Let me phrase the pertinent question this way: If I were to own a 20 ga Flues, and only shoot loads of a pressure that is in spec for a gun of that age...should I be legitimately, rationally concerned, that the frame may fail?
NDG
Don't take my word for it... or anyone else's word either. Look it up. Do some Google searches for things like "Ithaca Flues cracked frame" etc.
That's what I did, and I really expected to find a bunch, considering how often it has been said here that these guns are prone to cracking... especially in the 20 gauge guns. What I learned was that this issue is completely overblown. There are a relative handful, considering the large number produced. When you do some digging, you find that the vast majority that cracked at the juncture of the standing breech and water table had been subject to forces far above what they were intended to handle. You will find some references to a guy named Greg Tag, who was supposedly collecting data on cracked Flues... But you won't find any actual numbers or details about cracked Flues guns he encountered. You will find statements from many guys who have heard all of the horror stories, but then they tell you that all of their Flues guns are alive and well.
You will learn that a few pictures of a few damaged guns that are repeatly posted over and over on various gun forums have created a bad reputation that is just not justified by facts or hard numbers. If a bunch of shooters load Model 94 Winchester rifles with high pressure magnum level loads, and their frames crack or stretch, should we believe the guns are poorly designed??? Of course not. It's just a silly overreaction to a virtually nonexistent problem. Some guys would be better off taking up knitting. But those knitting needles are pretty scary too.
