Ithaca or Browning shotgun??

T

twoblink

New member
I generally don't purchase anything without reading every bit of lit on it, and doing some research for at least 6-12 months. (Anal huh?) Well, I'm thinking in about a year, I will want a shotgun, which means the research shall begin!!

OK, I'm left handed. So that means bottom eject only.

So I've narrowed it down to two makers:

Ithaca, and Browning BPS's. http://www.ithacagun.com/ http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/firearms/bps/bps.htm

All of Ithaca's shotguns are bottom eject. I have a friend up in Oregon that has had one for 11 years, loves it to death, I've not gotten a chance to shoot it, but 11 years and some 400+ ducks later is a good testiment.

I know nothing of the brownings.

Are both great guns? Anything special I should know about them? Anything horrible I should know also?

Are the Ithaca's worth the extra money?

Albert

[This message has been edited by twoblink (edited August 16, 2000).]
 
Wrong forum, but here goes....

First, the Ithaca 37 and its variants, are John M Browning designs,and classics. For one of these, 11 years and 400 ducks is just geetting broken in.

I've little experience with either one you mention, but have heard little bad about either. JMB designed no trash.

Which one to get depends on mission and personal preferences.The Ithaca runs lighter, a mixed blessing for some shotgun activities,
and the Browning's 3 1/2" chamber is overkill unless you absolutely HAVE to shoot big geese far away.

There's another option for southpaws. Remington makes a left handed 870. Another classic JMB design, with tons of aftermarket stuff, dependabile and durable...
 
(Eloquent post lost due to boffing up password.)

Twoblink, I am with you, the BPS in 12 ga 3" with a 28" invector barrel is what I think i am going to get next. It will handle geese, turkey, and slugs for deer.

Let me know what you end up with, I may be swayed by how well you like your choice...

Gfrey
 
I am a southpaw also, and I have been shooting a Remington 870 Express for the past 10 years that is made for right handers. I personally have no trouble with the right hand eject since it ejects almost straight out. Another is resale, just because the shotgun costs more to buy than normal does not mean it will sell for more if you get rid of it. I personally am not a fan of a bottom eject unless you are saving the spent shells and are planning on hunting from a boat. One of my uncles' bought a Browning BPS 10 gauge, he likes to show off and is built like a tank, for the purpose of saving the shells while duck hunting. If you are firmly set on one of the two, I would go with the Browning BPS in synthetic. I have two buddies, one of which owns a Ithaca and the other owns a BPS. I have shot both and prfer the Browning to the Ithaca, but that is just personal prference. I say go with your gut and buy what you know you will be happy with, if you have any second thoughts wait until you have none about one particular shotgun.
 
I'll take a look at the Remington's.

But from what I gather you all are saying, neither is a bad gun right?

I just think that when my friend's been hunting for 30+ years, and all he's armed with is a Glock and an Ithaca, (he's down to those two guns, from some 50+ at one time) that tells me something, first about the Glocks, and second about the Ithaca's.

I generally like synthetic better than wood, but we'll see.

Thanks for the help. Sorry, but I have to have a bottom eject, I am not going to spend $500 just to get welts on the right arm (that's what a girlfriend is for!!) ;)

Any other shotgun suggestions are welcome.

Albert
 
I too am a southpaw and am a big fan of the Ithaca. My main bird gun has been the venerable Remington mdl. 17 for over 25 years. This is the forerunner of the 37. All the guns that have been mentioned are fine and you can't go wrong with any of them. It is a personal choice!

------------------
Donnez-moi la liberté, ou donnez-moi la mort!
 
I think Frenchy and I will chime in on ANY Ithaca message. The Browning is also a sound design. There are more Ithaca's out there and you surely won't go wrong with one. I do believe that cost for new guns is about the same. I would suggest you NOT GO WITH THE REMINGTON and here's why. If you buy the Lefty, you will end up with a gun that almost cannot be sold. Lefties are VERY difficult to get rid of and, even though you may never get rid of it, it won't be very useful for people who borrow it or family members who inherit it.

If I am correct, the action of the BPS differs from the Ithaca in that it has two slide bars for operating the action rather than one as in the Ithaca. It almost looks as if the internals will interchange. The trigger syster is different also, but I do believe it will not 'slam-fire' as the Ithaca's do. This should make it more appropriate for field work.
 
Twoblink, this is a Win/Win situation. Both of those shotguns are excellent from all reports.

If I were planning on lots of upland hunting I'd go with the Ithaca for the weight, waterfowl might mean the BPS,and either, with a short bbl, for HD.
 
One item that may or may not make a difference is the safety. An Ithaca has a crossbolt safety while the Browning has a tang safety.
Here's another vote against the 870. Barrels for the left hand version are almost inpossible to find.
 
It is me again. I was wondering if you had any trouble with rounds actually hitting you when ejecting from a right handed shotgun? I have put so many rounds through my right handed Remington that the breech opens when you hold the gun vertical and push the slide release button, and I have NEVER been hit by empties. I am not pushing the Remington in particular, but there are inexpensive right handed pumps out there and being left handed should not discourage you from them.
 
Of course I thought of that, and so I tried my friend's Remington, and ejected 7 loads. 5 out of 7 hit my arm, and I'm talking about the primer/brass rear portion of the load. Sooo, had then been hot, I seriously doubt it would feel good on the right arm. It's one thing if there are no alternatives, but if there's bottom eject, why not?

Albert
 
The only thing wrong with Bottom Eject guns is that you have to load rounds in the Magazine before you chamber them. Many like the option -- especially during Trap or Skeet -- of just dropping a round in the side and chambering it. No big deal for me though.
 
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