Ithaca Guns - Out of Business

[Matthew Gross]

http://www.wrgb.com/business/biznews/biznews.asp?selection=article_35839



Wednesday, June 22, 2005 2:17 PM

Well-known gun company ends production in central New York

(Auburn, NY - AP) — The maker of a well-known models of shotgun is ending its production after more than a century in business in upstate New York.

One of seven investors who own the Ithaca Gun Company says the Auburn manufacturer has run out of money and laid off its 26 employees.

The move comes less than a year after the company received 150,000 dollars from Cayuga County for operating expenses. The owners acquired the company out of bankruptcy in the mid-1990s.

Ithaca Gun began production in 1880, and soon became known for making affordable and durable shotguns.

The company's investors say they hope someone will buy the company's well-known name and resume production in central New York.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Bummer.

 

[KriegHund]

Hopefully someone will take care of it.

 

[Bullet Bob]

Unfortunately, someone will probably buy the name, but the shotgun will be made in Italy, or even China.

 

[jobu07]

It is unfortunate. Auburn and Cayuga County doled out some cash to keep those fella's operating. Hopefully some sort of great feat will save them from chapter 11.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Methinks they couldn't compete against the 870 Express or the Mossberg's Maverick line of shotguns. The Itacha 37 is a good gun, especially the older ones that had an extended magazine and didn't have that disconnect thingy to impair the fun (for those of us who are physically uncoordinated).

 

[Highland Ranger]

$150k . . . . sounds like nothing for a 20 some odd employee company.

Not that I believe in the dole. If they couldn't sell their product and be profitable, the rules say they have to go . . . . .

Hope someone steps in and takes another wack at it . . . .

 

[Onmilo]

They already make a copy of the Ithaca 37 pumpgun in China,,,,,,,

 

[Pinned&Recessed]

So? They only make long-barreled sporting guns now.

If they still made the short-barreled Model 37 "Riot Guns" that are actually decent for home defense AND they still slamfired, then I would shed a tear.

They stopped building good Ithacas a long time ago.

 

[Wags]

It's going to take some serious cash, modern machine tools and tooling, lots of desire, fortitude and dreams to get this company up and running again. This may be it for this company unless a heavy hitter decides to step in and turn the place around. I'd like to see a US company take it over.

Something tells me we may see the Mod 37 again.........

 

[dakotasin]

always sad to see a gun or gun-related co. go under... however, the free-market system dictates that they must go, so they should go...

i've long thought there was a sizeable market for side-by-side scatterguns that could be sold for under $1500 - very much like my old ithaca hammerless. perhaps opportunity knocking?

 

[Zak Smith]

i've long thought there was a sizeable market for side-by-side scatterguns that could be sold for under $1500 - very much like my old ithaca hammerless. perhaps opportunity knocking?

Tell me where to sign up. I'd buy a solid no-frills SxS, reminiscent of the c.a. 1950's Ithacas, for $1500 in a heartbeat.

 

[farscott]

I am really glad I picked up my 20-gauge M37 Classic and 12-gauge DS-II Storm when I did. Top notch American guns that I am glad to have.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Darn shame. A good time to pick up 37s, IMO....j

 

[scubie02]

it IS a shame...ithaca's problem was that they still made a shotgun the old fashioned way with milled steel parts, as opposed to the 870 with all its stampings and plastic. Hard to try to compete in price given the disparity of materials and method of manufacture. Too few people realize the difference in what they are getting. Another end of an era--the last of the old timey pump guns.

 

[Double Maduro]

Zak,

Remington has come out with a no frills line called the Spartan.

http://www.spartangunworks.com/sidebyside.htm

Field model sxs under $400.

DM

 

[scubie02]

yeah, but its just one of the russian guns with "remington" stamped on it...

 

[Marshall]

What's the warranty on those Spartans? I went to warranty page and it doesn't say?

 

[waterhouse]

That's sad. My first shotty was a 20 ga. Mod 37 Featherweight. Still have it, and it's still my favorite gun for dove and quail.

 

[Hawk]

I believe I read that the 37 is a JMB design.

Does anybody know offhand if the 37 is the same as the BPS, only similar or dissimilar apart from the "dual purpose" ejection hole?

It'd be kinda nice to believe that "the 37 will never die while the BPS lives".

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

YAWN---if they were so good----we'd all own one and be sittin around wondering why Remington went out of business instead.

Its the way of the world---get over it and move on.

 

[scubie02]

The BPS is a good shotgun in its own right but not really the same as a 37, though it does have the bottom ejection similarity obviously. Its sort of a hodgepodge of several different shotguns as far as features. The only thing which might be seen as "downside" to the BPS is the extra long steel receiver makes it a bit heavy compared to some, whereas the 37's traditionally shorter than average receiver along with other features made it a lighter than average shotgun. I particularly like the tang safety on the browning.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Remington took a JMB design and made it in 20 gauge as the Model 17 beginning in 1917. It was light and handy, but sales were off in the Depression. It was discontinued around 1930. Ithaca waited out the patents and brought out the 37 in 1937. A minor tweak or two and the 37 as we know it now began.

A very good shotgun, doomed to death by the 870.

 

[MoeMentum]

I hate to see it , when any American long term company goes under, it dosen't say much for American products, and hurts American workers.

 

[KarbineKrazy]

To bad I'm not some young american entrepaneur male with a pocket full of daddy's money.

'I would buy the place up and start pumping out guns again.

 

[Wags]

Mr. McCraken is correct about John Moses Browning being the heir designer of the Ithaca Mod 37. I always laugh to myself when JMB stopped designing shotguns after his bottom ejection model was patented and sold to Remington. He thought he had taken shotguns to the zenith of development after his Winchester Mod 97, the Browning Auto-5 and Remington Mod 17, and there was no more time to waste on shotguns. Boy was he wrong..... buy it makes you wonder when you when you look at those models that are over 100 years old. The guy was definately a genius.

And yes, the Remington Mod 870 did help doom the Ithaca Mod 37. Funny, I own more Mod 37's than Mod 870's? Nothing wrong with being a man of quality........ I wouldn't trade or sell either model, just prefer one over the other.

I hope someone who knows how to run a manufacturing company for firearms gets the Mod 37 back into production. And I'm not talking Asian junk companies either.