Ithaca Auto-Burglar Gun

M

MissileCop

New member
Can anybody tell me what exactly this is? During a short stretch of boredom, I perused the ATF website. It's listed under the NFA regs section. My curiousity has been sparked.

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Times have changed, but the nature of man hasn't. That's why I always go to AA, "Alert and Armed". :)
 
This was a factory-built sawed-off pistol-gripped double barrel 20 gauge shotgun. Built from approximately 1926 to 1934 in two separaate variations, the Model A and Model B. Stevens built a similar weapon, the Model 35 Off-Hand Shot Gun and the Model 35 Auto-Shot. Use the photos link at the top of the page and scroll down to Auto & Burlgar (AOW) for a photo.
 
There actually have been several purpose-built NFA shotguns. The World's fighting Shotguns by Thomas Swearengen lists quite a few including the Ithacas, Holland Auto-Burglar Gun, The Defiance Anit-Bandit Gun P-50, Burgess Folding Police Gun.
Then there are the insurgency/counter-insurgency shotguns; Hillberg Insurgency Weapons, including the Colt Defender (eight barrels) and the Winchester Liberator series(four barrels).
Charles Manville designed a whole series of rotary chambered shotugn-style weapons, everything from 12 gauge revolvers to 24 shot 12 gauge machinegun to 18 shot 25mms. Think of the Striker 12 and Street Sweeper, only these were designed in the late 1930s.
And then there are the class III automatic shotguns; Foote Machine Shotgun, Gordon Close Support Weapons, Childers Special Operations Weapon, Atchisson Assault Shotgun (selective fire), Gilbert Assault Shotgun (USAS 12 full auto version)(BTW these are seen in the movie Tango & Cash).
 
Hi, Fal308,

Great response. I didn't know there were so many of those types of shotguns, and that early. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Jim
 
Thank you, Fal308, for the prompt response. Just the name alone makes me want one, merely because in this day, it is SOOOOOOOOO politically incorrect. I also got a kick reading about the USAS-12. ATF considers it a 'destructive device'. O.K., what shotgun isn't? Duhhhhh.... Great, it looks like I have another book to buy and read. :)

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Times have changed, but the nature of man hasn't. That's why I always go to AA, "Alert and Armed". :)
 
This is a greeaaaaaaat book as a nameless speaking tiger would say. :) Have heard rumors that an updated second book is being written/contemplated/published/etc. Would really love to see this happen as this this is really getting dated. It was originally published in 1978. I have a copy of the thrd printing from 1988 so it must be a popular title. Very informative.

Jim
Several other companies built this style weapon also and I know you've heard of at least one of them; Marble Game Getter, H&R Handy_Gun. Also H&R produced private label Handy-Guns - Essex Gun Works, Hibbard (on left side of receiver while Model W.H. is stamped on right side) to name but two. Nowhere on any of these private label weapons is H&R identified as the manufacturer.

Sadly all of these manufacturers shut down the production lines of these weapons in 1934 due to NFA of 1934.
 
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