Best version of Ithaca 37

[JCooperfan1911]

4+1 is lousy capacity for a defensive shotgun. I voted for 7+1 with rifle sights.

 

[I6turbo]

It all depends on how many times you might expect to shoot during the hunt. I would rather endure the shooting a few times compared to the weight of carrying the heavy A5 for a few hours. On the other hand sitting in a dove field with many shots would make me prefer the heavier A5. Nothing beats variety and a choice before you load up the truck

True, although I wouldn't be concerned with shooting quite a few rounds out of the Model 37s. But they kick quite a bit more than the Auto 5, which would bother some people. The Auto 5 takes a significant amount of the punch out of the felt recoil when shooting the same loads. It weighs 7.25 pounds, and the extra .75 pound helps a bit, but the semi-auto mechanism softens the sharpness of the recoil that you get from a fixed breech gun like the 37, and it's very pleasant to shoot, IMO. I really like everything about that particular Auto 5, and quite a bit better than when it had the full-length barrel.

 

[rs525]

It's been a while since I posted but I have since gotten an Ithaca 37 4+1 and then sold it soon after. I love how light it was and the smoothness of the action and of course the fact there's no loading gate makes loading shells a breeze. But it was stupidly expensive and unfortunately came with a hard plastic buttpad. Tried shooting it and even with reduced recoil buckshot it was WAY too painful. I had to stop shooting after just a few rounds and I ultimately sold it. Maybe it would have been better if I had put more time into making it more comfortable to shoot but that would have required cutting down the wood stock that came with it as the LOP was too long and putting on a rubber buttpad. But it was just too expensive for what it was and now the only shotgun I'm considering getting is a Mossberg 500 which is much cheaper and easier to find.

 

[JGrelle]

Mine has both a 26" vented rib barrel with florescent bead & 18" barrel with iron sights. 4 shot tube.