a really gnarly ejector problem in the forend mechanism. He fixed the gun while my friend drank coffee at Starbuck's for an hour or so. Great people to deal with and first rate factory quality parts and work.

Knick For End
 

I’m including 2 pictures, one of the forend steel and latching mechanism outside of the wood and one picture with everything together again with a picture that looks right like yours Phil.
The bottom end of the screw that you see inside the fore arm is the screw that keeps the spring mechanism in place that applies tension to the lug. Pretty simple operation. The small screw was changed in later guns, Knick and NID’s!

Knick Forend Screws
 

Phil,
Is this the same Knick you shared last week, serial #4018..?

If it is, I believe the forend screw that you’re missing is the one I posted pictures of, a wood screw that is approximately 3/8” in length.

So after thinking about this some more, I was looking over a late NID and then decided to check a fairly late Knick, serial # 404…, At some point they moved away from a wood screw and switched to a machine screw while placing a small square piece of metal to serve as a nut. I would assume this was to solve the problem of the small wood screw loosening overtime

Thanks for all your trouble Stan, and Kevin, thanks for the tip. The thing that has me confused is that the hole in the latch is obviously tapped; if it takes a wood screw it wouldn’t be tapped, and if it’s for a machine screw with a nut it wouldn’t be either right?

[QUOTE=Phil Yearout;369382]Thanks for all your trouble Stan, and Kevin, thanks for the tip. The thing that has me confused is that the hole in the latch is obviously tapped; if it takes a wood screw it wouldn’t be tapped, and if it’s for a machine screw with a nut it wouldn’t be either right? Stan, is either of the latches you’re showing tapped?

I wouldn’t see any reason for it to have been tapped, not sure.

Maybe a wanna be gunsmith had aspirations of how to modify a screw to help keep the screw from backing out?

And just to be clear, I’m not a gunsmith, probably fall in the wannabe category:whistle:

Knick Forend
 

Yes,

After a closer look, in both screw applications, the hole in the latch is tapped.

Now to figure out why, I’ll have to some more digging, I’m fairly certain in some applications I’ve seen the screw coming from inside the fore arm thru the latch, was it on extractor NID’s?
I do have one Knick, a Victory Grade where the screw is opposite, fairly certain that it may not have left Ithaca like this, but then again, I may be wrong.

If so, it obviously didn't work :)!

Knick Forend
 

Phil,
given the the Knick’s I’ve been able to look at, the latest Knick with the wood screw in the latch is in the 402,7,, area, the few that I looked at over 404,,, all have the machine screw with the retaining nut on the inside.

If you remove your forend from the gun, and then look down inside the latch, do you see a small indentation where the square retaining nut may have been, or if there was one it may be loose in there somewhere? I’m fairly certain you need a wood screw.

Looked at my Grade 4 Knick, s/n 4020xxT this morning and it has a wood screw.

Well, I took mine apart and it's definitely the "wood screw" model. Diamond Gunsmithing couldn't help me; if anybody has a source please let me know.

Is this all about a standard thread and pitch wood screw of a specific length? If so I would think a replacement could be readily found, but then you would need to have it engraved appropriate to the grade.

I've been told I have one on the way due to the kindness of a member here :)!

My Knick is whole again thanks to Stan Hoover! Thanks Stan!

https://i.imgur.com/aUOtJa2l.jpg