Help ID-ing older hammer Ithaca 10 bore

Or, for that matter, a Butcher or a Candle-stick Maker either. Good friend and Master Gunsmythe Brad B. ID'd this as a Ithaca NIG A grade and the serial number makes it 1904- So, when it goes up for official sale (with fotos) as it was made after 1896- need to ship via FFL route- price will be close to 4 figures (the barrels are without pits, dents or dings and the mechanicals are correct too) and a five day shooting with BP short 10 gauge loads inspection return option will come with- stay tuned for more details-

This has the rear mounted hammers- like the Baker Ithaca Mike McIntosh shows in his 1989 book "Best Guns" but it also has the curved "Ram's horn" side bolsters as do the hammerless Crass series Ithacas- a "puzzlement" to me, not being an Ithaca-er-- but if anyone in my ken knows, it would be Brad-

[Milton Starr]

This is the sellers bore description



E BORES DOE HAVE SOME PITTING. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THERE ARE ANY EXTREME PITTS, BUT THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF IT. IT LOOKS AS IF IT COULD BE HONED OUT TO A LARGE EXTENT. I BELIEVE THAT THE BARRELS ARE THICK ENOUGH FOR IT TO BE OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE AS FAR AS STRENGTH IS CONCERNED. IF I WERE GOING TO USE IT FOR A SHOOTER MYSELF, I WULD LEAVE THEM ALONE

Originally Posted by Milton Starr

This is the sellers bore description



E BORES DOE HAVE SOME PITTING. IT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE THERE ARE ANY EXTREME PITTS, BUT THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF IT. IT LOOKS AS IF IT COULD BE HONED OUT TO A LARGE EXTENT. I BELIEVE THAT THE BARRELS ARE THICK ENOUGH FOR IT TO BE OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE AS FAR AS STRENGTH IS CONCERNED. IF I WERE GOING TO USE IT FOR A SHOOTER MYSELF, I WULD LEAVE THEM ALONE

-- Milton- for what's it worth in passing- honing any ID cylinder even with a pilot to allow for "out of round" can have its hazards- but the laps of iron and steel forge welded to make these older barrels- rather than the continuous metallurgy of a lathe turned proof steel barrel from a blank- I'll defer to others who have worked with Twist/Damascus barrels, but remember this- older BP shells developed their greatest pressure curve in the initial breech area- later smokeless shotgun powders have lengthened that pressure curve somewhat-the RST engineers have really been a asset to those of us who enjoy shooting the older fine doubles, no matter the gauge- Pitting can cause a barrel to fail in that area, just as a slag inclusion can cause a weldment to fail under load stresses. FYI!!