Ithaca Homeland Defense.....

It looks like a superb "Serious" shotgun. The design is a classic, Ithaca has a great rep for quality, and there's gonna be lots of these sold in the near future.

A coupla caveats, tho...

One, the design does not lend itself to extended mags. This is a minor point.

Two, a bottom loading pump like this is a tad slower to reload under A/S conditions. This especially applies to one shot "Dry". An 870 that runs dry(I know it's not supposed to happen) can get one round off by just throwing it in the ejection port and racking closed. Can't do that with this.

Three, these are lightweight shotguns. This is both an advantage and not. Easier carrying, but more felt recoil.I've shot a couple of Deerslayers with the big Rottweil Brenneke, recoil was quite noticeable. A bit more weight would be nice for "Serious" roles. Is there a Side Saddle ammo holder that fits the 37? That'd fix a couple probs.

Four, it needs sling studs. For H/D, a sling's not needed, and may snag at absolutely the worst moment. Outside the house, that changes.

All in all, it's an excellent choice. I can't wait to see how the other makers respond....
 
Oh no! Not another gun!

All kidding aside, it looks quite nice. Does anyone have any firm ideas as to the price?
 
"Three, these are lightweight shotguns." Dave, I agree with the other two points you made, but the steel M87 I used to have was heavy. This gun appears to be nearly identical to it.
 
Anyone have a price to the dealer ammount yet?

The 37 was my first shotgun as my father is a lefty. One of my clients has always liked the 37 because it lays the empties at his feet, exactly where he wants to pick them up and put them in the sack to take back for reloading.

There is the 37 steel and the 37 featherweight. The featherweight, the one I had was 6.5 pounds with the slug barrel as I recall. And, it was just as tight a pattern with the slug barrel as with the long barrel... interesting.

I finally shot it to excessive wear and Ithaca could no longer ressurect it after many thousand shots and 40+ years of heavy shooting by Dad and I both.
 
An 870 and a 37 set up as close to identical as possible would show the 870 running 4-6 oz heavier, IMO. All else equal(Virtually impossible except in theory), the 37 would have about 6% more free recoil. Not a weighty matter, pun intended.
 
Any info yet?

Like a couple of other posters, am looking for a price and place to purchase this gun. Any luck on anyone else's part?
 
JHP and others, I was just quoted a price of $499 for the Homeland Security version of this. Guns R US does not have them in stock, the computer says they're in limited supply.

For comparison, the 870 Express variant with the two shot extension already installed is $299 at the same shop....
 
Usually the MSRP is about 90% higher than the actual retail cost. BUT, they will be overpriced at first for sure. You might have to wait for them to flood the market before the prices come down. They probably won't sell many at $499 when the 870 on the shelf right next to it is $299. Unless the buyer is a diehard Ithaca fan.

Or you can get a used one from a pawn shop or gun show and whack the barrel off. A lady at work pick up a super clean field model at a garage sale for $125, some people have all the luck.
 
I have always wanted an Ithaca Model 37, and this one may be just the ticket for an early 2002 purchase.
 
I just spent $275 for the Remington Dave mentioned and I just sent in the $25 Remington rebate. $250 versus $499, thats a no-brainer.
 
Too high

I don't expect many to fly off the shelf a $499 a pop, or even at the $425 or so for which they will probably eventually be "offered."
Thanks for the info!
 
I just bought a new Ithica yesterday. 24 inch modified shoke barrel, 10 shot *long* mag tube, 3 inch chamber, dark parkerizing, i could not pass it up.

It feels wierd with that long barrel and mag tube, like swinging an over and under.

I can't find it in any of my books. Does anyone know roughly when mine was made?
 
I got sucked in. I ordered one of these with synthetic furniture and ported barrel. I have always wanted an Ithaca Model 37 in this configuration. I called Ithaca about a month ago, and they told me that they had no plans to make these again. Things change...
 
I just picked up my Ithaca Model 37 Homeland Security shotgun today (synthetic furniture with ported barrel). While I have not yet had a chance to shoot it, the workmanship is clearly outstanding, and the action is the smoothest I;ve felt in a pump action.
 
I wonder if this model will allow "slam firing" like the original 37. (Holding the trigger and sliding the slide forward causes the hammer to fall.)

Steve
 
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