A Long Shot - Ithaca 37 Problem

[TheDriver]

I'm hoping to get some advice on a fix for my Ithaca 37 (12 ga featherweight military type). The problem is that the slide is very difficult to move, in both directions (when the gun is fully assembled). My suspicion is that the carrier is the problem, but I do not have enough experience with this gun to be sure.

I've taken it almost completely apart and cleaned and oiled everything to ensure it wasn't simply gunk buildup.

If I want the carrier forks to protrude out of the bottom of the receiver when I pull the slide back (eject), I must put quite a bit of muscle behind it. Otherwise, the slide will go all the way back, but the carrier forks stay up in the receiver. It also takes some force to push the slide forward (quite a bit initially, then less as it breaks away from the receiver).

Any advice will be greatly appreciated - I'm stumped.

Thanks for reading.

 

[another okie]

http://www.nrapublications.org/tar/Ithaca37ExView.asp

I suggest printing the diagram, then the instructions separately. Take it apart again and put it back together carefully and see if it still does it.

It's a while since I completely disassembled my 37, which is not a featherlight, but it seems to me that it's pretty easy to get the carrier - hammer area wrong. It also could be just a bent part.

 

[TheDriver]

Thanks for the reply; that's actually the resource I used to disassemble/clean/reassemble. I'm thinking it almost has to be a bent part. Like I said, I'm stumped at this point.

 

[Pete409]

Here is an idea. Remove the trigger assembly and see how hard the slide is to move back and forth. If it moves easily without the trigger assembly (and carrier) in place, then the problem is somewhere in the trigger assembly.

If it still moves "hard" with the trigger assembly out, then you may have a bent action bar or something like that.

 

[Badger Arms]

It's your carrier

If you completely disassemble it, including pulling the carrier out of the gun. It should be fairly straight most of the way down and curved a bit in the front. It should slide ALMOST without resistance. Over the years, I've owned over a dozen of the guns and had to tweak about half of them. I like a little inward pressure on the bolt to keep everything from rattling too much. It's a trial-fit thing. Bend a little, trial fit, bend a little more. It doesn't take much. You can do most of the fitting without actually assembling the gun over and over. Just slide the carrier in and out until it slides freely, then tweak it inward until there's a little resistance against the bolt. Put it back together and make sure everything functions well.

 

[TheDriver]

Thanks for the replies. Pete409 - I did try that and the problem is certainly in the trigger/carrier group.

Badger - I will try your recommendation.

 

[TheDriver]

I replaced the carrier with one from Brownell's ($20) - problem solved. Thanks for the advice everyone.