first.day here, and my new (ish) 51

1970-1980

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:56 pm
Just got a gorgeous 51.

Buffers look well cared for, but I had to stretch the main action spring longer - from 13 and 3/4 inches to just a touch under 15 and a quarter. I could feel a slightly greater resistance from the "thimble" when it was reinstalled, and the slide was reassembled. Dya think itll be ok? At least for a round or two of skeet to check out how my new toy is working? (I am wondering if the short spring is why someone gave this away in the first place).

Yes, i will be replacing buffers and springs. And while I had it apart, I cleaned out some gunpowder residue from the piston, and a few little thistle seeds from the receiver. Trigger group got a wipe down, so everything is fairly ungritty.

Thanks, Don, fer helping me get logged in.

Steve - StikkerShokK
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:29 am
Well, I will take it with me this morning, but I had been hoping for a little info beforehand. I guess the 870 has to go with me too.
If pics help with replies, I will see what I can do, I have not taken any yet.


I hope you all have a great weekend.

And after I handcut the checkering, and refinish the stock, I will try to upload a few "after" photos.
Attachments
image.jpg
testing a buttpad
image.jpg (185.68 KiB) Viewed 26933 times
Last edited by stikkershokk on Fri Feb 06, 2015 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 7:13 am
Serial number is in the low 63000s, izzat around 1976?
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 16, 2014 12:42 pm
What a fun, easy shootin 12ga.
And it seemed to shoot where I pointed it. Now if it could only shoot where I WANTED to point it :)

And doubles were so much easier on the follow up shot than the 870.
Had a great morning, thanks to Ithaca.
Love my 51
User avatar
.270 WIN
Posts: 422
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:21 pm
Location: phila pa
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 7:54 am
they are great shooting guns and if properly looked after provide loads of shooting fun.
I don't consider them hunting guns because of the weight but are great for anything where you don't have to carry it.

as much as you want to use the gun DON'T
not until you replace the mainspring and both buffers
the inconvenience you experience now will be minor to that of replacing a cracked slide
PostPosted: Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:44 pm
Welcome to the Ithaca Owners Forum Steve !!

Congrats on the new(ish) 51...

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Nov 21, 2014 4:30 am
Thanks!

I have it back in the safe, but I DID shoot two rounds of skeet with it.
Everything functioned smoothly, and still looks good.

On the 'doubles' where I loaded 2at a time, the chambering of the second round sounded rather "clickety-clackity", and was a little worrisome the first time I heard, but I think its just the lifter moving shells around in there.
It is also the first semiauto I have owned, so there is some learnin to be done.

This deserves to be taken care of! Buffers are next, so I wll have to take an 870 out next time.

Does anyone have a serial number near mine, and know a generalized date of manufacture? Any data point would help.

Thanks, guys.
Love my 51
PostPosted: Sat Nov 22, 2014 12:46 pm
Have you tried calling Ithaca Customer Service about the serial number Steve...!?

http://www.ithacagun.com/contact.html

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 23, 2014 7:35 am
I have not called ithaca. On the M51, all records went MIA after the first factory closing. Or if that is not a correct timeline, are otherwise AWOL. So, calling the midwest is about 3rd on my list of things to try.

Asking for original purchasers to check their receipts is how the Dan Wesson community is repopulating long-since-vanished databases. I thought I would ask here,too.

Thanks
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:27 am
Arrite!

I replaced my yellowed buffers, and main spring with the kit from Les. H. at diamond gunsmithing in Ithaca N.Y. (yeah, I thought that the town sounded familiar B^) heh.) he shipped it out quickly.

Anyways, I am a woodworker, so 1/32 of an inch is a small amount. That being said, I am thinking a buffer shrinking that much over 30 years is opening up a linkage, bolt. or slide to about 1.5 times as much pounding. (Insert yer own math formulas here - I, as a musician, count to FOUR.)
Attachments
ithaca-51-upgrade 002c.jpg
new is 15.75 inches. Old one shrank one inch after 50 shots.
ithaca-51-upgrade 002c.jpg (27.13 KiB) Viewed 27138 times
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:31 am
I had stretched the old one back to 15.25. After one week in the gun, then 2 rounds of skeet, then 3 weeks in the gun, it was an inch shorter than I had stretched it, one month previous.

TIME TO SWAP IT OUT!

Here is the 1/32 that I was talking about.
Attachments
ithaca-51-upgrade 008c.jpg
30 years of sitting, Makes Jack a 32nd shorter.
ithaca-51-upgrade 008c.jpg (35.68 KiB) Viewed 25615 times
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:33 am
Notice that the shrinky one is not the main buffer, but the bolt buffer.

Here is the original main buffer, almost the same size, but possibly more fragile...
Attachments
ithaca-51-upgrade 003c.jpg
ithaca-51-upgrade 003c.jpg (38.88 KiB) Viewed 25615 times
Last edited by stikkershokk on Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:39 am
Here is the crud on the bolt carrier part of the slide, courtesy of the last owner. It no longer looks like this, 'cause I took it APART.
Attachments
ithaca-51-upgrade 018c.jpg
crud that is no longer on the carrier sled.
ithaca-51-upgrade 018c.jpg (36.33 KiB) Viewed 25615 times
Love my 51

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2014 11:44 am
yes, that was the first q-tip I used to strip off oiled-on layers of residue, and after the second cleaning, it is really starting to shine (for me) as a 'skeeter! Sunday the 28th shall be LOUD.

I wish you a Merry Christmas; and to me, a Haaaapy new skeeeeeter Day!

Happy Holidays, All.

S.K.
Love my 51
User avatar
.270 WIN
Posts: 422
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2012 5:21 pm
Location: phila pa
PostPosted: Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:31 am
the biggest problem with the old buffers is the fact they become brittle with age.
a from the factory OEM original parts would be just as brittle as used ones.

being a former head gunsmith at Ithaca , les knows this and addressed it with his buffers.
another problem according to les was from the factory the action springs were just a tad to short .
something else he fixed with his parts

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Nov 14, 2014 5:31 am
Location: Bahstahn, Mass.
PostPosted: Sun Dec 21, 2014 8:50 am
Agreed! (And I can't wait to go test the results next weekend.)

So, here's a little something that has distracted me lately.
It's a prototype stock for my 1st 870, I guess you would call it a trap style - sort of.

But I can carve it down n sand it till it fits, so for me it is more of a ONE WAY try-fit stock. :)
Attachments
870-skeet-proto-oak.jpg
870-skeet-proto-oak.jpg (18.07 KiB) Viewed 25604 times
Love my 51

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