Any thoughts on the story here? I think the sides and the bottom are a GREAT copy of the Bill McGraw STYLE of Grade 4 Ithaca doubles. (And I love the dog "variation ")
I question the how and why... but I just don't think this was a factory original 4

The good :

Here’s the lesser :

Sure did not get marked up like one. Wonder if the shipping book stays field or graded. Nicely done engraving none the less. Wonder the story behind it. Seems like it would have been easier to use a gun in the white rather than a finished gun. Special request? Maybe done as a custom shop with a gun on hand? If these guns could only talk.

That duck inf light on the right barrel side of the receiver sure looks like a Parker Bros. flying turnip to my eyes. A Flues series, non-ejector gun?? RWTF..

Franken gun.
S,F,3, and all kinds of decent engraving.
S, round knob no grip cap
F semi pistol, capped grip.

Guessing original gun got embellished, then barrels failed, then a new set of barrels, poorly fitted. Notice how barrel extension was struck down.

Just a guess though.

That McGraw flying duck is infinitely better than the Brothers P flying turnips. Most McGraw style (post 1915) Flues No. 4 guns don't have that dog scene on the trigger plate --



Those checkered triggers are not normally seen on the No. 4 either.

I'd speculate that the gun started life as a Field Grade that some factory employee got his buddies to upgrade to a pseudo No. 4.

Employee gun makes a lot of sense. Had friend working at Remington who told of going into the wood room and picking the best blank he could find for his employee gun. I saw the gun and it was very nice. First standard 1100 I saw with a factory hand checkered gun that the custom shop had done for him.

Looks like t may have been weld repaired in the center of the water table, both sides. Mine cracked in that exact location and was weld repaired.
Looks like an upgraded "special" to me.
Engraving looks nice!

That does make sense.