Barrel--28 3/8" of it beyond the receiver. It does have a solid rib as it should. Labelled "2 3/4" chamber" and "Full Choke." Seems to be tight to receiver.
You now need to double check the choke with a gauge to make sure it wasn't cut off. Ithacas came with 28" barrels or 30" barrels, there will be a 1/2" length of barrel threads in the receiver
The way to remove the barrel from an Ithaca is to make sure it is unloaded of course. Leave the bolt/action cycled back. Turn the magazine nut TO THE RIGHT. It is opposite of what your mind tells you which is right for tight, left for loose. On an Ithaca you are screwing the mag cap down towards the receiver, away from the barrel lug, so turn it RIGHT FOR LOOSE.
AVOID BEING BUBBA at all costs and do not use pliers on the mag cap, you will ruin the knurling.
Then the barrel will turn 90 degrees and come straight out of the receiver. There are interrupted threads and the barrel stub. Ithacas are take down guns.
Serial # is 504XXX-4, which says that it was manufactured in 1953. What is the "-4" for??
-4 means Full. -1,-2, -4 ImpCyl,Mod and Full respectively
Receiver is steel, not Aluminum.
The ONLY Ithaca 37's that have Aluminum receivers have a ULT- as part of the serial nbr and they were made after 1970
Blueing--shows a little wear & tear--You couldn't call it rust spots, just some rough-looking spots on the barrel.
0000 steel wool and gun oil NOTHING coarser, absolutely nothing
Stock--Finish is "OK". Gun has been used in the field, not cherished in a collection. 3 or so cracks starting right at the front end of stock; don't look serious.
The cracks will need stopped so they don't progress. I saw a guy trying to hunt with a wobbly stocked gun because it finished cracking and he lost the piece. You would take a straight pin and push some good grade of glue into the cracks, we can discuss that later. Lots of folks have solutions to cracked stocks that pertain to all guns.
Fore-end--Is what I think you call "corncob."
First picture belongs to my friend in New Hampshire. That is the corncob forend. He found that gun in a gunshop, hardly used. English style stock, Skeet marked barrel, isn't that cool.
AND it is 16ga which is even better. I have first dibs on that gun.
Second picture is of a pre-war style forend. It is on the gun in the 3rd picture which I built for my wife. Started life as a bare receiver I bought from Numrich Arms in NY. Got the internals off eBay for a good deal. Bought a couple parts from IthacaGun here in Ohio and I found the barrel in Iowa. It is a 24" VR with choke tubes. The buttstock is from 1951. It had been cutoff. I repurposed it for my 5'3" 115lb wife. Fits her perfect.
Ithacas are pretty easy to work on if you ask questions and take your time to understand the mechanics. They are one of JMB's better designs, just like the 1911.............
You now need to double check the choke with a gauge to make sure it wasn't cut off. Ithacas came with 28" barrels or 30" barrels, there will be a 1/2" length of barrel threads in the receiver
The way to remove the barrel from an Ithaca is to make sure it is unloaded of course. Leave the bolt/action cycled back. Turn the magazine nut TO THE RIGHT. It is opposite of what your mind tells you which is right for tight, left for loose. On an Ithaca you are screwing the mag cap down towards the receiver, away from the barrel lug, so turn it RIGHT FOR LOOSE.
AVOID BEING BUBBA at all costs and do not use pliers on the mag cap, you will ruin the knurling.
Then the barrel will turn 90 degrees and come straight out of the receiver. There are interrupted threads and the barrel stub. Ithacas are take down guns.
Serial # is 504XXX-4, which says that it was manufactured in 1953. What is the "-4" for??
-4 means Full. -1,-2, -4 ImpCyl,Mod and Full respectively
Receiver is steel, not Aluminum.
The ONLY Ithaca 37's that have Aluminum receivers have a ULT- as part of the serial nbr and they were made after 1970
Blueing--shows a little wear & tear--You couldn't call it rust spots, just some rough-looking spots on the barrel.
0000 steel wool and gun oil NOTHING coarser, absolutely nothing
Stock--Finish is "OK". Gun has been used in the field, not cherished in a collection. 3 or so cracks starting right at the front end of stock; don't look serious.
The cracks will need stopped so they don't progress. I saw a guy trying to hunt with a wobbly stocked gun because it finished cracking and he lost the piece. You would take a straight pin and push some good grade of glue into the cracks, we can discuss that later. Lots of folks have solutions to cracked stocks that pertain to all guns.
Fore-end--Is what I think you call "corncob."
First picture belongs to my friend in New Hampshire. That is the corncob forend. He found that gun in a gunshop, hardly used. English style stock, Skeet marked barrel, isn't that cool.
AND it is 16ga which is even better. I have first dibs on that gun.
Second picture is of a pre-war style forend. It is on the gun in the 3rd picture which I built for my wife. Started life as a bare receiver I bought from Numrich Arms in NY. Got the internals off eBay for a good deal. Bought a couple parts from IthacaGun here in Ohio and I found the barrel in Iowa. It is a 24" VR with choke tubes. The buttstock is from 1951. It had been cutoff. I repurposed it for my 5'3" 115lb wife. Fits her perfect.
Ithacas are pretty easy to work on if you ask questions and take your time to understand the mechanics. They are one of JMB's better designs, just like the 1911.............
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