Ithaca 37 vs Remington 870

[Slater]

I heard someone say recently that the Ithaca 37 was arguably the best, most reliable shotgun design ever produced. Without getting into a "one versus the other" match, couldn't the same be said of the Remington 870? Is one action any more mechanically reliable than the other?

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've had both for more years than I can remember.

I can't think of a reason to favor one over the other.

All guns should be made as well.

 

[Badger Arms]

Ithaca's are great, but Remington's are more reliable. Ithaca lighter, Remington easier to single-load. Ithaca is all steel, mostly milled, Remington is stamped, cast, and rougher inside. Remingtons also have a lower rate of parts breakage.

 

[ruger357]

Stamped cast? Acording to Remington they are milled from solid steel.

 

[Badger Arms]

Milled from solid steel? Certainly not their bolts and bolt carriers. Nor their trigger guards. Most of the internals are stamped. Maybe I'm wrong, I wasn't there. Sure look like casting marks to me. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I own Rugers, castings are just fine. Milled from solid steel? Sure, solid steel castings, forgings, billets, and stock.

 

[ruger357]

Thought you were talking about the reciever, but you are right some of the inners are cast.

 

[Jaegermeister]

I have both!!!!!!

I have both, an 870 Wingmaster with a total of three barrels, two of them Hastings (a cantilever Paradox rifled slug and a Wadlock II upland barrel).

I also have grandpa's Model 37 featherweight. He put it to good use, but it is in about 85 percent condition.

The Wingmaster gets the brunt of the hunting use, but that 37 sure is smooth and it sets the shells down on my feet.

I prefer the 870 Wingmaster.

 

[Badger Arms]

While I love the Ithaca and have several, my father always used to complain that it only had one action bar. Said they broke. Sure enough, I ended up with a broken one that I bought cheap because of this. The other thing they are bad for is they lack a secondary sear and therefore either slam-fire (killing unlucky LAPD Cops) or the hammer follows the bolt home without firing. Either situation is dangerous and needless. Remington fixed the problem on the model 17 which Ithaca copied wholesale. They simply added a secondary sear. That sounds simple enough and it's merely another two parts on my Remington Model 17 trigger group. To be fair, Ithaca attempted to fix the problem but in their reorganization woes over the past three decades, they dropped the idea along the way.

One way the Remington is different is in the presense of an ejection port separate from the loading port. This means you can simply crank the action open and drop the cartridge in to chamber it. Great for Trap and "Tactical" use but of dubious utility in the field. Ithacas are easier to load because the shell lifter is out of the way of the loading path. Ithacas are also more weather resistant as they don't have two huge gaping holes for debris to migrate into. Did I mention that the Ithaca is lighter?

 

[Dave McCracken]

Back when all my hair was dark, I hunted extensively with a couple brothers who had 37s. One had both a Deerslayer and a standard, the other had a 16 gauge from the early days, a plain jane field gun with lots of hunts behind it. Both were deadly, and swore by their Ithacas.

Nothing's changed. The guy on the Shore who butchers my deer has an Ithaca. Another Shoreman of my acquaintance does his doves with a superlight 20 gauge from the 50s. He's the third generation operator.

I doubt I've ever heard aught but praise for the 37 from any of them.

37s are very good shotguns and generate the same brand loyalty as 870s, Harleys, and Chevy P/U trucks. For good reason....

 

[albanian]

I had an Ithaca 37 Featherweight (or Featherlight, whatever they are called). It was very smooth and felt alive in my hands. It is the only gun I have ever worn out (not including cheap junk like Jennings and the like). I got it from my dad who used it a lot and he got it used so I have no idea how much it was shot (a lot). I spent many years shooting clays and hunting everything from rabbits to deer with it. It eventually just got tired. It could have been repaired but just about every part on it was showing heavy wear, it was getting loose and I felt it had served well so I retired it to the gunshow gravyard for about $100. I really liked that gun but they are not as durable as the Rem 870, the 870 is built like a tank and it can take plenty of shooting without showing any wear. I have never seen a "tired" 870 but that doesn't mean they aren't out there.

870 for a long hard life, Ithaca if you want something special that you don't intend to shoot a ton. Ithacas are fine guns but a shotgun to me should be rugged and reliable above all else since they tend to get used for everything under the sun.

 

[2speed]

I shoot an 870 in IDPA type competition because of the magazine extension; 9+1 will beat 4+1 every time!

It's also what I grab if something goes bump in the night. My wife will grab her 20 gauge Ithaca if it's needed.

If I'm going hunting, I take one of my 4 Ithaca's; 2 20's and 2 12's all Model 37 Featherlights, depending on what I'm hunting. To me, they are the fastest handling shotguns I've ever shot. I've taken every thing from dove to deer; grouse to geese, snipe to squirrel with three of those guns and they have never let me down while hunting. I had a feeding problem with one once; the one that was mfg. in 1941; and gave the others checkups at the same time. No other problems were found.

I've also been shooting them since I was 15 years old; that's 34 years ago!

I have outshot Benelli's, Brownings, and 1100's with these ol' warriors. I guess it's like anything else, just make sure you get the right tool for the job!

Gun or gunner?, who can say; but if I'm going hunting this fall, it'll be with an Ithaca

That said, I'm shooting my 870 at our upcomming 3-gun.

I hope all this helped......

 

[sm]

Like others I have my preferences for certain tasks ...
Just gimmee one or the other - and lets get on with it.