dedapair wrote:I have virtually the same gun....Incredibly light and fast for quail !!! I'm going to have it checked by a smithy to see what/if it can chamber and shoot safely. If I read the chart correctly, my ser # 217XXX seems to indicate the date of manufacture to be late 1911 or early 1912. The barrels are marked "smokeless powder steel" but there is no cartridge length given. If it is 2 1/2" I'll cut some shells and roll my own.
Cheers, dedapair
It most likely has 2 1/2" chambers. However, it could be special ordered with 2 3/4" chambers. My 20 is a special order as it has the 2 3/4" chambers, 3 position safety and chokes of 1 & 4.
From an exsert from another forum.
The "Standard" North American 20-gauge shell throughout the Flues years was 2 1/2 inch, and the vast majority of 20-gauge Ithaca Flues Models were chambered for that shell. The 2 1/2 inch 20-gauge shell of those days carried a maximum load of 2 1/4 drams of bulk smokeless powder (DuPont, E.C., Schultze, Empire, Wolf, Mullerite, etc.) or 18-grains of dense smokeless powder (Ballistite, Infallible) or 24-grains of Walsrode and 7/8 ounce of shot. Longer 20-gauge shells were offered at extra cost in 2 3/4", 2 7/8" and 3". The long shells advantage in 12- and 16-gauges was more and better wadding for a better gas seal, but in the 20-gauge they were offered with a slightly faster load with 2 1/2 drams of bulk or 20-grains of dense smokeless powders (Ballistite or Infallible) or 26-grains of Walsrode but still with only 7/8 ounce of shot.
Text from a Flues era Ithaca catalogue -- ".... 20 Gauge guns are chambered for the standard 2 1/2 inch shell........ Longer chambers are furnished if ordered on new guns without extra charge, but it should be remembered that shells of standard length do not give quite as good results in chambers which are longer than the shells and it should be remembered that extra long shells are more expensive and it is much harder to find a dealer who carries extra long shells in stock."