Ithaca 37 Featherlight shotgun

[rchall]

I own an Ithaca Featherlight 16 gauge shotgun that I bought with grass
cutting money back in the early 70's. Never really paid much attention to the serial number on it as it is a hunting gun and not a collector. Would like to know if anyone has any info. on the manufacturing dates on these? The number I found on it is 461275. It has the small corncob forearm and the checkered pistol grip. If anyone ever made a gun that is easy to carry all day long the 37 is it. Thanks!

 

[butchd]

Do a Google on Shotgunworld. There is a forum dedicated to Ithaca, among virtually all others. You can find what you want there. It is important in the case of your gun. I'm no expert but I think that 37s before the mid 500 thousands require gunsmithing to install a different bbl. They are not like some guns that all interchange bbls regardless of dating. You own a great gun IMO.

 

[rchall]

Thanks butchd! I will do that.

 

[jhvaughan2]

I love my S&Ws and my Marlins but my Ithaca 37 will be the last firearm I sell. It has just put too much food on the table, and can protect the home front too.

I second the comment about all day. Those featherlights really are much easier on your arms during an all-day hunt than (almost?) any other shotgun.

(Ooooh, wouldn't a 16 be sweet!?)

 

[bobf]

There is a pdf file with the s/n & years info. I can't get a link to work to the file. I've tried everything I can think of to make it work. This is a real round-about way of doing it but try this.

Go to the url below and go down to the 6th item and click on it; MODELS, SERIAL NUMBERS AND MANUFACTURING DATES

http--www.ithacagun.com-pdfs-serialnumbers.pdf - MetaCrawler

You can save a copy of the pdf when you get to it. If all this doesn't work let me know I'll send the pdf to you.
Bob

 

[chief38]

I had an Ithaca M37 and sold it about 15 years ago when I bought my Browning Superposed and Browning A-5. I quickly regretted selling it, and always wanted to get another one. When my dad passed away in March, I was going through his stuff and guess what.........there was an Ithaca M37 Featherlight with the Deer Slayer Barrel on it. They are great shotguns and the model I just got makes a super "house gun". They especially lend themselves to left handed shooters because they eject from the bottom. I will NOT be selling this one!

Chief38

 

[sw44spl]

sounds like it maybe from the early 1960s.I almost bought a 37 featherweight 20ga in feb. like you said man it didnt weigh anything you could carry it all day..

 

[beach elvis]

I have a '49 vintage 12 ga. 37 that was given to me by a true bud.
It took more pheasant and rabbit before I was born than I could in a lifetime and it shows. Every scratch and patina are a story. The action is like a greased piece of glass.

When I got it, I called Ithaca to find a DOB and they put an old fella on the phone who'd been there for 40 years. He said he was probably the one who did the final hand-fitting on my gun and asked me how I liked the action. I told him that it was dreamlike from all the years of use.

He then told me, with more than a little passion, that "No, son. That gun's action was like that when it left here. I did every one of 'em like it was gonna be my own. We wanted Remington and Winchester to think of us as untouchable and I think we did it. I know we sure tried."

What an unexpected look into a time when getting it right mattered to a man more than his paycheck. I felt very fortunate for the conversation with this gentleman and I made sure he knew it.

 

[jagen heie]

like they say. they dont make em like they used to. can be good with modern machining and the like but some times nothing beats the hard work and love from a truly great craftsman

 

[bishopm14]

Sweet guns. Production would be about 1952. I've got a 16 gauge 455xxx and a 12 gauge 519xxx. IIRC "the chart" says they're '52 and '53 vintage.
Take one apart and you'll easily see why Ithaca went in and out of bankruptcy and has changed owners several times, you can't build something the way the 37 was and compete in a world of 870s and 500s.

 

[David LaPell]

I inherited my uncle's Ithaca 37 Deluxe Deerslayer in 16 gauge almost ten years ago now and I have taken just about everything with it, deer, grouse, coyotes etc. It does everything. Let me dig through my Ithaca book and see what I can find for serial numbers.

Last years haul with the Deerslayer.

According to Walter Snyder's book The Ithaca Featherlight Repeaters, your gun was made in 1952.

 

[MarineSgtjimh]

I have my Dads Model 37 that he bought new in 55. We were in England at the time (USAF) and had to get permission to buy the gun and more permission to return it to the States. Did you know that this is a Browning design? Enjoy this fine shotgun.

 

[zercool]

1952, according to the charts over at Diamond Gunsmithing - The owner used to work in the Ithaca factory and is still located in Ithaca, NY.

 

[beach elvis]

For safety's sake, I thought I'd better mention to the OP that-

In case you weren't aware, 37's of that vintage were made without the trigger disconnect. This means that it can be slam-fired, meaning that following your shot: if you hold the trigger back while racking the action, the gun will automatically fire again when the bolt goes fully forward.

The ones from the '70's onward (I believe that time's correct, anyway) DID leave the factory with the trigger disconnect.

Like I said, just mentioning that in case you weren't aware so as to avoid a rude and possibly hazardous surprise.

 

[feralmerril]

I have this unfired ithica supream skeet in 20 gauge. I bought it new in 1985. I bought it because it was a heck of a deal and I got it for half price. It still has a gold paper sticker on the stock. Just never got around to playing with it and now I hesitate to break it in!

 

[mes227]

I own an Ithaca Featherlight 16 gauge shotgun that I bought with grass
cutting money back in the early 70's. Never really paid much attention to the serial number on it as it is a hunting gun and not a collector. Would like to know if anyone has any info. on the manufacturing dates on these? The number I found on it is 461275. It has the small corncob forearm and the checkered pistol grip. If anyone ever made a gun that is easy to carry all day long the 37 is it. Thanks!

I got my M37 16 ga when I was in high school in the early 1970s. It's still with me and still shoots great! It's brought home a lot of pheasant and quail, and a few chukars. Now it stands by the front door to keep the coyotes at bay. Mine is SN 270xxx and is circa 1949.

 

[bwickens]

I own an Ithaca Featherlight 16 gauge shotgun that I bought with grass
cutting money back in the early 70's. Never really paid much attention to the serial number on it as it is a hunting gun and not a collector. Would like to know if anyone has any info. on the manufacturing dates on these? The number I found on it is 461275. It has the small corncob forearm and the checkered pistol grip. If anyone ever made a gun that is easy to carry all day long the 37 is it. Thanks!

I had one like yours, 28" modified choke plain barrel. You could carry it all day and it was lightning fast coming up to your shoulder. Trouble was, I mostly used it to shoot sporting clays and it was too fast, I'd overswing the target. Sold it and a bunch of other guns to buy a Browning Citori Lightning. The M37 went to a guy who had 37s in all the other gauges and needed a 16 to complete the family. Glad I sold it before I did something dumb like shorten the barrel to make a deer gun out of it, the vintage was old enough to rule out barrel interchangebility.

 

[Texas Star]

I got my M37 16 ga when I was in high school in the early 1970s. It's still with me and still shoots great! It's brought home a lot of pheasant and quail, and a few chukars. Now it stands by the front door to keep the coyotes at bay. Mine is SN 270xxx and is circa 1949.

What size shot do you use on coyotes? Or, slugs? At what maximum range do you shoot them?

 

[NKJ nut]

I consider the Ithaca Model 37 to be the very best pump action shotgun. The things will last pretty much forever and they are lightweight.

I only have a couple of these fine shotguns. One of which I can't find a pic of. Here is the other. A 13" bbl. Stakeout