tightgroup tiger
Member
That thing looks brutle to shoot, but I wish I had one. What an old battle ax. I mean that in a good way. If I saw one of those for sale, I would have to buy it on the spot.
Ithaca 37
- Thread starter Slater
- Start date
That thing looks brutle to shoot, but I wish I had one. What an old battle ax. I mean that in a good way. If I saw one of those for sale, I would have to buy it on the spot.
Gordon
Member
I used to collect Remington 31 shotguns. I had half a dozen of all 12, 16, and 20 gauge steel and an aluminum 20 gauge. They made 12 ga on the big frame and 16 and 20-gauge on the slightly smaller frame. That made the 16 exceptionally nice for upland game. Those "ball bearing corn shuckers" snick-snick faster and smoother than any other pump ever. That came at a cost as they were precision machined of ordinance steel. Although smoother than a Winchester Model 12 in action , I don't think they were quite as strong in the long run as in years of heavy clay shooting. The longevity and expensive manufacturing issues were both solved in the Remington 870 post-war gun.
sgt127
Member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2003
- Messages
- 2,580
I carried it on SWAT. I also had an issued MP5SD.
I usually ran point. We hit a lot of motel rooms and very small house. I usually just went in with 1911 as it left one hand free to turn doorknobs. Grab people ets. The MP5 was awesome, but, kinda bulky. Swinging around etc. a long shot might be 20 ft.
The Ithaca was personally owned and, I just slung it behind me. If I got in over my head, I’d have some extra horsepower on tap. And, again, at those ranges, really effective.
It also had a tremendous psychological effect on felony traffic stops.
Some officers pulled over a stolen car, involved in a drive by. I pulled up and, as they got them out of the car and seated them on the curb.
I stood behind them with the Stakeout.
One turned around, looked at the gun and said:
“That’s a bad mother ****er….”
I said:
“So is the mother ****er holding it…”
He nodded and said:
“Word…”
Dominance established, we got along fine.
It's hard to beat Ithaca in low price/quality ratio. LGS has 12ga 26" VR IC in excellent condition (including original recoil pad) for $550. That one can be dated without checking serial number because it has mag cap with much fewer dimples. This was cost cutting feature Ithaca used for limited time. It's still very capable and versatile gun because one can use modern non-tox 2&3/4" shells like steel shot from Walmart. I dont think upland steel or target loads would separate rib from barrel but it should not damage open choke. Old tightly choked guns require horribly expensive Bismuth or Tungsten Matrix shells to avoid barrel damage.
SterlingBullet
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- Jun 1, 2015
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- 610
Green Stamps, what a blast from a different world and time.
OS/N
Member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2023
- Messages
- 441
Got a SKB 900XL as a kid for quail hunting back in the 70s. 12ga 26" IC. Still have it today and use once in awhile for skeet. Back in the day we (my dad and I) would buy a case of shells and use up every season. Quail went away in the early 80s so it saw little use afterwards. You had to get em on the rise with the IC and use 7-1/2 shot. If you waited for them to level off, a 28 Mod was a better option with 9 shot.
Always admired the 37 because of the bottom eject. Left/Right is same and finding the hulls was easy in the field. Just never bought one because I had the 900 - back in the day if you had one handgun, shotgun, a deer rifle, and a 22 you were rich. Most just had one shotgun and a 22 rifle - you couldn't hunt w/ a CF rifle or handgun back then so not many had them.
Always admired the 37 because of the bottom eject. Left/Right is same and finding the hulls was easy in the field. Just never bought one because I had the 900 - back in the day if you had one handgun, shotgun, a deer rifle, and a 22 you were rich. Most just had one shotgun and a 22 rifle - you couldn't hunt w/ a CF rifle or handgun back then so not many had them.
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tightgroup tiger
Member
Good to know! Dad's would blow a hole in the ground that looked like a small crater when he would miss a rabbit. I think it was full choke. I will look to see what's on the barrel next time I get it out of the safe.
Isn't that the truth!
I was fortunate enough to have an old 30-30 with no blueing and a cracked stock, and a 20ga shotgun. I never had the 22, always barrowed one from Dad. My handgun was a percussion 36 caliber 1851 Colt. It was accurate as hell but at any distance the bullets mostly bounced off of what I shot with it. Wouldn't even stick in a tree, just knock the bark off. Didn't dare hunt with it but it did teach me to shoot a pistol accurately.
I kept the 30-30 all those years, Dad bought it in 1951 when he bought his model 37 Ithica. The year Mom and Dad got married.
There was no blueing left on the 30-30 when I got it. The butt stock was cracked back the wrist.
I paid it homage many years later by re-doing it with new fancy grade walnut stocks and polishing it out and re-blueing it.
It still shoots a 1" group at 100 yds.
Looks a lot different now then it did in the old days. I cut these stocks for it, it took me 3 months because after I bought the blanks, I found out I had an allergy for walnut.
I'd work on them as long as I could stand it and quit. I was about ready to put a downspout on my nose, and blotters in my eyes to soak up the tears. First and last set of walnut stocks I ever cut.
I re-did Dad's old Model 37 also. It was in about the same condition.
I can't let them languish in a poor state when they did so much for us, feeding us on the farm where I grew up.
OS/N
Member
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2023
- Messages
- 441
About the same here. My first CF was an old surplus 303 two groover. I worked most of the summer to save up for a used Win 94 30-30 and put an old weaver side mounted scope on it. I also had a H&R 9-22 to shoot at cans with. I used dad's win 63 22 to hunt squirrels and raccoons with until later on buying a mdl 60 marlin for myself. Too bad I didn't keep any of those first buys.
Gordon
Member
Like I promised, here is the Model 37 20-gauge Ultra Feather Light Pistol now re-barrelled with Ithaca deer slayer barrels. The barrel with the silver Burris adjustable Long eye relief scope is riffled and the installed deer slayer barrel is smooth bore " deer slayer choke," which measured skeet one. The smooth bore has a crutch tip over front Raybar sight as with stock folded, it is my ideal cane height for hiking assistance with folded Choate stock. The Pistol came with the factory installed Choate pistol grip but not the 13" 20 gauge pistol barrel which Las Vegas PD did not sell with the " fire arm" on a 4473. In early 90 s I won the auction for it , it was " stake out" used by the dept and looked like never discharged..came with the pistol forend too. And the serial number has suffix HG in it for " hand gun" The Olight Baldor light/laser is attached with a 20gauge diameter "Beamshot" adapter. You can change the barrels in a minute and the shotguns can be fired with the foldded stock, thanks to bottom ejection and feed 
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Like I promised, here is the Model 37 20-gauge Ultra Feather Light Pistol now re-barrelled with Ithaca deer slayer barrels. The barrel with the silver Burris adjustable Long eye relief scope is riffled and the installed deer slayer barrel is smooth bore " deer slayer choke," which measured skeet one. The smooth bore has a crutch tip over front Raybar sight as with stock folded, it is my ideal cane height for hiking assistance with folded Choate stock. The Pistol came with the factory installed Choate pistol grip but not the 13" 20 gauge pistol barrel which Las Vegas PD did not sell with the " fire arm" on a 4473. In early 90 s I won the auction for it , it was " stake out" used by the dept and looked like never discharged..came with the pistol forend too. And the serial number has suffix HG in it for " hand gun" The Olight Baldor light/laser is attached with a 20gauge diameter "Beamshot" adapter. You can change the barrels in a minute and the shotguns can be fired with the foldded stock, thanks to bottom ejection and feed
View attachment 1260753
View attachment 1260754
Is that Magnum receiver meaning it will cycle and eject spent 3" shell? My King Ferry made gun has barrel with 3" chamber and magnum receiver. Is it safe to shoot occasional 3" shell through aluminum alloy receiver where the bolt does not lock into barrel extension (steel to steel)?
I have 3 Ithaca M37, 2 20 gauge and a 12. A ultra featherlight was my first "real" gun. Lots of memories.
WestKentucky
Member
I was glancing around at shotguns for my kids hoping for a tax refund and a chance to stock their safes a bit. No such luck, had to pay the man this year. Anyways, there’s a knockoff of the Ithaca 37 that is pretty affordable right now. Was in consideration had I gotten back what I was expecting to get. Turns out that when you’re self employed and buy health insurance “through the portal” you get a hefty tax cut. I bought better health insurance, and it killed off about 4 grand worth of tax break leaving me writing a check rather than requesting one. I’ll try to find the link and post it.
WestKentucky
Member
Fully agree. The whole 16ga on 12ga frame was not a well thought out plan by any of the makers who did that. 870s are heavy anyway so why leave even more weight in a gun unnecessary to its usefulness. They are overpriced too, but not as bad as the retrograde Mossberg guns.
Gordon
Member
I don't know about your lock up question. The ultra light hand gun receiver I put the 3" 20 have barrel on takes all 20 gauge shells
The barrel are not made in Kings Ferry. The ultra feather light was made in 3" in some models like the Stake Out and may be others. I assume they are safe never having heard anything to the contrary. I won't be shooting many 3" 20 gauge shells thru it. I do shoot alot of 20 gauge 3" shells iny Japanese Browsing A-5 magnum with a 25" removable choke installed and long for ing cone. I use it on pheasants with ,#5 lead 3 " and ducks with #4 steel 3" shells, many years.
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One of my old trap shooting buddies used an Ithaca 37 presentation grade trap gun, engraved and just gorgeous wood.
For Christmas one year I gave my then wife an Ithaca ultra-featherlight English 20ga for woodcock and grouse, her competition guns were 870s. She loved it on long walks in the grouse.woods.
For Christmas one year I gave my then wife an Ithaca ultra-featherlight English 20ga for woodcock and grouse, her competition guns were 870s. She loved it on long walks in the grouse.woods.