Howdy. This is my first post at TFL after lurking for the past month or so. Great board. Anyhow, yesterday on an impulse I picked up a used Ithaca 37 in 12 ga for $129. The gun has a ringtail forearm and checkering on the grip portion of the buttstock. Wood is walnut and the receiver has the usual engraving. The bbl. is 28", no rib, Poly-Choke. Condition overall is about 70%. This is my first Ithaca ever so I have some pretty basic questions. First, given a serial number 190xxx, what do I have and how old is it? Second, can anyone direct me to some disassembly instructions? Finally, are there any maladies that typically afflict Ithacas? Anything I need to look for during tear-down, cleaning or test-firing? Thanks in advance. I am very excited to find out all I can about this gun before pheasant season starts up.
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Ithaca neophyte needs info.
- Thread starter new guy
- Start date
No Ithaca experience here, but....
The 37 is a John M Browning design, and will last longer than any of us. The Ithaca company will send you a manual, they have a site,but I don't know the addy. My guess is it was made in the 50s or early 60s, but someone else should be able to give you an exact year. Good price, BTW.
The light weight and smooth action of the 37 makes it one outstanding upland gun. Back when that was made, the Poly choke and 37 were well nigh state of the art for upland gunning. And that Poly made the 37 just a little muzzle heavy, smoothing the swing and cutting kick a trifle. While the Polychoke has been edged out by tubes, it does work fine.
Mods and addons? Forcing cone work is usually a good idea,and adding a vent rib is nice IF you do some high volume shooting, like doves or clay games. Getting the stock fitting you and shooting where you're looking is a must.
Enjoy, you've got a great shotgun there...
The 37 is a John M Browning design, and will last longer than any of us. The Ithaca company will send you a manual, they have a site,but I don't know the addy. My guess is it was made in the 50s or early 60s, but someone else should be able to give you an exact year. Good price, BTW.
The light weight and smooth action of the 37 makes it one outstanding upland gun. Back when that was made, the Poly choke and 37 were well nigh state of the art for upland gunning. And that Poly made the 37 just a little muzzle heavy, smoothing the swing and cutting kick a trifle. While the Polychoke has been edged out by tubes, it does work fine.
Mods and addons? Forcing cone work is usually a good idea,and adding a vent rib is nice IF you do some high volume shooting, like doves or clay games. Getting the stock fitting you and shooting where you're looking is a must.
Enjoy, you've got a great shotgun there...
i would say early to mid 40's on age with a low number like that in the 6 digit range,in the early fiftys they broke the 7 digit mark ,u did well on the price!its a steal imho.having owned 4 i love them alot with the marching trigger for a fast second shot, for dissasembly make sure its unloaded action cocked safety on.now take the buttplate off and remove the stock screw.now the 2 screws and lock screws on the side of the reciever what hold the trgger group in. you should now be able to slide the trigger group straight out to the rear and up and out of the receiver.now the carrier rails just pinch and lift out,pinch towards the back,then magazine stop rails, pull the bolt back lift off the lock block then pull the bolt.reverse to reassmble. the only thing with these is NEVER OVERTITGHTEN THE BARREL NUT!!!!!!!!!
just finger titghen it down good then back off one klik,overtightening will cause this: it will double feed,it will bind up on trying to pump or clear.it will not eject. thats what overtightening does on the barrel nut cap,other than that its one of the best shotgund ever made in my book!!!!!!!!!
when slug shooting with it open the poly choke up to the max,ive had one loosen up once and seen another blow right off on someone........ http://www.ithacagun.com
[This message has been edited by old hawk (edited September 18, 2000).]
just finger titghen it down good then back off one klik,overtightening will cause this: it will double feed,it will bind up on trying to pump or clear.it will not eject. thats what overtightening does on the barrel nut cap,other than that its one of the best shotgund ever made in my book!!!!!!!!!
when slug shooting with it open the poly choke up to the max,ive had one loosen up once and seen another blow right off on someone........ http://www.ithacagun.com
[This message has been edited by old hawk (edited September 18, 2000).]
I can only mimic what Dave and old hawk have said. In my opinion, you have one of the finest pump shotguns ever made. It has remained virtually unchanged since the company recieved the patent for the Remington mdl.17, which the 37 is based on.
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Donnez-moi la liberté, ou donnez-moi la mort!
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Donnez-moi la liberté, ou donnez-moi la mort!
Badger Arms
New member
CONGRATULATIONS! I'll echo what the other's have said. I only take mine down once for a thorough cleaning and then only when needed thereafter. I take the barrel off and that's it as far as field stripping. The stock tends to split where it joins the receiver so watch for this. Ditto on the barrel nut tightening. One safety issue is to remember when you are cycling the gun to always remove your finger from the trigger. If you don't, the gun will fire when it's closed. This is an advantage for a defense shotgun, but could be deadly at the range.
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God made us in his own image.
Thomas Jefferson made us free.
John Browning made us equal.
Without Browning, we might not know about the other two...
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God made us in his own image.
Thomas Jefferson made us free.
John Browning made us equal.
Without Browning, we might not know about the other two...
Hi again. Thanks for the replies. The disassembly notes some of you posted complimented nicely the photos in a shotgun disassembly book I checked out from the library. And thank you for the heads up on the no-disconnector trigger system. As with any new operating system, caution will be my guide. I'm getting some replies that I have a fairly old Ithaca. That is just fine because if this 37 proves reliable and shoots well for me, it will replace my Mossberg 500. The Mossberg has been totally, utterly reliable in the 15 years I've had it. But with its cheap wood and rattle-trap forearm, the Mossie always left me cold. Does my Ithaca's age bring any penalties, though? I'm sure steel shot is out, is there anything else I should stay away from? Can the gun handle buckshot? Chamber is of course 2.75". Other than a thorough cleaning and inspection, as well as some range time, I am going to leave any mods until after pheasant season. Right now I am thinking recoil pad definitely, stock finish probably. I bought this as a shooter, but do I need to worry about messing with a piece some collector might cherish? Thanks again.
With a 70% finish and that Polychoke,it's more of a shooter than a collector. Steel shot or buck shouldn't hurt it as long as that Polychoke is opened to at least Modified. And 2 3/4" shells have killed tons of upland game. Leave the 3 inch stuff for turkey and waterfowl,and even there a shorter load might work fine.
My guess is,your 37 will handle anything you can, and work well for 90% of what a shotgun can do as is.
My guess is,your 37 will handle anything you can, and work well for 90% of what a shotgun can do as is.