Used Ithaca 37 or Older Police Wingmaster?

[GDW]

Hi,

I'm looking for a decent HD shotgun. Have looked for a while and found two I like. One is an Ithaca 37 with 20 inch barrel w/extension tube running the full length. Plastic forend and plastic pistol grip. Looks to be parkerized - but quite worn. Also has fiber optic front site. Very smooth action.

I like the bottom eject, placement of release. I dislike the pistol grip.

I also have also found an old 870 Wingmaster with a 20 inch barrel. Wood stocks, no extension. No engraving at all on the receiver. The wood is a bit beat up but action is very smooth. Maybe an old police gun.

Both models run around $300. However, both models only shoot 2 and3/4 shells. Two questions:

1. Does anyone see 2and 3/4 shells a problem?
2. Which one would you get?

Thanks,

GDW

 

[41magsnub]

personally I would go for the wingmaster since a plain stock seems to be more your thing. 2 3/4" is more than adequate for HD so no worries there.

 

[gunnerh]

I perfer the 37. The 870 is easier to get parts for repair and lots of stuff to bubba-it-up.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Hello, GDW, and welcome to THR!

Either one is a great shotgun, assuming they're in good mechanical shape. But with the Ithaca, you'll need to find a conventional stock (more $) before it will really do you much good. The 870 should be ready to run as is.

To me, what you describe still sounds somewhat expensive by local standards, but used gun prices vary by region and I don't know your market.

As to the 2 3/4" chamber question, that's no problem at all, unless you plan on taking up waterfowling or turkey hunting with that gun.

hth,

lpl/nc

 

[Robert Hairless]

You won't run anything longer than 2-3/4 shells anyway, so don't concern yourself with that.

Either the Ithaca 37 and the Remington Wingmaster is a good choice and both improve with experience. From your description that Ithaca 37 probably doesn't have the original furniture but the Wingmaster does, and I'd make the same guess as yours about it: police tradein. That's an advantage, not a defect, if the gun itself hasn't been abused. New and used furniture for it is readily available if you can't stand what's on it now.

 

[Dave McCracken]

Win-Win situation. Both are great shotguns, though that PG has got to go.

I'd get the 870, which should surprise no one here.

 

[GDW]

I kind of like the thought of the 37, just because it's not as common. But the 870 is hard to beat too, plus parts are plentiful (like a 1911). I would want to spring for a mag extention on the 870 and imagine that would be easy. No other purpose other than personal defense and general shooting. Thanks for the responses.

 

[sm]

37 sounds like the Ithaca Riot Shotgun with the 20" bbl, if memory serves the Police was 18" barrel.

I would run the numbers / markings by Ithaca to see.

I used Ithaca Riot guns with Full Stocks - except for two.
Both were hidden guns in a office setting, and this setting was best served with something that compact. One was used by a bodyguard, that wore it concealed, for certain situations.

Agree with those above, both are good guns, the 870 sounds ready to go, the 37 has to have a full stock which will run more money.

Just at the time, full stocked, 37 Riots with the 20" bbl...what I did often.

 

[Gordon]

My firstshotgun was a 37 20 ga. I still have it and a couple more. They are the top of the heap for a light upland bird gun.
How somever the old addage (cleaned up some for Art's grandma) ;" don't poop where you eat" is a very big deal in a gun you are betting your life on. Trust me it is quite a complex explanation, but the 870 type side eject bottom feed has some tactical and reliable advantages.
BTW I carried a 37 Riot in Nam for 13 months one tour, and it was comforting.Given a choice today-it would be an 870 in a New York minute!

 

[sm]

Gordon,

Good points on bringing up the bottom eject of the 37 and dealing with problems, I guess that dates me too, before the word "tactics" and "catch 22" come to be. *wink*

870 does have other attributes, like being modular, and one can find a good used longer barrel and use it for hunting, and this attributes to be one with the gun.


Oh, tell you how "un-tactical" I was back in the day, me and mine had some 20 bores set up we carried for work.
Dang them thangs tote nice...

We didn't know any better, we thought Win 97s, 12s and Browning A5s were pretty slick too.

Not LEO or Military, just work guns for us civilians and what we did...

 

[GunTech]

If you decide against the 37, let me know. I am always looking for them.

You can get a conventional stock for a 37 from SpeedFeed, but it may require modification of the stock to fit the 37 depending on the year of manufacture.