Kinda’ related, Dewey literally didn’t have a kind word to say about them.
Best,
Ted
Does Dewey have any kind words in his vocabulary?
JR
Absolutely. But, people want him to say kind words about various piles of shIt, and he won’t do that.
Best,
Ted
I couldn't have said it any better Ted! Dead nuts accurate. Dewey was not one to mince words or sugarcoat facts, and he knows his subject matter far better than most in his profession.
I will say though, that the vast majority of Flues guns do not have issues with frame cracking. They did OK for a mass produced machine made shotgun, and most of the couple hundred thousand or so that were built are still functional. Many do tend to be much lighter than the later NID, but a lot of that weight reduction seems to come from thinner barrels and hollowed out butt stocks. I have 4 Flues 20 ga. guns that do not have cracked frames. Two of those were purchased very cheap as parts guns because the barrels on both are ruptured in the forend area. The barrel wall thickness at that point is very thin, and I would bet neither had ever been honed.
I've told the story about the younger brother of a good friend who routinely fired 3" magnum loads in his Dad's 20 ga. Flues Ithaca without any apparent damage. I'm sure he was not doing the bolting surfaces and stock wood any favors. A lot of vintage doubles have been heavily used with loads far heavier than what they were designed for. Many hunters strongly feel that bigger and faster is better, so a higher velocity load with more shot is their chosen load. Some guns are able to take that excessive punishment better than others. Some simply break, and end up as parts, or worse, having their pictures posted here, copied and pasted ad nauseam for all eternity.
From an engineering and design standpoint, it is hardly shocking to see shotguns with frames that crack at the 90 degree juncture of the frame and standing breech. But photos of those cracks really teach us nothing without knowing what loads were used, the metallurgy of the steel, presence of internal flaws in the steel, machining marks creating stress risers, etc. One cracked Sterlingworth frame proves exactly nothing.
