Does $350 sound about right for a LNIB Ithaca 37 featherlight/ultralight 20 gauge?

H

Hank15

New member
I took my little brother to the local gun store today to buy his Ruger 10/22.

We were just about to begin the paperwork when he saw a shotgun on one of the racks. After asking the store owner for permission to handle it, he picked it up, worked the action and immediately said "I want this one instead."

So now I have to shell out a few extra bucks to buy him the Ithaca 37 :rolleyes:.

Anyways, I just wanted to know if $350 (not out the door) is about right for an Ithaca 37 that's:
-featherlight/ultralight, not sure which one
-28" barrel
-2 3/4" chamber
-Never been fired, but does show a few handling marks
-Store owner offers to clean it up and repair it if it ever breaks

I've looked it up on budsgunshop, gunsamerica, and impact guns, but haven't found the price of a 20 gauge yet. So it'd be nice if anyone can just give me an estimate.
 
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Be sure to get that offer to repair and clean in writing. For the cleaning is he offering to do a good detail cleaning once a year for the start of hunting season and one at the end?

Seems like a reasonable price for the service you'll get at the local place.
 
I think he meant that he'll clean it so that it looks like it just left the factory when I pick it up.

But he did say he'll fix it for free if it ever breaks, less the price of expensive parts.
 
In a word, it's a...

STEAL!

Good price and you can put the current NY barrels and it to use tubes.

The current manufacturer in Ohio, is twice what you're paying.
 
I forgot to mention that it's a 2 3/4" chamber.

Is 2 3/4" enough for games such as deers, bears, and hogs?

How about birds and clays?

I've never shot a 20 gauge, so I really don't know how effective they are on games, birds, and clays.

Let me know what you guys think.
 
2 3/4" shells will do most anything you need them to do. Remember, you won't get more velocity from 3" shells...just a bit more payload. I'm not as familiar with the 20 ga., but in a 12 I would never worry about it.
 
Yes, Yes, Yes 37s are great guns!

If the gun has a plain barrel I would say price is a bit high, if mat or ventilated rib I'd say it's a fair price for a nice gun. What choke? Full 20 guages work fine for rabbit, squirrel, doves, quail, and any other small to medium game if loaded properly and ranges are kept to about 30 yards for bigger vermin and about 35-40 for dove and quail sized birds. A 20 is ok for pheasant to about 25 yards or so and a bit more with 3 inch shells which you don't have. You can get 1 1/8 oz magnum loads if needed for that shotgun. If you are going to shoot big game in California you need a different gun as there are no rifled barrels available that I know about. Many areas of California require solid copper projectiles... yes stupid I know but a Condor might choke on a lead bb or overdose on lead pellets (which hasn't been proven). A 20 doesn't have solid copper buckshot and you can't use foster slugs in most areas so really the gun is limited to small game and birds. However, don't be disappointed, you picked up a real classic! A 20 is a joy to shoot and carry. An added bonus is you can carry more shells or less weight for the basic same effective when bird hunting. A 12 can do more things, but a 20 is a fantastic shotgun for a new shooter who really needs to concentrate on lead and follow through rather than absorbing recoil. As far as clay shooting, I prefer 12 for trap though 20 works too. 20 is my favorite for skeet where ranges are shorter and you have a denser shot pattern to smash targets.
 
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