1892 Ithaca Crass arrival in the mail today
 

Arrived from a forum member today. Yes, the barrels have been cut, factory letter states 30”, they are now 28 1/16”. I usually am disinterested in anything not factory original, but for $450 shipped, how can you go wrong? $450 is chump change these days. Grade 1, with case colouring and nice engraving and a great Damascus pattern. Shipped February 1892.

Not a Parker, but if a Parker, what does $450 shipped get you these days?

Very nice!! That gun hasn't spent much time on a salt marsh!!

Very nice, with remarkable contrast on the "Best English Twist" barrels

1892

https://photos.smugmug.com/US-Makers...s%201892-M.jpg

1893

https://photos.smugmug.com/US-Makers...s%201893-M.jpg

The retail price was likely less than the listed $50, but the 1891 Hibbard, Spencer, Bartlett & Co. catalog had that price - scroll down a few pages
https://books.google.com/books?id=ST...MAAJ&pg=PA1027
$50 would be about $1700 today

And so Best English Twist it is. And here’s the factory letter:

ITHACA - SERIAL NUMBER 17140 ITHACA
Type: Shotgun
Grade: 1
Gauge: 12
Barrel Length: 30 inches Twist steel
February 1892

Sherman Bell seemed to dispel the notion that you shouldn’t fire anything except solid steel barrels. And so would you fire this shotgun with a “Best Performance Shotshell”? It’s the grey shotgun shell, placed alongside a standard Remington 2 3/4” shell, in comparison, to demonstrate that despite what the box says, it’s 2 1/2” long.

The gun is 132 years old. Bad things happen to guns in 132 years. For some reason, someone cut the barrels, maybe simply to open the choke.
IMHO I wouldn't shoot the gun with any load until it has been evaluated by a double gun specialist with the interest, equipment (proper screwdrivers, wall thickness gauge and bore scope), and expertise to properly do so.
Please see
https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads...-shoot.366087/

Thereafter those B&P loads would be an excellent choice.

I would shoot that fine Ithaca all day long!

If the wall thicknesses are sufficient, so would I.




.

The previous owner fired it, but that doesn’t mean he was correct. Hence, I ask.

Realistically, if I fired 50 shells a year out of this shotgun, it would be a lot.