doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Western Field Deluxe built by ... Ithaca?

Happy New Year, all.

I went to dinner at a cousin's last week and he showed me a shotgun that had been his grandfather's, but is new to him, as it has been in the possession of an uncle for decades.

It's a 16-gauge Montgomery Wards "Western Field Deluxe" with 28-in. barrels that looked mod and full. I liked it a lot ... still tight and unmessed with, but with the carry wear you'd expect from a Depression-era field gun. It has the characteristics of what I call a "high-end hardware store gun," and I wanted to figure out who actually built it, but none of the other markings meant anything to me.

However, it really reminded me of a Lefever Nitro Special, but I can't find much evidence that Ithaca built side-by-sides for Montgomery Wards. The Blue Book suggests Savage or Stevens, but it just doesn't look like one of those to me. Can anyone help me figure out if this gun could have been built in Ithaca?

Thanks in advance. TT

They did. Post its sn and I will look it up.

Yes they did. I have one in 12 gauge. Fellow that sold it to me also thought it was a Stevens but it is a Nitro Special.

I understand some of the inner parts are interchangeable between the Western Arms Long Range receiver (Westernfield Deluxe) and the Nitro Special.

I think some of the Montgomery Ward guns were made by Stevens. I have a 32" barreled Western Field New Leader that looks for all the world like a Stevens. Bears no resemblance to Ithaca at all.

SRH

Two-triggers: It is a Nitro Special or a Western Long Range. If the stock is checkered it's a N.S. I have a 20 bore N.S. marked M&W Western Field. Mine was made 10 years before I was born: 1926. The best of the "hardware store" guns. Mine is in excellent shape. I wish it could talk and tell me of it's life. Chops

I think a greater percentage of the Westernfield guns were made by Stevens. The Nitro Special version is the exception rather than the rule.

Western Arms Ithaca branch made the Long Range for Wards called the Deluxe; it had checkered wrist and forearm and ivory beads; all standard. Extras on that gun were single trigger and ejectors. The standard Western Arms Long Range had none of those.

Guess we should all long for the days when Sears and Wards sold guns! Sorting out who made what for them, since they used their own brand names ("Ranger" from Sears was more or less the equivalent of Ward's "Western Field). Most of the Sears Rangers were Stevens guns, but it's not at all unusual to find a Hunter Fulton marked Ranger. Also Marlin 90's. And there were some very late Western Fields that were Miroku-made, similar to the Charles Dalys.

Thanks for all the information, guys. Sounds like my Nitro Special guess was a good one.

Walt, I will get you the SN when I can, and appreciate that help.

Going from memory, the gun definitely has double triggers, a checkered stock and double ivory beads. Haven't measured the chokes or chambers (probably short?), but the bores are in real nice shape. I'm thinking it does not have ejectors. There's a decaying pad (factory?) with a well-known brand name I can't recall. TT

My book says Western Arms made a few of the comparable Western Field Deluxes under their own name, so that must be one.

Top pic is of my Westernfield and bottom is of my Nitro Special.

Nitro Specials had N.S heading the grade column, M.W. heading for those for Montgomery-Ward, but what is the U.S.F. grade? I have an original drawing for the roll stamp for the U.S.F. mark so they were marked that way. Any ideas?
Nitro Special

M-W

and U.S.F.


Ithaca Western Arms model was also sold to M-W

Here is the Westernfield Deluxe without the single trigger or ejectors. It is billed as Ithaca Western Arms, but when you scroll down you will see Western Field Deluxe on the left barrel; W on lump and Belgian barrels.



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