Although production of the LeFever Sidelock Model designed by Dan LeFever ended, the Ithaca gun company continued to use the LeFever name on Boxlock action double and single-barrel guns until 1941. The company was in the business of gun manufacture until 1916, when it was incorporated into Ithaca Gun Company in Ithaca, New York which continued with the LeFever gun production until 1921. He is best known as the inventor of the hammerless shotgun, first introduced in 1878. The Lefever Arms Company (1883–1916) was a manufacturer of guns in Syracuse, New York, founded by Daniel Myron LeFever (1835–1906), an American gun maker popularly known as "Uncle Dan LeFever". Marshall also owned Ithaca double barrel shotguns. In 1917, Alfred Loomis and his brother-in-law, purchased 17,000 acres (69 km2) of Hilton Head Island, which they established as a private hunting preserve and purchased Ithaca shotguns for use by guests. Annie Oakley used an Ithaca Flues model in her competition and exhibition shooting. The company was responsible for much of the early industry of Tompkins County, especially during World War I and World War II, and counted among its patrons John Philip Sousa, Annie Oakley, and Alfred Lee Loomis At the time Sousa was president of the American Trap Shooters Association and The Ithaca gun company named a shotgun in his honor, the Sousa Grade.
In 1883, Baker and Leroy Smith left the company, moved to Ithaca, and established the original Ithaca Gun Company with several partners.
Baker Company, which manufactured double- and triple-barreled shotguns, from Center Lisle, New York to Syracuse. In 1989, Remington purchased a design from Ithaca, the Mag-10 shotgun, which they produced as the SP-10.Īround 1877, brothers Lyman Cornelius and Leroy Smith went into business with William Henry Baker. Its hunting shotguns were known for their fine decorative work, typically waterfowl or hunting dogs. Its 12-gauge shotguns were the standard used by the Los Angeles Police Department and New York Police Department, and sold to the Royal Thai Army in the early 1980s to arm farmers against communist insurgents. Ithaca also produced the M1911 pistol during World War II and the M3 Grease Gun during the Korean War, both for the United States military. With the Flues-designed Ithaca double, which became the best selling American double of all time with more than 223,000 produced between 19, Ithaca effectively drove Remington out of the double gun market. Ithaca bought the patent in 1907 and upgraded the design to allow for mass production. In 1895 Emil Flues was granted Patent # 546,516, for a double-barreled shotgun with only three moving parts per barrel. They also purchased patents from other firearm designers. Ithaca became famous for building firearms based on expired patents owned by Remington Arms. Over the years, Ithaca made numerous firearms, most notably the Ithaca Flues double-barreled shotgun and the Ithaca 37 shotgun.