[Kjay]

I have a twenty+ year old model 37 that does not have a trigger disconnect. You can slam fire the gun by pumping and keeping finger depressing the trigger. Does anyone know if this is "safe" for the gun? Lockup seems complete but...

[dfariswheel]

Some people do this with older non-disconnecter shotguns,

BUT, it isn't safe, and its hard on the gun.
The gun is firing in an unlocked condition, held shut only by force on the slide. This places tremendous stress on the action bar assembly.

Also, except for looking "Cool" and wasting ammo, it isn't very effective in real-world shooting situations.

[Badger Arms]

The terminology being used here is wrong. I realize that it's a small point, but there is a lack of knowledge of what is happening mechanically. Please read the following post:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=17452&highlight=Ithaca+trigger+hammer+nub

[Kjay]

Thanks! This helps... :o

[Badger Arms]

Wow, didn't read the other reply.

YES IT IS SAFE and the gun is in a LOCKED CONDITION. The other thing he said was true, but slam-firing is only slightly more stressful than regular shooting. Remington included a disconnector on the later-production model 17 and 31 shotguns (which are of the same design). A disconnector in this sense was NEVER present on production 37's. The slam-fire feature is considered a liability and an asset depending on who you talk to. The LAPD uses the Ithaca and have had at least one cop killed when a STUPID partner failed to follow proper technique and slid the action closed with is finger on the trigger while pointed at his victim.

[Gordon]

We used to fool around with M-37's in the Nam and 'slam fire' the snot out of them with NO problems. This was just bottle shooting of course. Heres where you boys cry: we used BRASS 00 buck!:D

[Dave McCracken]

A few decades back, high rates of fire entranced me much more than at present. I shot a 97 and later friend's 37s and tried the slamfiring feature. If one's goal is to expend one's ammo as fast as possible, slam firing will get you there.

BUT, if you're trying to HIT, slam firing's not the answer.

[Badger Arms]

Yes, but Dave... you CAN hit stuff with a little practice. It's akin to full-auto. You get in the rhythm and you can group rather well. It's most appropriate during combat where you might have to pump out a number of rounds quickly.

[Dave McCracken]

Obviously one can hit stuff. Herb Parsons did it with a 12. But, it takes an amazing amount of practice and ammo to reap the most benefit.

If I get to a practical match sometimes and have some play time available, I might borrow a 37 and shoot a COF with it and also with an 870, just to see if there's a considerable difference in time or score.

[Badger Arms]

When I hear most people speaking of slam-fire, they are speaking of pumping out many rounds quickly. There is a more instinctive and useful technique where you basically use the slide as a trigger. Maintaining pressure on the trigger after the first shot, you acquire the target and push the slide at the target. It feels like you are tossing the target something (shot in this case) and is quite instinctive. You can readily incorporate target acquisition and the forward pump in the same fluid motion. The effect is that you are pumping rearward as your shoulder and body push the gun forward. Your weak hand then slides the action closed at the instant the bead comes on target.

Yes, you can go chug out rounds as fast as you can pump the action but that isn't getting you far. Even when done properly, there isn't a great deal of tactical advantage to be gained here, but it is there. Slam-fire combines the reliability (and danger of short-stroking) of a pump action with the speed of an automatic. When you watch an experienced shotgunner mow down plates (or milk jugs) at nearly full-auto speed you can't help but be impressed.

[riverdog]

I'm trying to think of a situation where slam-firing would be tactically useful. At close range, the shot pattern is very tight and requires aiming in order to not miss. Slam firing may launch a lot more pellets faster, but is it tactically significant considering that you still need to get/keep the shotgun pointed in the right direction?

How much faster is slam-firing compared to letting the trigger reset and pulling again? That's the technique I use with my 870 shooting doubles and it works plenty fast.

[Badger Arms]

The Ithaca is faster than an Automatic in experienced hands. With the proper technique, you fire at the end of the recoil impulse. An autoloader might spread the recoil energy out over a longer period of time, but you still get the same amount of energy regardless of the shell. We're talking fractions of a second here.

As for its utility... The only time when I can think of it being a big advantage would be in human-wave attacks. In that case, I'd rather have a SAW or other automatic rifle in these cases. I'm not trying to advocate the gun as superior, just trying to say that there are circumstances where it would work better than other guns. Charging bear, for instance. That's what mine is used for.