Ithaca Model 87 Deerslayer Police Special

[Shear_stress]

Lately I've been battling a cruel and debilitating addiction to pump action police-style shotguns. Today I tried to wean myself off of Remingtons with what I thought was an Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer Police Special. It has a 20" barrel, "corncob" forestock, rifle sights and parkerized finish without the hunting scene engraved on the receiver. My first shotgun was a Model 37 and I have fond memories of the stock sucker punching me in the cheekbone every time I fired it. Being a slow learner, I decided I needed another one.

When I got the shotgun home I was surprised to realize that it is not a Ithaca Model 37 DS Police Special. In fact, it is an Ithaca Model 87 DS Police Special. Until today I had never heard of an M-87. Turns out it is exactly the same as the Model 37, only named for the year that the Ithaca Acquisition Corp resumed production after the original company had one of its many flirtations with bankruptcy.

Opinions of the 87 seem to be all over the place and I have considered returning the gun. However, I can't seem to find anything to fault about it. Like my older 37 quality seems great and the action is incredibly smooth and fast. The store I bought it at even let me test fire it. No sucker punch! Might have to hold onto this one.

 

[Tom D]

I have the same shotgun, but with the shorter 18.5 inch barrel. I love mine. It's solid with a slick action. From what I can tell, it's the same gun as the Model 37.

 

[1KPerDay]

Very cool. Congrats!

 

[Gordon]

They are the same as the 37, just a LITTLE rougher around the edges.

 

[Shear_stress]

They are the same as the 37, just a LITTLE rougher around the edges.

That's what I hear. It is harder to tell on a Police Special, though, which is parkerized and has plain, oil-finished wood. Reminds me of the parkerized Colt Agents and Commandos of the 80s.

 

[Fred Fuller]

IIRC, the 87 has a disconnector while the 37 will slam fire. Otherwise, it's still an Ithaca.

lpl

 

[Shear_stress]

IIRC, the 87 has a disconnector while the 37 will slam fire. Otherwise, it's still an Ithaca

True. The 87's hammer will follow the bolt if the trigger is held while the shotgun is cycled. Kind of annoying because the trigger won't reset on its own unless the shotgun is cycled again (recycled? ). I wouldn't mind disconnecting the disconnector for that exact reason.