doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ithaca Nitro Special ?s

I doubt you were going to get a whole lot of custom chamber cutting on a Nitro, or, a Western Arms gun, back in the day.


I use my 16 NS when I have to use non-toxic loads. A gent was selling some of the older Heavi-Metal 16 gauge loads, that, apparently were disappointing for use on waterfowl. I will say the hulls are cheap, but, the grouse go down just fine with them:



The area this picture was taken at is under Federal managment, which, really means it is either not managed, or buffoons manage it. Their vision for the area changes every decade or so. Of course, waterfowl hunting is prohibited, and everything else is non-toxic.

1937 vintage, this one was always 2 3/4":



On a lark I bid $257 for this gun, that had furry surface rust on the barrels. A guy here re-blued them, wanting to polish them to 600 (Ixnay) coat them with varnish (Nada) and make them an example of higher grade work then they really are. Polished to 320, rust blued, and looking "right" on this gun. For reasons I can only speculate on, the rest of the gun, looked like it had just come out of the box. The gun came from Maine, and somebody must have thought they bought their perfect grouse and woodcock gun in 1938, or so, and then never went hunting.

Nice weight and balance:



By 1937, the stocks with 3" of drop were gone. Hope your Nitros bring you lots of fun out in the field. I used to own a Western Arms 12, that was in even better condition, but, some depression era soul had specified, in 1931, a single trigger, that cost $5.00.

Never took to that gun.


Best,
Ted

I was surprised at just how much heavier the 12ga was compared to the 16ga. The 12 feels like a club compared to the 16 and the 20 feels like your waving a fly rod around. Thanks so much for all the info

I believe the 20 gauge NS originally came with short chambers. I have #163xxx (1924) and #191xxx (1925) and both had 2 1/2" chambers. I had one of them lengthened to 2 3/4" and the other I left unchanged. I don't know when Ithaca made 2 3/4" chambers standard on the 20 gauge guns, but I have seen some later guns with longer chambers.

I also have a 16 gauge NS (#288xxx) made in 1929 that has 2 9/16" chambers. I believe Researcher is correct that the longer chambers on the 16s became standard in 1934.

Thanks for the information. I've never had a chance to run a chamber gauge in an early 20-gauge Nitro Special.

I have never seen any information to indicate Ithaca Gun Co. ever held chambers 1/8 inch shorter than the intended cartridge like A.H. Fox Gun Co. and Parker Bros. did.

Agreed Ted;
I was a bit indistinct on my post on those custom chambers. I believe those were for the most part over by WWI. What few may have been done later would not have been on a gun at the price-point level of a Nitro Special.

Was just pointing out that in the very early years shotgun chambers were not limited to what we tend to recognize as standards only. These early "Standards were 2�" for 28 & 20 gauge, 2 9/16" for 16 & 14 gauge, 2 5/8" & 2 3/4" for 12 gauge & 2 5/8" & 27/8" for 10 gauge. Longer lengths, Hi-Velocity & eventually Magnum loadings would all come later.

Researcher has already mentioned the dates for some of these.

Back in the earlier years of The Double Gun Journal, there was an article on the restoration of a Greener �Empire� grade gun, with a photo of the mid 90s year old guy who had accidentally blown the gun up, and lost a few digits out of the deal.
I seem to remember they loaded black and smokeless hulls in a variety of lengths, and I think the article makes mention of the fact they considered store bought loads, �inferior� to their home rolled loads. They were rural Canadians, if I remember correctly.
I�ll have to see if I can find it. Pretty sure the gun was sleeved. I don�t remember what the chamber length on the gun was, but, it seems to me they did not seem overly concerned about what they fed it.

Best,
Ted

re chamber lengths, by the thirties, 2 3/4" had become standard spec for most american made doubleguns...

chambers on many older guns have been lengthen, with some over lengthen...one never knows for sure, without measurement with a proper gauge...have used a galazan gauge for many years...

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/100706...-410-bore-brass

The SAAMI meeting where it was "suggested" that manufacturers start marking the chamber length on their shotguns was in 1937. In their 1938 Fox catalog, Savage began stating "Chambered for 2 3/4 inch shells in the text for each grade. Some 1938 vintage guns, and all 1939 and later have this roll-stamped on the barrels --



Similar markings appear on earlier A.H. Fox guns that were back to Savage for repairs.

Same thing on my Remington pumps and autoloaders. Up into 1938 they are just marked with the gauge --



I don't have a 1939 or 1940 Remington but from 1941 on the markings include the chamber length --



Ithaca seems to have been very hit or miss on marking chamber lengths. I have seven NIDs and only the 1935 vintage No. 1 28-gauge is stamped 2 7/8 CHAMBER --



The latest NID I have is a 1940 vintage 16-gauge No. 4E and it is not marked as to chamber length.


Ted, Your gun must be right near the end of the early-style Nitro Special frames --



during 1937 vintage serial numbers we begin seeing the use of the A-Grade style frames for Nitro Specials --

the a grade style frame is very appealing...