doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Appropriate loads for Ithaca Flues 20 bore

Ithaca introduced the Flues model around 1908. Smokeless powder had been available for at least a decade & a half by then. No doubt Ithaca considered the fact that the Flues guns would be shot with Smokeless when they made them. Standard 20 gauge load of the day was 2 drams or equivalent of powder with 3/4 or 7/8 oz of shot. Later a "Heavy Field" load was offered with 2� dram equivalent powder & an ounce of shot. With "Progressive" powders in the 1920's an "Express" load was offered with 2 3/4 DE & 1oz shot. No doubt these heavier loads cracked a few Flues frames & split some stocks. This was not however due to the increased "Max Chamber Pressure" of these loads but due to the increased payload of a heavier shot charge at a higher velocity. Same thing that makes it "Kick" harder. That Harder Kick puts more strain on the action as well as the stock.

Barrel bursts have not traditionally been a problem with the Flues to the best of my knowledge. When "ANY" shot barrel does burst down around the forward hand then it probably didn't matter a lot which load was being fired. It could have been a flaw in the steel or could have been some sort of obstruction. A through investigation would need to be done to determine the actual cause.

I've never been one to take a chance so I only shoot shells of the proper length and operating pressure that was deemed safe at the time the gun was manufactured. In 20 gauge I load 2 1/2" 3/4 oz loads using Unique powder and wads from Ballistic Products and both Win AA and Fiocchi hulls. You can easily do it on any MEC press. I happen to have a an old Lee Load-All that my parents gave me about forty years ago. By removing a little bit of material from the bottom of the crimp die it works perfectly for loading all of my 2 1/2" 20 gauge shells.

Try the low recoil low noise Winchester AA in 20. Man are they nice to shoot at clays, quail and dove