doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ithaca flues lightweights

I have a 1911 Flues field grade 16 gauge that weighs 5.817 lbs. It is entirely original with 26" steel barrels. I'm just curious how light some of the older flues go. Any 16's out there lighter? Any 20 gauges sub 5 1/2 lbs? Seems like the older ones are the lightest.

I'm sure I've seen 20s under 5 1/2, but you better shoot light loads especially in Flueies.

Rebel, I bought a 16 gauge 1912 Flues 3E a while back. Mine is a couple oz heavier than yours because of the 28" barrels. I thought the light Krupp steel barrels seemed pretty thin walled so I posted asking about their suitability for low pressure loads. I got some good replies. Here is a link to the thread.
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbt...1411#Post241411

I agree with 2holer. Much of that weight reduction seems to be in the very thin barrels. I have 2-20 ga. Flues, and a 16 ga. Flues which I bought very cheaply as parts guns. All have badly split barrels in the forearm area, and the split areas are quite thin. I don't know if any bore obstruction was involved in these. I assume there was at least a little plug of snow. A friend's younger brother used to shoot 20 ga, 3" magnums out of his Dad's flues and still has his fingers. Well... all but one, but that was another story.

In the early years of the Flues Ithaca advertised some pretty light weights --



As time progressed they kept beefing them up according to the weights given in their catalogues.

In the 1912 through at least 1915 Ithaca catalogues they give their smallbore weights as --

16-ga 5 3/4 to 6 1/4
20-ga 5 1/4 to 5 3/4
28-ga 4 3/4 to 5 1/4

In the July 1919, Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 5 lbs. 14 ozs. to 6 1/2
20-ga 5 1/2 to 6
28-ga 5 to 5 1/2

In the December 1, 1919, Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 6 to 6 3/4
20-ga 5 3/4 to 6
28-ga 5 1/4 to 5 3/4

In the 1925 Ithaca catalogue --

16-ga 6 1/4 to 6 3/4
20-ga 6 to 6 1/2
28-ga 5 3/4 to 6 1/4

I do plan on using light loads. Thanks for all the responses. This is a great forum.

I had a 28 gauge 2E flues with factory 24 inch barrels and it weighed a touch over 5 lbs. Bobby