Sapper771
Member
While cruising around my local gun shop, I stumbled upon this little beauty.
It had not been placed on the rack for sale yet. I was informed that the shotgun had been used in a suicide it needed to be disinfected. Deciding not to lay hands on it, I added some things up and guessed that it was a model 87.
Not really knowing that much about the Ithaca shotguns, I started researching them. I found that the general consensus on the Ithaca line of shotguns was positive. More positive on the Model 37 than the 87, but still positive never the less. I do remember reading about the Ithaca being used in Vietnam and it had a good reputation for being reliable in that environment.
I told them that I was interested in buying it when it became available. The price I received was stellar, on the condition that I would be responsible for the decontamination. I agreed and I became the owner of what I thought was a Model 87.
When I got home I put on some rubber gloves and started inspecting the shotgun. This is when I discovered that I had a Model 37 , not an 87. This made me even happier. The Ithaca is more complex when it comes to detail stripping. This isnt an issue though, as long as you keep up with the little screws and pay attention to how everything fits together.
To make an already long story short. After disinfecting it, I cleaned her up with some CLP and lubed with Militec. I love the Pacmayr furniture and big brass bead front sight. The action is smooth and it ejects shells with authority. The long mag tube hold seven 2.75" shells. The barrel doesn't rate it for 3" shells. No worries, dont really need 'em.
I got back online and looked up the serial number. One list showed this Ithaca made in 1975. The other list from Ithaca showed it made in 1976. I had read that in 1975 Ithaca put a disconnect in their actions to keep them from slam firing. This wasn't a major thing for me, but it would have been nice to play with. I decided to test my Ithaca to see if it would slam fire. I took a primed empty shot shell and loaded it in the magazine. I dry fired the shotgun, held the trigger down, and racked the primed shell in. It slam fired! I was ecstatic to say the least.
While I was cleaning the magazine tube, I noticed some writing on the exterior of the tube. Electro penciled on the tube, underneath the forearm, was a combination of three letters and 8 numbers.
I was thinking that the police may have coded it for evidence or the owner was marking his property with his/her Drivers license number.
One thing that I have not figured out yet is whether or not this model 37 is stainless or nickle plated. I havent found any info online yet. The inside of the receiver has some heavy machine marks. It almost makes me think that it is stainless. There is only one rust spot on the exterior of the barrel. That spot looks like something abrasive was used on it (seen in above pic).
Another thing that hit me. If Ithaca did put the disconnectors in the shotguns starting in 1975 and my Ithaca being a 75'-76' production that can slam fire, makes me think that it may have been police issued. Or, maybe it just slipped through the cracks as a early 75' gun made from leftover parts from '74.Maybe some of our members can help me with these issues.
Overall, I am very pleased with this Ithaca. It shoots great. The slam fire is pretty fun to play with, but I dont plan on making it a normal operation. I was wanting a pistol grip shotgun to use for HD and I think this Ithaca will do fine.
It had not been placed on the rack for sale yet. I was informed that the shotgun had been used in a suicide it needed to be disinfected. Deciding not to lay hands on it, I added some things up and guessed that it was a model 87.
Not really knowing that much about the Ithaca shotguns, I started researching them. I found that the general consensus on the Ithaca line of shotguns was positive. More positive on the Model 37 than the 87, but still positive never the less. I do remember reading about the Ithaca being used in Vietnam and it had a good reputation for being reliable in that environment.
I told them that I was interested in buying it when it became available. The price I received was stellar, on the condition that I would be responsible for the decontamination. I agreed and I became the owner of what I thought was a Model 87.
When I got home I put on some rubber gloves and started inspecting the shotgun. This is when I discovered that I had a Model 37 , not an 87. This made me even happier. The Ithaca is more complex when it comes to detail stripping. This isnt an issue though, as long as you keep up with the little screws and pay attention to how everything fits together.
To make an already long story short. After disinfecting it, I cleaned her up with some CLP and lubed with Militec. I love the Pacmayr furniture and big brass bead front sight. The action is smooth and it ejects shells with authority. The long mag tube hold seven 2.75" shells. The barrel doesn't rate it for 3" shells. No worries, dont really need 'em.
I got back online and looked up the serial number. One list showed this Ithaca made in 1975. The other list from Ithaca showed it made in 1976. I had read that in 1975 Ithaca put a disconnect in their actions to keep them from slam firing. This wasn't a major thing for me, but it would have been nice to play with. I decided to test my Ithaca to see if it would slam fire. I took a primed empty shot shell and loaded it in the magazine. I dry fired the shotgun, held the trigger down, and racked the primed shell in. It slam fired! I was ecstatic to say the least.
While I was cleaning the magazine tube, I noticed some writing on the exterior of the tube. Electro penciled on the tube, underneath the forearm, was a combination of three letters and 8 numbers.
I was thinking that the police may have coded it for evidence or the owner was marking his property with his/her Drivers license number.
One thing that I have not figured out yet is whether or not this model 37 is stainless or nickle plated. I havent found any info online yet. The inside of the receiver has some heavy machine marks. It almost makes me think that it is stainless. There is only one rust spot on the exterior of the barrel. That spot looks like something abrasive was used on it (seen in above pic).
Another thing that hit me. If Ithaca did put the disconnectors in the shotguns starting in 1975 and my Ithaca being a 75'-76' production that can slam fire, makes me think that it may have been police issued. Or, maybe it just slipped through the cracks as a early 75' gun made from leftover parts from '74.Maybe some of our members can help me with these issues.
Overall, I am very pleased with this Ithaca. It shoots great. The slam fire is pretty fun to play with, but I dont plan on making it a normal operation. I was wanting a pistol grip shotgun to use for HD and I think this Ithaca will do fine.
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