Ithaca 37 hard to extract 00 buck and slug shells.

[JonF]

Hi folks, i'm having a problem with a gun that hopefully someone can shed some light on. I recently inherited an older 12-gauge Ithaca 37 with a 28" barrel and took it out for the first time this weekend to test it for functionality after giving it a 100% complete takedown cleaning. I've owned other rifles and handguns for some time, however, this is essentially my first shotgun so i'm a bit in the dark here. My experience is limited to using friends' models at the skeet range from time to time so i'm not sure what is going on here. Basically, when using shells with what seems to be higher brass, the shells seem to get firmly stuck in the chamber after firing. In my first time out testing, I started mild and ran a few skeet shells through it. Low brass, low recoil, everything seems ok. Set up a target, loaded up some 2 3/4" 00 buckshot and it went bang with that too. Went to extract that shell and it was so stuck compared to the ease in which it extracts the skeet loads, i thought there was something wrong with the mechanism. I had to pull so hard on the slide handle that when the shell did finally let go, the gun kicked it out about 15 feet in front of me. I carefully inspected the mechanism and there was no sign of binding or damage when cycling it with no shells. I also tried some more skeet and everything was easy as can be. I then tried a few more rounds of buck and the same thing. I then loaded a couple slugs and they stuck in the same manner. Any idea what is going on here? Is this a function of the higher brass expanding in the chamber and causing excessive friction to extract? Could it be that this gun will not take shells with higher brass and this is user error (is there such a thing)?

Thanks,
Jon.

 

[evbutler462]

Polish the chamber for about two minutes with 00 or finer steel wool with a high speed drill. Methinks your chamber has some fouling in it. Could be fine rust or a plastic build up. Wrap the steel or bronze wool around a cleaning rod and run it into the chamber about three inches, moving it forward and backward while the drill is on high speed. You should be able to tell a big difference. I polish the entire barrel occasionally and it is amazing what a clean looking barrel has in it.

 

[JonF]

Thanks, i'll pull the barrel and check out the chamber. Will such contamination be perceptible in any way (sight or touch)?

 

[Jeff Mull]

Do exactly as evbutler advised even if you think it is clean as a whistle. The dreaded chamber cling is caused by things you wont feel with your finger...

And report back so we can gloat a bit.

Jeff

 

[ebd10]

If the problem persists, contact Ithaca and ask them for advice.

http://www.ithacagun.com/

 

[JonF]

Well, after reading the replies here and some suggestions i found in a search, the common notion of a "rough or dirty chamber" kept poping up. I revisited this issue and began by inspecting my chamber and found that it had what seemed to be rough tool marks in the shape of concentric rings--almost forming a ribbed effect in the barrel. I could see how high brass would tightly grip on such a surface when it expands forming a sort of mechanical lock. I wish i would have saved some of the shells to examine them for any patterns in the brass imparted by the chamber. I'm not so sure that polishing with steel wool will remove such machining.

 

[Rampant_Colt]

send that barrel back to Ithaca!