The Ithaca shotgun was originally designated as Model 33, but Ithaca had changed it when they were notified that a Pederson patent on the Remington shotgun had been overlooked. The company now had a shotgun that could compete in the sporting shotgun market with the powerhouse Winchester Model 12, which as you probably already know was another of John Browning’s designs. It was based on the 1915 design of the Remington Model 17 by John Browning, which also had additional elements added by John Pederson. Ithaca Gun Company designer Harry Howland had his prototype shotgun ready to go by 1933.

That is because no one has had his design patents mimicked more than the great and iconic John Browning. Now, something tells us that even if you have just a small amount of gun knowledge, and were allowed three guesses to figure out who designed the Remington 17 shotgun, you would probably get it right. In true Ithaca fashion, they began looking into the Remington Model 17 design as the basis for their own pump-action platform.

Both Winchester and Remington were finding success with their pump-action shotguns and as the 1920s were coming to a close, Ithaca recognized the need to be more competitive. However, advancements in shotgun actions began to change what sporting consumers were looking for. Again the quality of their gun showed, and they enjoyed several years of successful shotgun sales. The Ithaca Flues would go on to become the best selling American double barrel of all time.Įight years later Ithaca would incorporate with the LeFever Arms Company of Syracuse, New York, and began manufacturing the LeFever Sidelock Shotgun that was first designed by Daniel Myron “Uncle Dan” LeFever.

They would slightly modify the design, which allowed them to mass-produce the shotgun, and then launched it to the public in 1908. The patent for this gun was first granted to Emil Flues in 1895 and was then purchased by Ithaca in 1907.

The first gun to truly showcase the quality in their work was the Ithaca Flues break-action double barrel shotgun. The company wasted no time building a reputation as a quality firearm manufacturer, and they did so by following a pattern of redesigning, or perfecting guns patented by other builders. The Ithaca Gun Company was first founded by Leroy Smith and William Henry Baker in 1883.

New ithaca gun double barrel 1895