New Ithacas M37s?

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Panzerschwein

Panzerschwein

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Well howdy yall.

Something that came to my attention which surprised me is that Ithaca is currently making M37 shotguns.

http://www.ithacagun.com/firearms.php

I couldn't believe it. I thought Ithaca discontinued their shotguns a long time ago? I haven't seen a new Ithaca pump gun in a while. Does anyone know about these NEW Ithaca shotguns? (I don't want to hear about how great your vintage Ithaca is, we know they are :)).

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Are they not as good? Are the full of MIM parts? I'd love to have one but only if they're as good as they've always been.
 
The 'new' Ithaca has been making new pump guns for almost 8 years now...
 
at 800-900 dollars it may be a hard sale as very good used ones are out there. i paid 190.00 for this nonrefinished older 16ga ithaca #734307-2 just several weeks ago. eastbank.
 

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They still make them the old way (machined steel, etc), but the gun itself has gotten heavy and doesn't balance right for me, and feels sluggish on the swing compared to the old ones. It's like a fat, less athletic version of its old self, but the quality still appears to be there.

Not worth the new price being asked, in my opinion.
 
Sovblocgunfan said:
They still make them the old way (machined steel, etc), but the gun itself has gotten heavy and doesn't balance right for me, and feels sluggish on the swing compared to the old ones. It's like a fat, less athletic version of its old self, but the quality still appears to be there.

Not worth the new price being asked, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Ah... I see. This is poor news to this old ranch hand.

I've been meaning to get a lightweight defensive pump, and am wondering if the Ithaca Defense Gun 5 shot is heavier than the Remington 870 Police 5 shot?

http://www.ithacagun.com/defense37s.php
 
What eastbank said- too much $. If I wanted (another) 37, I would scour pawn shops and gun shows for an old one. For what they are charging for the new 37, I would just buy a rem 870 or moss 500 at wally world and have mucho dinero left. Could never bring myself to pay so much for a pump gun- even tho I love the 37.
 
Agreed; I handled one at the LGS the other day, and while impressed they are making them, and the quality is good, they are heavy and expensive. If I want another 37, I'll buy a used one-they can still be found at good prices.
 
Ah... I see.

It appears one can find an oldy but goody Ithaca shotgun for less than what they want for the new ones, which many report don't balance as well as the originals. I'm never a fan of adding more metal when none is needed.

Boys, I think I'm leaning more towards the Remington 870 Police.
 
i lean towards the remington 870 over the ithaca 37 for defence, if you take both and run loading-unloading drills along with being able to buy parts that are drop in with no fitting needed. breech blocks,firing pins,shell lifter, and all little parts off the internet. eastbank.
 
Have to agree with everyone who says that while it's nice to see Ithaca making then like they did "back in the good ol' days", they're very pricey and not as aftermarket friendly as a Remington 870 or a Mossberg 500. If I wanted a Lightweight 37 in 20 gauge, like I hunted with in my youth I would be more inclined to look for a used one.
 
I've been seeing a lot of used Ithaca's on the racks around here, at least more than I used to. The prices are pretty good on them and a bunch seem to be in the deer barrel set up. Always thought they were kinda neat, and I have a special place in my heart for pump guns.

And Cooldill- if you were thinking of going the 870 police route, unless you wanted new- I'd look for some of those police trade ins. Some really good deals there. I lucked out getting a nearly new 870 police with magpul stock and fore-end for $300 not too long ago, and that was on the used rack at Cabelas (not the best place to get a deal). Still not sure if I'm sold on the magpul stock set....
 
Counterpoint

The new M37s are really sweet shotguns. My wife and I bought his and hers to celebrate our 37th wedding anniversary. Cheaper than a trip to Hawaii. She got the ladies stock 20 gauge which is a good idea for smaller shooters. It fits her well.
The new M37s come with 3" chambers. Briley choke tubes so you can adjust your plans and really smooth triggers right out of the box. Both shotguns patterned well.

Ithaca is sourcing nice wood. Even the standard wood which is what we got is exceptional.

I cannot talk to their self defense guns but I would not rule them out if I was shopping. That said I picked up Nebraska State Patrol surplus 870 police magnum from Buds a few years ago.
To summarize, the New M37s are really nice but you need to prioritize your funds accordingly.
Don't listen to me, I am addicted to shotguns!
 
I bought like new second-hand 12ga TurkeySlayer with fixed 24" barrel. It comes with excellent pad, takes Browning Invector Plus choke tubes and the finish applied makes it the smoothest/easiest pump to operate. Basically after very little use the slide will fall down then the gun is put in barrel up position. The 12ga field guns are good handling shotguns at about 7&1/4lb which is not heavy for 12ga with 3"chamber. As added bonus with right choke screwed in it will shoot both foster and sabot slugs into tight clusters. I use skeet for Foster slugs and rifled Briley made for Browning tube for sabots. I replaced rear sight leaf with one with two dot tritium type for HD use. You can get Remington 870 or Mossberg 590 for less but you get what you pay for. Better made things cost more money.
 
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i will not use a ithaca 37 for defence, not easy to check the chamber or single load if needed. go thru what it takes to load and unload or change to a slug fast if needed. eastbank.
 
Winchester should bring back the Model 12... at the price of an 870 Express ;)
 
While I think its great they are making them again, its a mixed bag. You can still buy the old ones for cheap. Its hard to make an expensive pump and have it sell well when the market has so many cheaper alternatives.

That said, I appreciate the finer things in life and if I wanted a new shotgun to add to my collection id consider them. But then again, I don't think ill be buying a new shotgun for a few years so...
 
With the mentioning of the deerslayer- I remember maybe 10-15 years ago, Ithaca had a deerslayer model that had an extra thick bull barrel and if I recall right, the rifling used some sort of electrochemical process. I did see one in a gun shop and it was heavy, but I guess as a deer stand gun that'd be a non issue.

Does anyone remember that one? Think it might have been the deerslayer 3. Wonder how those were accuracy wise.
 
If one wants light weight one the old ones with plain barrel are the ones to look for. A 12ga scales at about 6.5lb while 20ga around 6lb. You will have to settle for fixed choke barrel and likely some hairline cracks behind the trigger guard. For some reason real old ones almost always have cracks in wood. The prices are very attractive around $250 to $300 for 12ga and about $350 to $400 for 20ga for guns in very good to excellent condition.
 
cooldill- I have an older 37, with a 28" MOD barrel. That is my favorite dove shotgun- I like it for the short stroke and light weight, and great balance. I actually prefer it to my Rem 1100. For defense application, the 870 is my choice because its a good host for things like lights, knox stock, and other modern items to optimize it for that mission. My waterfowl/turkey shotgun is another 870 3" mag with a 28" barrel and a 21" barrel set up for Rem-chokes- just better than the 37 for magnum power, and assortment of chokes. So I guess what I'm saying is it depends on what you would use it for.
 
FL-NC said:
cooldill- I have an older 37, with a 28" MOD barrel. That is my favorite dove shotgun- I like it for the short stroke and light weight, and great balance. I actually prefer it to my Rem 1100. For defense application, the 870 is my choice because its a good host for things like lights, knox stock, and other modern items to optimize it for that mission. My waterfowl/turkey shotgun is another 870 3" mag with a 28" barrel and a 21" barrel set up for Rem-chokes- just better than the 37 for magnum power, and assortment of chokes. So I guess what I'm saying is it depends on what you would use it for.
Click to expand...
I'm not a fan of putting a bunch of stuff on my defensive shotguns, so that's largely a non-issue for me. :)
 
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