Looking for info on a hammerless Ithaca SxS labeled WESTERN FIELD. Perhaps sold by a chain store -- Montgomery Ward ? Appears to be a low cost BLNE. Two triggers. 28" steel IC & M barrels. No photo - yet.

gold40

Should be easy to figure out once you post a photo.

Steve

That was the economy grade gun meant to compete with guns like the Stevens double. Very basic, slightly clunky in style but a decent gun for the money. They were made by Western Arms a division of Ithaca as I recall. They even made for Monkey Wards. The Western Field was their, MW, private label name. Other makers both domestic and foreign made guns for them under that name.

If you want one, in .410, Cabelas has one they are asking four grand for. Yeah I know. Four grand for a gun not worth more than a few hundred but that's Cabelas for you. Worse they miss named it Luck Race instead of Long Range. So far it has been to two stores and still not sold. Go figure a four hundred dollar gun listed for four grand not flying off the shelf.

Yes on it being Montgomery Ward. Western Field was a trade name used on guns sold by Wards. Western Arms Corp. was a company owned by Ithaca Gun Company. A picture and ser# will tell the story. Best bet is Lefever, Nitro Special but could be Western Arms, Long Range Gun. All mfg by Ithaca.

I have a Western Field Deluxe, 16 ga., with ejectors and nice checkering. It is a Nitro Special.

If in decent condition (good?), very worn finish, no rust, no stock splits or cracks, action reasonably tight, lever in center, semi-shiny bores, no barrel dents...is it likely worth $300?

gold40

These guns were essentially the same as the Lefever Nitro Special and Western Arms Long Range Guns.

Gauge? Jerry, if it's a 12, I'd say that's a fair price. 16 or 20, even better price.

Cabela's- what a deal. Almost as good as the Cabela's here in Western MI-- They have a Ideal grade 20 FW- you can buy for $2500. 28" barrels cut- cyl. in both barrels, no half moon witness notches in top of bottom rib, as was done at the factory- my guess is- 30" choked barrels, cut off and this missed the eagle eyes of their gun buyers- Safety slide moves with some resistance, forearm release latch is jammed, rust spots on barrels and sidelocks- at least no cracks in the stock jaws near the locks. even if it were an FWE ejector Ideal grade 20, still compromised with the cut down barrels. What kind of training do they offer their gun buyers anyway??

Didn't the Western Fields have their receivers made differently than the Nitro Specials? I seem to remember something called "malleable iron"?

Ithaca's Nitro Special had a frame of drop forged steel as I recall. Their Western Arms had one of malleable iron.
Western Field was Montgomery Wards private Brand name. It could I presume be either a NS or WA gun.

More info...

12 gauge SxS, box lock, non-ejector. (3 cross pins in receiver)

left barrel marked "WESTERN ARMS - BRANCH ITHACA GUN CO. INC.
- ITHACA, N.Y."

right barrel marked "LONG RANGE GUN"

Pointing dog on both right and left side of receiver.

Serial # 469xx

1. Does anyone know when it was manufactured ???

2. Does it "correspond" to any other regular Ithaca model ???

THANKS.

. gold40

According to the serial number chronology in the second edition of Walter Snyder's book, a Western Arms, Long Range Double with a serial number in the 469xx would be of 1937 vintage. The gun described above would be the gun that Ithaca sold. Western Arms Corp. was established in 1929, and the Long Range Double introduced. Perfect timing to add a lower priced gun to their line for The Great Depression.



For some reason, just like their Lefever Arms Corp., these were separate corporations that operated within the factory of Ithaca Gun Co. By 1937. Ithaca Gun Co. was incorporated and Lefever Arms and Western Arms became branches of Ithaca Gun Co., Inc.



Early on Western Arms Corp. made a "trade branded" version of their Long Range Double marked Western Field or Western Field DeLuxe for Montgomery Ward. They had rudimentary checkering on the grip and forearm and the DeLuxe had ejectors.

Thanks for the information.

My gun is as pictured above. No checkering. No ejectors.

There are a few small "rust speckle spots" on the barrel exterior, but it has most of the original blue. Bores are as shiny as new.

I plan to refinish the stock and remove the various scratches and dents. Then, I'll take this oldie bird hunting.

gold40

I think the Ithaca NID and guns such as yours, which were produced when Parker, Fox, L.C. Smith were feeling the economic effects of the Great Depression are the real bargains in the "shooter" grade doubles available in today's used gun market. You have a fine field gun, no "extras" but as an old time trap shooter once said to a beginner with a engraved SBT in his hands: "Nice gun, sonny, but all that chicken scratching on the receiver don't break the targets for you?" Maybe some before and after fotos??Enjoy--

Quite similar to the Lefever Nitro Special, but with even more corners cut. (No checkering, for example.) Solid guns. And very easy to modify from PG to straight if you wish.

My recently purchased WESTERN ARMS - ITHACA cleaned up reasonably well. I took Larry Brown's sugggestion of converting it to an English grip.





Still shows some case color and decent blue for a shotgun made in 1937.

Monkey Ward sold a semi-auto 12 Gauge Remington 878 as a "Western Field.

Looks nice, Jerry. I did have mine checkered as well.

Montgomery Ward also sold this gun, the Western Field New Model. This one is my "truck gun" and rides with me every day on the farm. It is a 32" barreled 12 gauge (Full and Full). Solid, heavy gun. It's normal left barrel load is 3 3/4 - 1 1/4 - 4s, Remington Nitro Express. Bad news for crows/armadillos/other varmints. The left barrel usually has a 3 1/4 - 1 1/8 - 7 1/2 load in it (snakes, whatever).



It rides right by my right leg, nestled between my seat and the center seat ...... loaded, but opened slightly and covered with a towel to keep out the dust. It is faster to remove the towel and close it than it is to open it and load it with two shells. Speed matters with a truck gun.



SRH

Armadillos . . . Stan, you could have killed one over point in TX had you been with me a few years ago. Somewhere I have a photo of my shorthair locked up on an armadillo. My TX host said the worst thing about that was his TX quail dog backing the point.

Stan,
Your Western Field New Model looks to be a Stevens model 330. It utilizes a striker firing system vs. the traditional swinging hammers.

My friend's GSP locked up on a possum. I guess that's what you get with those "fur and feathers" Continental breeds

OFF TOPIC...

My previous Wire-Haired Pointing Griffon, an excellent bird dog, had a thing for skunks. She got sprayed three different times, but each time she moved in and killed the "black-and-white-striped-kitty-cat." And then brought me the dead carcass.

Driving home with skunked dog in the back of my SUV is an event I hope not to repeat.

JERRY

I once had a raw boned, orange ticked, English Pointer girl named Missy that unless we found some birds, would go off opossum hunting on her own. I watched her clear a hollow log one time and kill two of them. She always brought them to me and seemed disgusted with me if I did not proudly place them in my game bag...Geo

Now that was a true "meat dog", Geo.

SRH