Ithaca SBT

[Bill Murphy]

Stan, that is obviously the original Ithaca order book that coincidentally includes both your great 5E and my Sousa. Hope you enjoy looking. Both of our guns were probably shot at the 1930 Grand American Handicap, at least test fired.

[Bill Murphy]

Interesting invoice, Dave. This kind of low ball pricing of our favorite shotguns happened to all companies. The thirties were a bad time. The classified ads in the 1930s American Rifleman make for very interesting reading.

[Kevin McCormack]

This is one of the greatest threads of the past 3 months, but it is beginning to test my patience severely! We need to see MORE pictures of these great Ithaca SBTs and more definitive information (Stan, is the "Silver Bird" gun inlaid with silver or platinum? - I actually shot a 6 or 7E grade around 1970 that had a pheasant inlaid on the receiver in platinum!)

Owners of these gems of the bygone age need to bring them out to shoots more and more so we can oogle, handle, and (if it suits the owners) actually shoot them to experience the niche of the 'Golden Age' of American trapshooting. Of course, the candidate shooter(s) need to be worthy of the task - when Bill Murphy offered to let me shoot his Sousa Grade SBT from the 27 yard line, I jumped at the chance - then ran the station (2 birds!!).

I have long thought that Ithaca Guns had the most beautiful checkering patterns and execution, especially in the higher grades. I hope we see more of them at our upcoming events and shoots; looking forward to some gems at The Rock next week!

[Researcher]

The 1926 Ithaca catalog says the No. 5 inlays are pure silver, English Pheasant on the left side and "Bob White" of the Southland on the right. By the 1932 catalog the text is "pure gold or silver" and the right side is changed to a vanishing Woodcock.

[Kevin McCormack]

Originally Posted by Dave Noreen

The 1926 Ithaca catalog says the No. 5 inlays are pure silver, English Pheasant on the left side and "Bob White" of the Southland on the right. By the 1932 catalog the text is "pure gold or silver" and the right side is changed to a vanishing Woodcock.

I would love to track down the Ithaca factory order for the gun I am referring to. It was owned by Ralph Luttrell, one of the Founding Fathers and very heavy hitters of the National Capital Gun Club, earlier of Washington DC and later moved to Darnestown, MD. Mr. Luttrell was a wealthy DC attorney who had a stable of high grade SBT guns of all makes; Parkers, LC Smiths, Ithacas, Levevers, etc.

One day after struggling though a round of trap with our 20ga. field pump guns, Mr. Luttrell chastised a friend and I for not using a "real" trap gun for the game. When we told him we didn't own any "real" trap guns, he popped open the trunk of his Lincoln Continental and said, "pick one out that fits you. If you're going to shoot trap with me, you need to use a real trap gun!"

The gun that happened to best fit my friend was a Parker SC SBT 32". The one that happened to fit me best turned out to be a "Silver Bird" Ithaca, either a 6 or 7 E (I assumed commensurate with the engraving coverage). When I remarked to him that I had never seen a shotgun inlaid with Sterling silver, he replied a little indignantly, "That's not silver; its platinum!". Mr. Luttrell wound up shooting a very high grade LC Smith SBT. It was a great experience!

[Stan Hoover]

Kevin,

Like Dave said, I’m not aware that Platinum was ever used, the guns I’ve seen were all Grade 5’s that had Silver, I’ve not observed a higher grade with Silver, although I think the Grade 6 guns had some Silver on the detail of the Indian archer on the side.

The manufacturer’s would of course build a gun to a customers specs, so I guess Platinum could have been requested.

There was a gentleman on this site who recently purchased a NID 5E trap gun with the Silver birds, he suggested that they’re Platinum?

I would have to seek an expert to tell me the difference, I do not know how to tell the difference.

Stan

[Bill Murphy]

Kevin gave us an entertaining post about some of his experiences in an earlier time. The "Ralph Luttrell" he mentions was my boss in the late sixties when I was in my early twenties and the general manager of the National Capitol Skeet and Trap club and Mr. Luttrell was the president of the club and responsible for hiring me. My recollection is similar to Kevin's experience with Mr. Luttrell, who once gave me a Model 97 trap gun and a box of shells and sent me to the field for a test round. The gun was defective, would not lock in place to fire and was a potential death trap. I returned the gun to him with the comment that the gun "needed some work".

[Bill Murphy]

Stan and other readers, did you notice that the Ithaca order not only contains 20% of the total production of Sousa Grade Knicks, but also contains another rarity, a Knick with a Cutts Compensator?

[Stan Hoover]

Originally Posted by Bill Murphy

Stan and other readers, did you notice that the Ithaca order not only contains 20% of the total production of Sousa Grade Knicks, but also contains another rarity, a Knick with a Cutts Compensator?

I did notice that Bill,

what an awful abomination to ruin the looks of a great trap gun

Maybe you like them, I have no experience with them and I think I’ll just stay with shooting poorly before I resort to trying something as ugly as that.

I apologize if I stepped on any toes,

Stan

[Stan Hoover]

This is one of the greatest threads of the past 3 months, but it is beginning to test my patience severely! We need to see MORE pictures of these great Ithaca SBTs and more definitive information

Kevin,

I will do my best to oblige with more pictures later this evening. I wish I could show you a Sousa grade like Bill has, but unfortunately I parted with a 7E and a Sousa 12 years ago, thought I needed to utilize the money other places

Stan