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I agree...the 3 1/4 chamber cannot be correct...i must be doing something wrong..i may have to take it to somebody here in town..

Mojo
A quick and easy test as to whether the gun has a full choke is to see if you can fit a dime in the muzzle of the barrel. If the dime fits down the muzzle it's probably something less than full. I say probably because this test assumes that the inside barrel diameter (where it's not choked) is .729.
Steve

That gun is a bit late to be chambered for the old 3 1/4 inch 12-gauge shell. They seem to have been dropped from the ammunition company catalogues during the teens. Most of my early ammo catalogues are UMC, and they offered 3 1/4 inch cases for bulk smokeless powders, but the longest cases they offered for dense smokeless powders were 3-inch.

The only Ithaca Flues-era catalogue I have that mentions chamber length is the 1925 and it states -- "Unless otherwise ordered Ithaca 28 Gauge and 20 Gauge guns are chambered for the standard 2 1/2 inch shell, 16 Gauge and 12 Gauge for the standard 2 3/4 inch shell and 10 Gauge for the standard 2 7/8 inch shell. Longer chambers are furnished if ordered on new guns without extra charge, but it should be remembered that shells of standard length do not give quite as good results in chambers which are longer than the shells and it should be remembered that extra long shells are more expensive and it is much harder to find a dealer who carries extra long shells in stock." I find that 2 3/4 inch pretty strange in the 16-gauge, because 2 9/16 was the "standard" 16-gauge shell until WW-II!?! The NID period catalogues from 1926 through 1933 give 2 9/16 inch as the standard chamber for the 16-gauge.

MoJo1;
That 3�" length sounds like perhaps you may well be measuring to the beginning of the bore, IE, including the forcing cone. I have used the method Researcher described for many years & it is indeed quite accurate. Just remember when holding the bbls up to the light & looking through as he described the forcing cone is seen as a shadow. You want to then measure until the corner of the scale just touches the "Beginning" of the shadow, "Do Not" include the shadow portion & measure to the beginning of bore diameter.

Try it again & do several measurements to insure you are consistant. "IF" it indeed has 3�" chambers I would for sure want a check on wall thickness over the chamber ends (never a bad idea anyway).

Many cut bbls have had the bead re-installed. Another clue, though not an absolute is whether the two bbls touch at the muzzle. They most often did from the factory but usually don't on cut bbls. A determination of both the constriction & length of the choke will be the more reliable method of determination.

I just pulled a dime from my pocket & measured its OD with a caliper & it read .705". Most full chokes of this era had at least .035" of constriction & usually around .040". To accept the dime & still be full choked would mean the bore would have an absolute minimum dia of .740". Not likely "Unless" it was originally bored purposely for all brass shells.

As mentioned by the previous poster this is the caveat of the "Dime". Not all bores are created equal & choke is not an absolute size but the amount of constriction. The dime will give a good indication in most bbls, but do be aware it is not 100% reliable.

What a great way to keep your Grandfathers memory, first his Flues, then the hunting vest and then the old shells!!! Great stuff Mojo, you're going to be hunting in first class company.

We're still waiting for those pictures!!!

thanks to everybody for all you comments so far..starting to think this barrel was cut down from a 28" or 30" and had the sight bead re-attatched...i have measured the chamber best i can (multiple ways, include holding it up to light and measuring to shadow of forcing cone..which i can clearly see....and with a dowell...and a old credit card) and i still come up with 3 1/4 "...but i'm no expert...so i'm gunna bring it to a gunsmith....anybody have an email account i can send the photos to so they can post them for me?

Send them to AHFCA@comcast.net

Here are some pictures Tom sent me of the gun in question --











Looks like a pretty typical Ithaca Flues Model Field Grade of early 1922 vintage. I only own one Flues Model Ithaca and it is a nominally 30-inch barrel gun of 1915 vintage, and the barrels are actually 30 3/16 inches long. From my rather limited observations, it appears to me that Ithaca didn't really start finishing their barrels right on the even lengths until about 1935. Measuring the chokes with a bore mic will tell the tale, or perhaps Walter will chime in with some information.

I use an inexpensive leg caliper adjusted in the chamber to where there is just a slight drag; ease it forward until resistance is felt and get very accurate results. I have 2 1/2, 2 3/4, and 3" marks on the legs.

post ww1 flues guns are heavier and stronger than pre war made guns. that said, still keep your loads light; such as those made by rst. they will be easier on the gun and you!