doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ihaca SKB 400, Does it really exist ?

The 400 isn't a sidelock, but rather a sideplated boxlock--the post-Ithaca gun, that is.

Re the catalog copy posted above, the 200's were available either coin finished or blued, as were the skeet guns. Matter of fact, the only skeet guns I've ever seen (not too many, one currently at a local pawn shop but with a cracked forend) have all been the blued receiver variety. And as far as I know, all the 280's had blued receivers.

OK, I have never actually seen a 400 boxlock with sideplates like the ones mentioned in the blue book of gun values.

Has anyone seen one?

Yes. This was a gun imported for a fairly brief period of time, late 80's. They came with factory choke tubes. The more common guns were the 200's, of which I bought one new back then. Glossy finish compared to the Ithaca-marked guns, factory recoil pad if I recall correctly, game scene engraving on a coin-finished receiver. SKB confused things by using the same numbering system as on their previous guns, but there were differences. For example, the 80's 200E was a straight grip gun, the "E" indicating English. On the Ithaca guns, the "E" meant the gun had ejectors, and the straight grip guns all had a number that ended in 80 (like 280E). And the 400 from the 80's was a sideplated gun, while the earlier Ithaca 400's were not. The 80's 400 looked quite a bit like the 485, which was imported until just a few years ago when SKB dropped all their side by sides. Confusing, but not many of those late 80's guns were imported compared to the earlier Ithaca guns, so you don't encounter them very often.

Follow the link I posted above.b As has been pointed out, it is not an Ithaca, but is an SKB.

Pete

Right, I was clear on that. At least in my mind. Maybe my post was not clear.

The 400 I have is a Mitsui/SKB 400, the later boxlock with sideplates is an SKB 400 not an Ithaca/SKB. But it has been shown that there was also an Ithaca/SKB 400 based upon the catalogue shown in Researcher's post.

If one were to compare my Mitsui/SKB 400 alongside the Ithaca/SKB 400 I'd bet they were the same gun except for the roll stamping on the barrel and possibly the cosmetics of the engraving.

The Ithaca/SKB side-by-sides were introduced in the 1966 Ithaca catalogue with the offerings being the 100, the 200E and the 200E Skeet, all three in 12-gauge 2 3/4 inch only. For 1967 the line expanded to include 20-gauges with 3-inch chambers, and the 200E Skeet got a recoil pad. 1971 saw the addition of the 280 with the straight grip stock in 12- and 20-gauges. For 1972 they added a 150 to the offerings. By 1975 the 150 was gone from the line up and the 100, 200E, 200E Skeet and the 280 were the offerings thru 1976. The 200E Skeet was no longer offered in the 1977 Ithaca catalogues. I don't have a 1978 Ithaca catalogue, and by 1979 the SKBs are gone from the Ithaca Gun Co. catalogues.

I have to appologize, the catalogue pictures I posted above are from the 1979 SKB Firearms catalogue put out by SKB Sports Inc., 190 Shepard Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090. So, I have no Ithaca catalogue offering a 300, 400, 400 SKEET or 480.

The Mitsui-marked guns were indeed the same as the Ithaca imports. Ithaca dropped SKB mainly because the guns had become too expensive compared to the competition (BSS and Citori from Browning and also Beretta in the case of OU's. There were also Beretta sxs--the GR's, and then the 424-426 series--but never nearly as many of those imported as either SKB or BSS.) The absence of the Raybar sight is probably the main differentiating feature between the Ithaca imports and the Mitsui-marked guns.

IMO, the Ithaca SKB's remain some of the best buys on the used sxs market. Of course you're stuck with an SST--albeit a pretty good one--and a beavertail on all models except the 100, and a PG on all except the 280 and seldom-seen 480.