Ithaca Model 37 question
- Thread starter stagpanther
- Start date
Stag,
Your friend has a classic on his hands. I have one similar to that without the scope mount (thankfully). I would have expected that all four screws were drilled all the way through. This should do nothing to hamper the strength of that action. As for the ability to slam fire, your friend just needs to know to release the trigger when pumping the action. I have slam fired mine before but it was really just a novelty to see how fast I can cycle the action.
Find some ammo and some birds and get that old gun back in the field. Your friend will not be disappointed.
Your friend has a classic on his hands. I have one similar to that without the scope mount (thankfully). I would have expected that all four screws were drilled all the way through. This should do nothing to hamper the strength of that action. As for the ability to slam fire, your friend just needs to know to release the trigger when pumping the action. I have slam fired mine before but it was really just a novelty to see how fast I can cycle the action.
Find some ammo and some birds and get that old gun back in the field. Your friend will not be disappointed.
Agree. I've been loading for my 16g 37 with brass hulls. I can shoot a box for less than half of what a box of 16g costs. The price of 16g is still really high. like double 20g and 12g.
stagpanther
New member
Just to update--my friend originally got this thinking it would be a trainer for his young grandchildren. I gave him "both sides of the equation" and he decided instead to give it to an older cousin.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Ithaca 37s were used by the military during World War II... just not in combat (their primary combat use would come during the Vietnam War).
The military took tends of thousands of pump and semi-auto shotguns of all stripes to be used as part of the training regime for aerial gunners.
The military took tends of thousands of pump and semi-auto shotguns of all stripes to be used as part of the training regime for aerial gunners.
tango1niner
New member
The recoil pad on that particular Ithaca may have been added later but it appears to be a genuine "Ithaca Starburst" recoil pad.
Contrary to what others have said I say you would be hard pressed to find a pump as slick as an Ithaca Model 37, but that is my opinion.
If that Ithaca is in fact made in 1947 and has a serial number below 855,000 the barrels are NOT interchangeable. While older barrels can possibly be fit to it by a competent gunsmith newer ones cannot.
Older barrels were threaded and while newer barrels appear to be threaded to the casual observer, they are not. They have annular grooves which look like threads but are not as they have no lead angle.
Contrary to what others have said I say you would be hard pressed to find a pump as slick as an Ithaca Model 37, but that is my opinion.
If that Ithaca is in fact made in 1947 and has a serial number below 855,000 the barrels are NOT interchangeable. While older barrels can possibly be fit to it by a competent gunsmith newer ones cannot.
Older barrels were threaded and while newer barrels appear to be threaded to the casual observer, they are not. They have annular grooves which look like threads but are not as they have no lead angle.
bamaranger
New member
barrel/choke
Just for grins, I'd be curious to know how the gun is choked. If the barrel is indeed 26" from breech face to muzzle, I'd be surprised it is FULL choke as somebody has suggested. On older guns like that, a true 26" bbl was often IC. Close the action, drop a dowel down the barrel till it contacts the breech face and mark the dowel, then measure. Factory lengths should be 26, 28 and30". I'm thinking that 26" FULL choke barrels came along much later. I bought a Rem 870 26" FULL 12ga 3" mag barrel in 1980. It was the first I'd ever heard of in that configuration from any maker, and I had to that one direct from Remington. A 28" could be either FULL or MOD, and a 30" should be FULL.
It could be that somebody lopped a few inches off a longer barrel and it is marked FULL, but actually now has NO choke and is actually CYLINDER. Since the gun has been modified to mount a scope, it makes me think it could have been shortened to make a slug gun.
Just for grins, I'd be curious to know how the gun is choked. If the barrel is indeed 26" from breech face to muzzle, I'd be surprised it is FULL choke as somebody has suggested. On older guns like that, a true 26" bbl was often IC. Close the action, drop a dowel down the barrel till it contacts the breech face and mark the dowel, then measure. Factory lengths should be 26, 28 and30". I'm thinking that 26" FULL choke barrels came along much later. I bought a Rem 870 26" FULL 12ga 3" mag barrel in 1980. It was the first I'd ever heard of in that configuration from any maker, and I had to that one direct from Remington. A 28" could be either FULL or MOD, and a 30" should be FULL.
It could be that somebody lopped a few inches off a longer barrel and it is marked FULL, but actually now has NO choke and is actually CYLINDER. Since the gun has been modified to mount a scope, it makes me think it could have been shortened to make a slug gun.