For the record, when the bro-in-law wanted to buy himself an all around shotgun and had a limited budget, we went to Dick's and bought him an 870 for 339 with a 30.00 rebate.
I am realistic about the situation, not a rabid fan boy, just appreciative of what they are trying to accomplish..................
But even such venerable mfg'ers as Remington ship FUBARS out the door
http://www.randywakeman.com/DO_NOT_USE_YOUR_REMINGTON_VERSA_MAX_SHOTGUN.htm
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The folks at Ithaca know about and are contemplating the issue with the magazine tube.
I have heard that some folks run a reamer to remove the "lip" in the receiver that the magazine tube bottoms into, to open it up to match the inside diameter of the current design.
I feel (and I am not a licensed gunsmith, but I did sleep in fancy motel once, actually I was a tool and die maker when younger and worked on some very high precision stuff) that this is absolutely wrong. The old design controlled the passage of the shell into the shell stops in a much more precise manner, you wouldn't think that .015 slop per side really matters in a magazine tube, but in this case it does.
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There is another weak point in the Ithaca design that goes all the way back, and it can't be helped. Actually 2 weak points and simply taking care of the gun negates this issue.
Everyone reading this that owns an Ithaca 37 should address this issue.
If the channel that the left side shell stop gets gunked up so it sticks, the gun will spit shells onto the ground. The other is the little spring in behind the left side stop (provides tension on it, the LS shell stop rides on a pivot). If the spring gets worn, breaks etc, the gun will malfunction. Seeing as how the spring only costs a couple dollars, everyone that owns an Ithaca should make it a habit of replacing the spring every decade or so.
I have guns from the 40's that the spring was a little soft, just a little, so I replaced them and the mechanism is back to being crisp. They still functioned, but for the couple dollars or so that the springs cost me, it was money well spent and the average person can replace this spring if you own a set of good screw drivers (gunsmith parallel ground drivers, not a set from the Bubba shop).
here is the field maintenance guild, everyone that owns an Ithaca should download this and save it
http://stevespages.com/pdf/ithaca_3787.pdf
After I worked out how to fix the magazine feed issue, I acquired an old magazine tube and will polish it and have it blued so I can make my wife's gun period correct, however what I did is 100% reliable.
My hopes for them is that they mature as a "niche" manufacturer. Their continued existence depends upon being able to sell more guns to the current "fan base" and bring in new people, because we all do know that even a $300.00 870 will bring home rabbits, ducks, turkeys, bust round clay objects, harvest deer, defend the home just as well as a $900.00 Ithaca 37 will.
It is the fit and finish, the handling, the feeling of quality, the pride of ownership, the appreciation of precision that will sell Ithacas.
It is just like Shiloh Sharps -vs- Pedersoli Sharps. At one point there was a $1000.00 differential in price (exchange rate and shipping has negated that now). A Pedersoli will shoot right alongside a Shiloh. I have a Pedersoli that is phenomenally accurate. I have shot 3" 200 yd, iron sight groups with it with no load development at all. It will easily do a 2" 200 yard group, as I said, with iron sights, which many folks wish their scoped hunting rifles will do.
BUT the fit and finish are no where near what a Shiloh Sharps is. The stock feels thick and clubbish, the edges of the octagon barrel are slightly rounded from polishing and the fore end "faux pewter tip" is a hideous 2 piece affair. Shoots just as good, but is like driving a Gremlin -vs- [insert your favorite car here]. Both will get you there, but the experience with one outshines the other.
Right now, their guns won't fit me, and I am not a small guy, I am short and stocky, not chubby, stocky from working with the horses we used to have an from factory work when I was younger. All 11 older Ithacas fit perfect, but they went back to the original small forearm and I have a hard time reaching it. The gun would have to be modified for me to be able to use it.
They need to offer an optional forearm, one that compliments their gun, one that fits other people than the one currently on it. I wasn't going to spend almost a grand and then a bunch more in order to make it fit me.
Because of this issue I simply went to gunbroker, found a suitable low mileage gun, sold the barrel and replaced it with one with a vent rib and chokes, and built the Ithaca 37 16ga gun that I wanted, wished I could buy, but couldn't.
This is a cutaway view of how I transitioned the insert to blend in with the roll crimp, then the next set of pictures is the gun I built from a bare receiver, no parts inside at all. I located pieces parts from around the country and built up a unique gun for my wife. It is a 16ga.
It is the bottom one. The middle one is in process. It is also a 16ga (from 1953) and the top is my wife's Remington 1100 20ga, that is youth lady sized.
All 3 are what I have acquired for her. We bought our daughter an 870 20ga. In fact, I have 2 870 20ga for her. One is a dedicated scoped gun, has a rifled barrel and we can swap the smooth bore/choke tubed barrel onto it for turkeys, it has a 12 LOP instead of the std 13 because she is height challenged.
