Closet find

M

Mike Irwin

Staff
Found my great grand father's New Ithaca Gun exposed hammer 12 gauge double.

It's 2 3/4 inch chambers, fluid steel barrels, and dates to 1900.

But... both firing pins are broken, and the forearm barrel lug needs to be resoldered.

Does anyone know of a Smith who works on guns this old?

I'd love to be able to take it to the range occasionally and break some clays.
 
F

FITASC

New member
While I know an 85+ year old gunsmith who learned at his daddy's knee (and he probably has parts knowing him); I'd check here:

http://www.ithacaowners.com/

2-3/4" chambers from 1900 is something - is it marked 2-3/4? There isn't a lot of difference between 2-1/2 and 2-9/16 and 2-3/4......
I sure wouldn't shoot modern loads in it....best bet would be low pressure ammo from Polywad or RST

Neat find! Hope you get it fixed and are able to shoot it.............
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
A 2 9/16th chamber insert didn't chamber, but the 2 3/4 one did.

Low pressure smokeless loads should be ok even in a gun this age as it was originally intended to be used with nitro powders.
 
B

big al hunter

New member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a 2 9/16 shorter than a 2 3/4??
Click to expand...

Can't correct you. 9 is bigger than 3....except in fractions. 2 9/16 is 3/16 shorter than 3/4. Better check the inserts and chamber for burrs.

And congrats on the awesome find. Love the old hammer guns. Pics?
 
G

gyvel

New member
2-3/4 is 2-12/16".
That's longer than 2-9/16".
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty apparent by my rhetorical question. It left me wondering why a 2 3/4 chamber insert would fit and a 2 9/16 wouldn't.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
By didn't chamber I meant didn't fit correctly, not that it stuck out of the chamber.

The 2 3/4 inch chamber guide fit perfectly.

I'm typing on my phone and being sparing with words.
 
J

jaguarxk120

New member
It is not the barrel chamber, but the material the barrels are made of. That alone will govern what kind of shells are used in this gun.
 
J

jaguarxk120

New member
No matter what the chamber length is, consider using only low pressure loads/reloads. It is not the barrel material or chamber length, but rather the wear on the locking bolt and the hinge pin. You can shoot a gun loose with too heavy loads.

Fixing a shotgun that is off face is not cheap, Over size hinge pins, new locking bolts, and having the barrel hook re-welded and recut is not cheap.

I think RST and Polly Wad both make low pressure loadings for the older guns.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
The lock up is tight as a drum, and there is no wobble at all in the hinge.

My great grandfather probably had it as a farm gun but didn't shoot it much, and my grandfather was not at all into guns. Didn't like them, and as far as I know never used them.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
Finally got to a real computer, instead of just my phone, and was able to look at Diamond Gunsmith's base prices.

Resoldering the barrel lug will be $160 or so. No estimate listed for firing pins. I'll have to give them a call on that.

Realistically, I'll have more into this gun than it's worth if I decided to go this route and if it's fixable.

Don't much care, though.
 
J

jaguarxk120

New member
Mike look up the asking price's on Guns International you might find that gun is very fixable. Any repairs that Les at Diamond would do should be noted with the gun, it just proves the repairs were not made by bubba.

You haven't stated what model you have so prices are all over the board, but a N.I.D. starts at around $550 and goes up from there, in some cases way up depending on the condition and grade.
 
F

FITASC

New member
Family heirlooms have an intrinsic value only to the family descendants which makes the expense worth every penny.

Before and after pics would be nice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top