How to check condition/quality of an Ithaca 37?

[Sam1911]

Hi!

I mentioned to my Dad this week that I'd seen a pile of Ithaca 37 pump guns at a couple of the local shops recently for what seemed like reasonable prices.

That got him waxing nostalgic for the 37s that his Dad and Grandpop had and so now I'm charged with finding us a decent one at a good price.

Assuming that I've got stock finish and bluing/metal finish covered, what items would you check for wear, abuse, or functionality if you were considering buying one as a shooter and to fill out a "working gun" collection?

I'm expecting to be able to at least field strip any gun I buy so, which internal parts are subject to battering and failure?

If it makes any difference, the cheapest I've seen was $149 for a 16 ga. with a polychoke and very little bluing left. The more average range seems to be $200-$350 for a 12 ga. with something between 50% and 85% bluing left.

(The most expensive I've seen was $500 for a 12 ga. that was brown with ancient rust and reminded me vividly of my Grandpop's bait knife that never left the bottom of the skiff. But that was at Cabela's and no one in their right mind would buy a used gun there!)

Thanks for the insights!

-Sam

 

[AndyJ]

Sam,
I am sure others are more knowledgeable but I have bought a couple lately and here is what I look for -- barring as you said stock finish and bluing.

Look at the carrier screws at the top rear of the receiver. If the slots are boogered up this is a sign some rookie has been screwing with it. New/ decent used screws are $5-10 each and moderately hard to find.

Look at the stock where it meets the receiver. It is common to see splits and missing chunks here. Replacement wood stocks are pricey.

Look at the recoil pad. A nice recoil pad is really hard to find on these. You will see lotsa replacement pads that ae generally ill fitting.

Look at the yoke that goes between the mag cap and the slide. It slides over the mag tube and cradles the barrel to some degree. If the head of the screw is boogered, It may be an indication of over tightening. This screw is pretty soft metal and if it is tightened too much, you won't be able to get it out without drilling.

With the gun unloaded and action closed, look at the bottom of the action. Their is a spring loaded pin in the bolt carrier that is critical for dis-assembly. I have seen two of these broken. It is called the carrier pin.

As far as value, A poly choke gun takes a hit. You see lots of full choke barrels, not too many IC and MOD. They are more desirable in my book. Most desirable would be a barrel with a solid vent rib.

Any gun with a serial number < 855,000 will take a gunsmith to swap barrels. That equates to mid 1963 production.

I do have a nice '55 - '56 12 ga for sale over in the classifieds .

Maybe some of the more experienced guys will chime in as well. I am sorta new at assessing the Ithaca's

 

[Milkmaster]

I second most of what Andy advised.

One other thing...the 37 barrel is easy to remove. However, doing a full disassembly on a 37 is not something that should be done willy-nilly unless you are very familiar with getting it back together. Disassembling a 37 is nothing like as simple as an 870 type pump. This is just a warning to be careful and make sure you or the owner knows how to get it back together if you are going to take it apart before buying. Once you learn, it can be done in a few minutes.

Good luck hunting your treasure!

 

[Sam1911]

Wow guys! Thanks so much for all the great info!

I looked at three today (well four, counting the $500 Cabela's boat oar). Two 12 ga.'s were Mod. stamped, so I was figuring that that was common.

The nicest of those two has 80%+ bluing, and a nice stock. And it is a vent rib model. (I actually like the lines of the plain barrel better but I understand that a rib aids in wing-shooting.) That one was priced at something like $299 or a bit over $300 (can't exactly remember at the moment.

Looking at Gunbroker, these seem like great deals, surprisingly. Assuming that the internals are good, what do you guys think?

-Sam

 

[Beagle-zebub]

As far as value, A poly choke gun takes a hit.

Why is this? I ask because I saw one with a poly-choke for cheap, and that particular feature caught my eye. (Since I shoot skeet, I figured it would save me the trouble of having one of those full-choke guns opened up to IC.)

Thanks for the other heads ups, too. Doesn't someone like Limbsaver make a serviceable slip-on pad? Paying a gunsmith however much money to install a $30 recoil-pad on a $180 shotgun seems like a losing proposition to me, though maybe wrongly.

 

[Sam1911]

Why is this? I ask because I saw one with a poly-choke for cheap, and that particular feature caught my eye.

Well, any modification to an original is going to decrease the value of a used gun on the market. It may have value to you, personally, and you may choose to pay a hair more because of it, but if you were the seller you have to accept that you can't, in general, sell a modified gun for as much as a pristine one is worth.

Think about one that had had the stock cut down or the barrel shortened. Same idea. Maybe you're a small-statured person and appreciate a 13 1/2" length-of-pull. You MIGHT buy that gun over another (or pay a bit more than the next guy in an auction) but no one would expect a cut down gun to be "worth" more.

Secondly, the poly-choke device is a bit unsightly, large, bulbous, and somewhat spoils the lines of the gun. Plus it changes the sight picture and could even change the balance of the gun (though not by much, probably).

It is NOT as cool as having screw-in tubes.

-Sam