doublegunshop.com - home Forums Thread Like Summary - Ithaca Crass Production Totals

Last October Lloyd(3) posted a thread on Rehabbing a Crass Model Ithaca 12 bore. Since Crass numbers have been widely disputed I posted the following:


“Lloyd, warn your bro-in-law that the Crass is a very interesting model (with proportional addictive properties) and not nearly as numerous as is often thought.

Using Walt’s 2nd ed. numbers the first Crass is #7004 in January of 1888 with the last being #50,000 in 1901. (My own research turned up 49,999 as the last one but let’s work with WaltKs number.) That would leave us with 42,996 Crass guns. But like John mentions above that there are Crass examples into the Lewis era so there are also examples before #7004. Somewhere I saw Walt mention #6981 as the earliest known Crass and I have personally seen a letter reference in the Ithaca records in Cody to a “hammerless” 10 ga #6830.

So, how many Crass were made? We obviously don’t exactly know but it would seem that we could safely say somewhere a bit over 43,000. But - and that’s a very large BUT - there is a major caveat. And here it is. The production numbers that we often refer to as the Crass numbers actually also contain the NIG (hammer gun) production. We probably should more correctly refer to these numbers as the NIG numbers since the NIG predates the Crass and then postdates it by another 14 years ending in 1915 well into the Flues era. But we don’t. So taking this combined number of about 43,000 Crass, how many actually are? To my knowledge, no one knows but I’ve considered the question and considered doing the research because the records do exist and the answer could be known.

So, again, how many Crass were made? My best guess is based on something Walt wrote back in 2004. He was discussing a 1901 NIG and in the course of the article mentioned that “...hammerless models still had another year or two before gaining a significant majority of the production.” Since the Crass ended in 1901 that would be 1902 or 1903 before the hammerless Lewis model finally gained the majority of production over the hammer NIG. Thus during the entire 14 year run of the Crass (1888-1901) it would seem that its total numbers were likely less than half of the total production of about 43,000 i.e. 21,500.

Lloyd, I told you that the Crass is very interesting. It also likely could be more rare than we think because we often refer to the Minier as the rarest of Ithaca models with about 21,770 made. We may find out some day that the Crass has similar low production numbers. I hope your brother in law stays with the project. I think he’ll find it fascinating. And he could end up with a fine, and perhaps somewhat rare, piece of Ithaca history.”




Not long before Lloyd’s post, I acquired a 2nd edition of Walt’s book, The Ithaca Gun Co., and since then have been slowly working my way through the extensive additional material included in the 2nd Ed. During the recent blizzard I was back at it and came on a single page with a couple of photocopies of a small hand written pocket notebook and a compilation of all of the Ithaca guns produced from 1886, when George Livermore joined the company, through 1913. Walt says, “I am certain that the little notebook was Uncle George’s personal account book.” I immediately realized that this range covers the entire Crass period and was excited that we might finally know the exact Crass numbers. I’ve now spent the past couple of days analyzing the data and like so much of this kind of research there’s been greater clarity but not complete.

For the first 13 years of the Crass’ 14 year run, the production numbers are clear. 18,106 Crass model doubles were made. It’s the transition year of 1901 where both Crass and Lewis models were produced that clouds the picture. Livermore’s notebook states that 5394 hammerless guns were built that year. I had hoped that by collating actual serial numbers of both Lewis and Crass guns for 1901 that I could determine how many of each were produced. But as I’ve run into before, the serial numbers are not exact enough to allow that. So ... while we’re closer to knowing the true number of Crass that were built, in the end we’re left to make a guess. Halving the 1901 number of 5394 we’re left with 2697. Adding that to 18,106 we have an estimate of total Crass production of 20,803. Close to the 21,500 I originally estimated but still just that: an estimate.

One additional item I found interesting: I mentioned that Walt wrote back in 2004 as he was discussing a 1901 NIG that “...hammerless models still had another year or two before gaining a significant majority of the production.” I surmised that that would then be 1902 or 1903. Sure enough the notebook shows that in 1902 hammerless production surged to 4+ times the hammer gun totals. The future had arrived for Ithaca and while the NIG would go on for another 13 years its numbers would never be more than a small fraction of the Ithaca totals.

14471 is certainly higher than a No. 4. With those sculpted breech balls, the wings on the barrels and the quality of the engraving, more likely a No. 6 or No. 7. The 4 marking on the watertable is strange.

Researcher,

#14471 is most certainly a Quality 4 gun as marked. Looking back there were three distinct frame types within the CRASS model Ithaca Hammerless guns. The Quality 3 guns in the 1st frame style also had sculpted breeches, wings, and a generous amount of engraving. A Quality 4 or 5 may have been the top end gun at that time period.

John