established in 1883
in Ithaca, New York
- firearms based on expired patents owned by Remington Arms
- also purchased patents from other firearm designers
- 1883 established the original Ithaca Gun Company
– original factory was located in the Fall Creek
– nearby waterfall supplied the main source of energy - 1895 Emil Flues invented a double barrel shotgun with only three moving parts per barrel
- 1907 Ithaca bought the patent and upgraded the design
– became the best selling American double of all time
– Ithaca drove Remington out of the double gun market - World War II produced the M1911 pistol
- Korean War produced the M3 Grease Gun
- 1967 was sold to Jerry Baldritch & Assoc
- December 1978 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
- September 1985 filed bankruptcy a second time
- 1987 new owners Ithaca Acquisition, Inc.
– moved to King Ferry, New York - 1989, Remington purchased the Mag-10 shotgun
– they produced as the SP-10 - 2002 and 2004 moved 6,000 tons of lead-contaminated material
– with cost of $4.8 million - 2005 moved to larger facilities in Auburn, NY
- 2005 sold all assets, trademarks, and manufacturing rights to the Marshalls from Upper Sandusky, Ohio
- All prints, programs, and processing were converted to CNC
- March 2006 original factory was condemned only the smokestack remains
– lead Superfund remediation effort - June 2007 Dave Dlubak purchased the company
- 2015 more clean up necessary
- Annie Oakley used an Ithaca Flues model in her competition and exhibition shooting
- John Philip Sousa – the Sousa Grade, a shotgun in his honor
Ithaca Gun Company
420 N. Warpole Street
Upper Sandusky, OH 43351
419-294-4113
ithacagun.com
About Ithaca Gun Company
The Ithaca Gun Company grew out of an Ithaca, New York, partnership involving William Henry Baker and Leroy Smith, who left the W.H. Baker Company in 1883 to establish the original Ithaca Gun Company. Ithaca became known for building firearms based on expired Remington patents and for buying promising designs. In 1907 it bought Emil Flues’s 1895 patent for a simple double-barrel shotgun action, and more than 223,000 Flues doubles were made from 1908 to 1926.
Ithaca’s Model 37 pump shotgun became a standard police shotgun for departments including the LAPD and NYPD, and the company built M1911 pistols for the U.S. military during World War II. After financial trouble, new owners moved production to King Ferry, New York, in 1987 and to Auburn in May 2005. The assets were then sold to the Marshall family of Upper Sandusky, Ohio, and Dave Dlubak bought the company in June 2007. As of 2026 Ithaca continues to build shotguns and rifles in Upper Sandusky, Ohio.
Key Facts
- 1883: Original Ithaca Gun Company established in Ithaca, New York
- 1907: Bought the Flues double-barrel shotgun patent
- 1908-1926: More than 223,000 Flues doubles produced
- World War II: Produced M1911 pistols for the U.S. military
- 1987: Production moved to King Ferry, New York
- June 2007: Purchased by Dave Dlubak; operations in Upper Sandusky, Ohio
Sources
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