I got an offer to buy a 20 ga. Flues at a very reasonable price. The seller told me the SN is 2640xx stamped on all the usual places. In addition, there is an F 20 stamped on the water table across from the SN. Do any of you Ithaca guys know what this represents? I have a 12 ga. Flues that has S 12 stamped in the same place, so assume the number is the gauge designation. I haven't picked up a copy of Walter Snyders' Ithaca Shotguns book yet...I guess it's time. Thanks, Keith

The letter F indicates it's a Field Grade, The lowest Grade made.. MDC

keith:

From a 1907 Price list on p. 51 of Walt's book, there is a Field(1F)- Special Price of $18(reg. 30), No. 1Special(1S) Special price of $21(reg. 37.75) and then No. 1(1) Special price of $24(reg. 40). Some consider the S stamp to be for steel tubes.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

MD and Raimey, I really appreciate the info. Hope I can return the favor someday. Thank you, Keith

I bought the Flues 20 ga. for the princely sum of $125.00. The stamp on the water table was S 20, not F 20, however there is an F stamped on the forend iron. All serial nos. match. The gun is solid but has a small shallow dent in left bbl. Receiver is clean but has almost no case color. Bbl. blue is about 70% and spotty. Buttstock has been replaced with a piece of walnut that nicely matches the forend in grain and color, but it has the unbelievably common (for amateur stockers) too sharp nose at comb and a semi-pistol grip that is too bulbous and fat. Nicely inletted and well fit to receiver and original buttplate. I compared the stock closely to an original Flues and thankfully there is too much wood in a few places, but no shortages anywhere, so a little re-profiling can give it original dimensions. I'm still wondering if the water table stamp of F 20 and S 20 are both field grade guns.

Originally in Ithacas the S stamp was the grade stamp for a No. 1 Special. The receivers of a Field Grade (half-pistol grip and Smokeless Powder Steel barrels), a No. 1 Special (Cockerill Steel Barrels and a capped pistol grip) and a No. 1 (Twist barrels and a capped pistol grip) were all the same. By 1919 Ithaca had dropped their composite barrels and streamlined their offerings. The Field Grade got a capped pistol grip, the old No. 1 1/2 with the bold floral engraving and Damascus barrels became the No. 1 with steel barrels and the No. 1 Special and the No. 1 1/2 were gone. Through that transitional period after WW-I you will often find low grade Ithacas with receiver grade stamps that don't exactly match the catalogue offerings.

Researcher, Thank you for taking the time to clarify that for me and for providing even more information than I requested. Keith

That's why we all love our ol'Researcher!....Dave is a wealth of knowledge....Thanks from all of us........