Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Ithaca Flues model

Found and bought a Flues model Ithaca double in 10 ga serial # 189xxx range made in 1909. Barrels are Damascus. Nice shape, tight and the barrels ring like a bell. Black only or low pressure 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 oz loads with smokeless ??? Plan on cutting down some hulls to 2 7/8" and getting some fiber wads and nitro cards from Ballistic Products as well as one of their roll crimpers. Seems to me Elmer Keith preferred the Damascus barrels and shot smokeless in them ? Opinions? Magnum Man

Mag. Man.. Elmer didn't prefer Damascus, but he did shoot Damascus barreled shotguns with modern loads.. He ordered his first Ithaca 16 ga. with Damascus barrels, but due to WW1 Ithaca sent him a higher grade shotgun with modern steel barrels.. He wrote many times that he used that gun for 17 years..

He also had a 2 7/8's 10 ga. but I am not sure if it was Damascus..

Some where in my stuff, I have letters from Elmer.. In one I ask about Damascus barrels.. He stated he had shot 17 cases of Super X loads though a 12 ga. with Damascus barrels.. Not sure I would, but that was his statement..

Catinthehat, may be of great help to you on this.. I think he shoots Damascus barreled shotguns, with low pressure loads... Good luck.. Sounds like a fun gun...

Thanks for the reply Wyo CH. I have Keith's Shotgun book and was pretty sure he said Ithaca Damascus was ok with smokeless but I want to be double damn sure. Sherman Bell in the Double gun Journal did a lot of testing and maintained that just keep the pressures low with the right powder selection and a guy would be okay. I am thinking along the lines of bp to start with 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 oz loads. I want to experience it like they did 105 to 90 years ago. MM

PM Cat, I think he could be lots of help here.. No sure.. He doesn't post a lot, but it is great stuff when he does..
Just a suggestion.. Like to know how this turns out.. No much on the old 10 any more.. I have a new one.. Like it a lot..

You might PM member Mart on here. I think I've seen him post that he shoots a Flues model 10 bore. He may have just the load info you're looking for.

For got about Mart.. I would like to hear more about both guns. They are a forgotten piece of history.. My 10 is a BPS.. I like it, but it isn't cool as those old doubles..

Thanks again for the advice. Not my 1st 10 either as I have a BPS and a AYA Matador. Some of my buds are bp shotgunning and thought I'd give it a try. pretty sure I can get my money back out of it at any time as it was inexpensive to buy. MM

The Flues had the fastest lock time of any gun in the world in its day. I like the Flues very much. Mine was a 32" 12 but it balanced like a game gun. Good find.

I've been using an SP10 for all my waterfowling the last few years and it is a hammer. I would love to have a nicely balanced 2 7/8ths 10bore double for upland work. Might be a classy late season pheasant gun throwing basically the same payload as the short mag 12s most people use for them.

Yup that is why I jumped all over it. MM