I have owned and now own quite a few Ithacas. I have never seen one with a loose rib but will say that the bane of the Flues gun was a cocking hook that wears out on a regular basis. There used to be aftermarket replacements available, but that is not true at the current time. The most knowledgeable smith to fix these recently passed away and repair is very difficult to obtain. I have three very high grade 16's currently suffering with no real solution. The problem is made worse by the fact that all the years, grades and gauges seem to have very different measurements. I have a box of potential donors which don't fit.
On the upside the NID, in my opinion and the opinion of many experts, is the strongest of all the classic American doubles and included a magnum waterfowl gun that ranks right along with the SuperFox. Also, with the number of Ithaca guns made, the graded guns are quite rare with exceptional engraving and are available at some attractive prices.
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