Griz - Flues

nord

July 08, 2003 16:58

Griz -

You're making the very mistake I'm trying to get you to avoid. 2 3/4" shells will fit in your old Ithaca quite nicely... Until they're fired. It's then that they become too long for the chamber. And that's when overpressure comes into the equasion.

Don't fire the gun until everything has been checked out. Usually the gun is plenty strong to take the abuse, but it's better to avoid damage if possible.

Nord

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  griz

  July 08, 2003 18:52

  nord...appreciate the advice. Maybe I mis-spoke when I talked of 2-3/4 inch shells before. To be specific, the loads I was thinking of using are 2-3/4 dram eqiv. with 1 oz shot. They measure approx. 2-1/4 long unfired an 2-3/4 long for a fired hull. You are saying these modern loads should not be used in this gun, right?
  
  Whoever ownd this flues before I obtained it apparently fired 2-3/4 shells through it. There is a darker area at the breech end (chamber) that is exactly 2-3/4 inches in length before the bore becomes bright and shiny.
  
  Guess I will have to travel to the big city to have it checked. I'm not aware of a gunsmith in this half of the state that is familiar enough with these old shotguns to know what he is doing.
  
  What loads do you suggest for these older shotguns if not modern light loads? Who sells them? Seems like I heard someplace that Cabelas sold ammo that duplicated what the flues was designed for. I'll have to check.
  
  edited for spelling...

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  nord

  July 09, 2003 03:47

  The chamber on these guns can easily be relieved at minimal cost by any competent gun smith. Some might argue with the procedure, but Ithaca did it on a regular basis when these guns came back into the shop for rework. Fact is, they did it on both of my Elcee's as a matter of course. (I'd fired these guns for years using the wrong loads.)
  
  Once properly chambered the only consideration you'll have is a slightly delicate receiver on the Flues. Much of any potential problem will have been removed by having corrected the chamber problem and thereby reducing pressures to the normal range.
  
  So when I say light loads... The gun was not designed for magnum eqivalents. Upland loads with a normal powder charge should make a nice diet for the old girl. (You'll notice the reduction in kick as soon as the chamber is corrected.) For the same load the difference will be night and day.
  
  One more note before I've stuck my foot in my mouth too far...
  
  Tubes on the Ithaca guns have never been an issue as far as I know. They're very strong and reliable. You, however, should carefully check the receiver for cracks. This is the weak point of your model and it's the one part that keeps a load of shot heading down the barrel in the proper direction.
  
  Just be a little careful and you'll enjoy a nice gun for the rest of your life. Then your son. Then his son. Not many products that are already 80 years old can say that.
  
  Nord

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