The 1st and 117th Rules of Gunfighting

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bushmaster1313

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The first rule of gunfighting is to bring a gun
The 117th rule is bring a gun that looks good

This started as a 1956 Polychoked 12 ga. Ithaca 37

Metal and pump handle remain with original finish
Local gunsmith chooped Barrel to 18.5" and installed a brass bead
Buttstock was found on internet and refinished by me with Tru-Oil
Reproduction recoil pad by Galazan
Recoil pad expertly grinded by Tronspace Gunworks with LOP = 13"

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Sometimes I think of selling it -- but then the thought passes and I feel better
 
That is what I use and it is very good shotgun. The biggest mistake most people make is adding bunch of useless junk like butt ammo carries, side saddles, goofy stock extensions to their combat shotguns. The only problem with Ithaca is unless you have extended tube model it is difficult to mount combat light on one. Two prerequisites for me are simple sling and combat light and nothing else. Huge advantage of old plain barrel LAPD-style Ithaca (about 6.5lb) is excellent handling and light weight which goes hand in hand with low recoil combat slugs and buck shot. By compartison the 870 plice and 590A1 are crowbars.
 
PabloJ said:
That is what I use and it is very good shotgun. The biggest mistake most people make is adding bunch of useless junk like butt ammo carries, side saddles, goofy stock extensions to their combat shotguns. The only problem with Ithaca is unless you have extended tube model it is difficult to mount combat light on one. Two prerequisites for me are simple sling and combat light and nothing else. Huge advantage of old plain barrel LAPD-style Ithaca (about 6.5lb) is excellent handling and light weight which goes hand in hand with low recoil combat slugs and buck shot. By compartison the 870 plice and 590A1 are crowbars.
Click to expand...

My 870 Police is not a crowbar, but I'll admit my old 590A1 (which I sold) was ridiculously out of balance and overweight for a fighting shotgun. It has an 8+1 magazine tube on it and was just a pig.

My current defensive shotgun, the 870 Police, does have a buttstock shell carrier but with only 4+1 I like having more rounds on the gun. The standard length magazine tube is a huge bonus in handling and I've come to greatly prefer them over extended magazines, though you rarely see them on the covers of all the "TACTICAL FLAVOR OF THE WEEK" magazines. Here is mine:

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Okay, yours looks better than my beat up used $200 Wingmaster that I simply changed out for an 18 inch barrel. But I bet it'll still get the job done...and cheaper.
 
Looks great! I have a special place in my heart for pump guns, especially pretty ones:)

I know it sounds hokey, but it'd be great if there was a competition akin to cowboy action shooting, but geared towards the roaring 20's Untouchables and whatnot. There'd be so many cool guns you'd see that would be period correct.
 
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My 37 violates the 117th rule; not pretty at all. It was an evidence gun I bought from the shop I smithed at, the barrel was already cut down (close enough to 18" that I measured it several times) I trimmed the rib back to the next post, put a Spark II on it, and put a John Masen stock set on it. (It came into the shop with no buttstock.)

My 870 looks more like it passes the 117th rule:



The 37 is my HD gun; the 870 was my slug gun for deer, as well as my serious business/zombie gun. ;)
 
bushmaster1313

One word: Sweet!

The first shotgun I ever hunted with when I was a kid was a friend's well used Model 37 20 gauge with a plain 26" barrel. That gun's pump action was so incredibly slick and fast it felt like I was shooting a semi-auto.

Nice job of restoring an old classic into something still very useful today.
 
OP, I also love the 37s, got one I inherited from my late father-in-law, a smoother-running shotgun you'll never see. Your post inspires me to look at cleaning it up and doing a complete re-furb. Yours displays some nice bluing and great furniture, for sure.

Uh, but this statement:
my old 590A1 (which I sold) was ridiculously out of balance and overweight for a fighting shotgun.
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"Ridiculously out of balance and overweight?" Really? I love my Blackwater 590A1, everything I always wanted in a fighting shotgun. I consider it lightweight and perfectly balanced (but then, I work on maintaining my upper-body strength) ...
 
A model 37, short. Fire a couple of rounds, hold it upside down in your right hand, you have no need to look at it to load two more, just drop and push.

And hold the trigger back, and pump! Like a machine gun. Would love one of those ex NYPD Mod 37s. Shot one on City Island.
 
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I'd be too afraid to shoot a gun that looks like that. That's why all my guns are utilitarian and tactical looking.

Not that I have a lot of guns :V
 
Nice guns here, including the OP's Model 37!

I love shooting trap or skeet type games with my 1954 model HD gun. Original metal, I refinished the stock and forearm to bring it up to the level of the metal finish. The 18.25" barrel and stock LOP minus the thick factory butt pad makes for a very quick-handling gun despite the substantial build quality and heft. Has never once malfunctioned and would be one of the last guns I'd ever voluntarily get rid of.

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Just a heads up for Ithica fans,

Gary James has an article on the Inland/ Ithica recreation of the Mod 37 trench gun in the current Guns & Ammo paper zine.

I will admit I missed not having James BP article but the coverage of the new trench gun is nice.

-kBob
 
I stake my claim to prettiest 870 express!

As a secondary concern, it is reliable as well...

I'm really liking that recoil pad pattern on post #1.
 
What's the grip cap on the Ithaca made of? Looks sharp!

That browning is gorgeous.
 
THAT is a most handsome shotgun. I would not change a single thing on that. Hang on to that one.
 
What's the grip cap on the Ithaca made of? Looks sharp!
Click to expand...

It might be ivory

About 10 years ago I bought a beat-up stock off the internet with this real ugly bright white grip cap that had three initials badly carved. I sanded the initials down and to my surprise the cap looked like ivory. I then soaked the cap in a glass with a tea bag for a week and it turned real pretty. I also stripped sanded and refinished the stock with Tru-Oil
 
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