1970s Ithaca Model 37 12 gauge Question

[A_Matthew]

I have a 1970s or '80s Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer featherlight 12 gauge shotgun, and I was wondering if you could shoot steel shot through it. It has a cylinder bore, so it should be fine, but I just wanted to make sure that the old barrel would be able to handle modern steel shells. I didn't know if the steel shot would damage my barrel or not, so what do you think? Thanks in advance.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Do not do it.

Ithaca got innovative with the Deerslayer. They used an underbored tube of about .690" full length to make slugs more accurate. That's the equivalent of Full Choke.

Worked well with buck also, but steel is incompressible. Pressures would spike wildly and wear will increase. It also will not be any fun to shoot at all.

 

[A_Matthew]

Thanks for telling me about that! I had no idea they did that to the gun. I guess I'll have to borrow a different shotgun when I go waterfowl hunting next week. Thanks again.

 

[Germster]

New steel shells are better than the old ones. Now the shotcup keeps the steel shot (most of it) from contacting the sides of the bore. Steel shot is harder than all old shotgun barrels and it can, and early ones did, score the sides of the bore which can not be repaired.

While I would not, and never will, shoot steel through full or improved modified chokes, I think that with light modified and IC with modern steel shells it is probably fine.

Home defense? Shoot lead buck or 2's or 4's also made of lead. Don't even fret about steel. Not needed.

You want to go duck hunting? Borrow someone else's gun that's made for such stuff.

 

[A_Matthew]

Yeah, I don't want to risk hurting anything, so I might just end up buying my brother's gun that happens to have a 3 1/2" chamber and was made for ducks, geese, turkey etc... I should have fun with that.