doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Ithaca Grade 4

Flues not flutes. Was a lighter weight game gun by Ithaca. The name Flues comes from the designer, Emil Flues, who worked for Ithaca from approx. 1906-1915. Little known secret- there were more Flues produced than any single model of double barrel made in the US. Couldn't stand up to the high pressured shot shells produced in the 20s.

I have always ignored the Ithaca SXS that was a mistake. The flues guns are worth a second look.

I worked for a while in the Gun Library. No body laughs. Didn't like it there and went back to hunting where we are always kidding around. I bought some guns at the library very cheap. They were priced wrong. Now every thing I touch gets scrutinized and at times the price marked up. The possibility of me negotiating on a price is zip.

Flutes are wind instruments. Ithaca built more doubles on a design that was the brain child of gunmaker Emil Flues, after whom those guns are named, than on any other design (Crass, Lewis, NID, etc).

Woops . . . redundant post on Flues, following Pooch.

You can also get to that specific gun via the Cabela's website, Gun Library, hit American shotguns, then Allen TX. However . . . I could not get the photos to do anything other than remain postage stamp size. Love the description of the double triggers: "non-selective". I can't pick whichever one I want???

The Ithaca is quite nice, but the barrel is only 26 1/4 inches. A rough choke measurement puts the right barrel at cyl and the left at a light modified. I don't think it's been cut cause of the choke in the left barrel. I thought the the short barrel craze came in the 1920s and expect barrels made before that to be longer. The chambers are definitely cut to three inches. I assume this gun to be made in the last years of the 19th century so I don't know whether the original chambers were 2 3/4 or 2 1/2. It's a nice gun, but in my opinion a flawed gun and at $2200 one has to ask ones self if this is really what he wants.

Can you post its serial number?

Worth 2K for the engraving...maybe a little more if it's Loy engraving with sculptured breech balls.

Serial no on the Ithaca Gr4 is 36596. The more I see of the gun the more I like it. I can't afford it so don't hesitate for my sake.

My knowledge of Ithaca SxS guns is so weak I'm embarrassed, but to my uneducated eye it looks pretty decent.

I have two Crass grade 4s. One is an early Loy engraved gun with sculpted breech balls and the second a later 2 barrel set. They are a joy to behold and have truly exquisite engraving. They are two of my favorites. Both were under a grand on well traveled websites. As much as I would like to add a third to the pile, I have a hard time paying over xxxx for a gun with major cuts or modifications. But hey I wouldn't let mine go for what I might pay for them either !

Lists as a 26 inch 4E. It is a 1899 gun so probably Latham engraved and probably no sculpted breech balls. Still an early 4E. I can't get its photos to come up.

Thank you for the information Mr. Snyder. I though with the odd extra 1/8" measurement, that the barrels had been cut. Maybe I need to read it with a different tape? Anyway, that's why I like reading on this board. There is such a wealth of information. It may be worth another look?

Your tape may have been correct. I have seen some early guns 1/8 off the listed length. That's why one look at the book is worth a ton of speculation.
Robert Runge senior was at Ithaca around this time. I have a great Grade 4E that junior Runge said engraved by dad. Sure wish I could get the photos up of Cabelas 4E.