Ithaca M-37. My 1st one.

Actually
I enjoy basket cases. If I knew all of the issues I could have gotten into much lower.

I'd rather buy a basket case and fix it up than a NIB one. I do get satisfaction from restoration. Anyone, including me at times, can buy one and go shoot it. When it has some of your sweat in it the use of it seems better.

I've never seen many used ones for sale, a small shop has 2 under 300 but I fet their condition did not warrant it. One has a nasty crack in the stock. I would have bought it if he had met in the middle. He's waiting for the guy who will not notice it.

I've been reading all I can about Ithaca's trench gun and the Winchester 97/12 trench and riot guns. Like the old model 70 and 12's if it looks like the big rare one you'd better have your own expert with you. Trench guns are going through the roof like one poster said. In about 1974 I bought a 99% Win M-12 Riot US flaming pot and all. It actually looked new. I know this one was acquired by a fella who worked in a gov armory, nuff said.

After the war and into the 90's folks were buying 1903's and surplus M-12's and other guns and immediately sporterized them. I looked for a full choke bbl for mine, did not find one.

I have found many civilian M-12's and for the last few years had been looking for a 20" bbl front half in CYL to put on my M-12 for late night duty. All I find are priced at complete Mod/Full choke guns.

At the gun show after this I found a 20" complete front half from 1916 or 17 and got into around $100. I fit it to my receiver and the first pump the fore end and nut pulled loose. I pulled the wood and found the action slide was split from stem to stern on top at the thinnest point. Years ago someone drilled holes in it and bradded them. They failed. I found a new one at Hoosier PArts and it is now a working "riot" gun.

I bought one of the new High Standard clone riot guns so now I have a collection of 2 isn't that a riot?

Just for grins I'm now looking for a used Ithaca M-37 bbl, a rough cheap one, to cut to 20". I guess this is how collecting sickness starts, get one, find a 2nd and now it has to run the full course and no relief until the fever breaks.

I know there is specific SN that is the beak point for factory fitting and fitting your own bbl. Mine is a 1976 Ithaca M 37. Most bbls from about 1970 up are of the new type manufacture for interchangability.

WatchDog, Engine 49, I know you guys love the pics, I will take pics of the bubba screws and the after with new Ithaca parts in place. Too late for a before on the bbl. If you can imagine a hot sweaty bubba hand with a little blood on it gripping the bbl above the fore end and the resulting rust blisters. Also imagine a gun that has never been oiled.

Bubba also was an amateur proctologist. He left his marks on the butt too, he had tightened the pad until it broke at both screws. I'm thinking limbsaver.

The stock on my M12 Win from 1925 was cut down and has a rubber slip on pad. It has 2 old cracks in the wrist they are old cracks and oil filled, no epoxy fix here, not even with whiting. I've been using it that way for several years. I redid the receiver and it is now blue black and the old stock is going. I found a NIB NOS Sile Walnut set on fleabay and bought it. If you were one of the 20 or so watching, it's gone.
Original? No, more pleasing to the eye? Yes. But then it too was a minor basket case.
 
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model70hunter said:
Actually
I know there is specific SN that is the beak point for factory fitting and fitting your own bbl. Mine is a 1976 Ithaca M 37. Most bbls from about 1970 up are of the new type manufacture for interchangability.
Click to expand...

After serial number 855000 barrels should interchange, IIRC.
 
jimmyj said:
I have owned two Ithaca Model 37 12 gauges.
1. Riots of 1968 I wanted a short barreled that I could carry back and forth to work (this was the beginning of 12-18 hour shifts) I purchased a Model 37 (Cheap) from a gunsmith and had him cut the 30 inch barrel to 18 inches. Testing it at the range I discovered that with #4 buckshot I could obtain a killing pattern on a B-27 Target at 100 yards !!!
A few months later one of the kids needed new school shoes, so I regrettable I sold it and kicked myself every since.

2. I had a High Standard 12 gauge Model ?? that came with an extended magazine (1976 ?) that a friend fell in love with for home defense. He traded me a new Ithaca Model 37 "Deerslayer"? 12 gauge that was AWESOME. Fool that I can be (most of the time)I traded it for a Remington Model 870 12 gauge.
Click to expand...

CORRECTION: while looking for my Winchester Model 97 I discovered a forgotten Ithaca Model 37 12 gauge #344611 28 inch barrel with a Poly Choke
 
bushmaster1313 said:
About this I will not be humble.
I am the fortunate owner of one of the finest examples of the Ithaca Model 37 on the planet.
First year Ithaca 37T trap gun, Serial No. 813:

DSC_0135_zpsxysmzjnq.jpg


That can't be the original butt pad, looks too good to be pushin' 80. Pretty shotgun, my 1949 37S 16ga Skeet wouldn't mind it's company in the safe.
Click to expand...
 
jimmyj said:
CORRECTION: while looking for my Winchester Model 97 I discovered a forgotten Ithaca Model 37 12 gauge #344611 28 inch barrel with a Poly Choke
Click to expand...

The SN is too low. I see Ithaca bbls on ebay starting at $100. Might be a good place to sell it, or even here if someone had an older one that wanted to make a riot gun.
 
CZU said:
bushmaster1313 said:
About this I will not be humble.
I am the fortunate owner of one of the finest examples of the Ithaca Model 37 on the planet.
First year Ithaca 37T trap gun, Serial No. 813:

DSC_0135_zpsxysmzjnq.jpg


That can't be the original butt pad, looks too good to be pushin' 80. Pretty shotgun, my 1949 37S 16ga Skeet wouldn't mind it's company in the safe.
Click to expand...

It is a new old stock pad expertly fitted by Frank Valone at Sycamore Hill Designs. He is a gun stock and Ithaca expert and I had it sent from the Gunbroker seller directly to Frank to give it a stock and function check. He said the old pad was crumbling away and needed to be replaced. All I did to wood finish was to rub in a little raw walnut oil. Walnut oil looks good, and if there is any left over you can put it on your salad.

Note, Frank Conley, author of The American Single Barrel Trap Gun, was careful in his book to avoid pictures of recoil pads. They are sort of like tires on a classic car. Which would you rather on your 1962 Shelby Cobra, the original rubber or a new set of Goodyears.
Click to expand...
 
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On the subject of barrels I would mention that another great feature of the Model 37 is its quick release barrel.

On the down side the mag tube cannot be extended on the 37 like it can be on the 870, also no top folding stock was ever offered that is similar to the Remington 870's ...at least none that I am aware of ...




Aftermarket Ithaca 37 side folding stocks are out there but are few and far between.
 
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In the past 4 or 5 years I have fulfilled my longstanding lust for a M37 by buying a 1942-vintage 16 and a 1952 12. I had always thought the post-war ringed forearm was the original type until I encountered the beautifully checkered wood on the 16. Both (at different times) on consignment at the same local shop. I forget which was which, but paid $200 for one and $250 for the other.

You will enjoy your rescue project, I am sure.
 
The Ithaca model 37 made a wonderful combat shotgun. I carried a 13" barrel version (made in-house by the NYPD) when assigned Bronx Central Robbery (we went after heavily armed robbery teams). Both the 13" and 20" versions we used had open rifle sights. The 20" had a full sling and the 13" had a safety strap covering the operating handle to keep officers hands away from the muzzle of the short barrel. I put slugs in mine.

Rich



Our unit used Ruger Mini-14s also.
 
RichCapeCod said:
The Ithaca model 37 made a wonderful combat shotgun. I carried a 13" barrel version (made in-house by the NYPD) when assigned Bronx Central Robbery (we went after heavily armed robbery teams). Both the 13" and 20" versions we used had open rifle sights. The 20" had a full sling and the 13" had a safety strap covering the operating handle to keep officers hands away from the muzzle of the short barrel. I put slugs in mine.

Rich



Our unit used Ruger Mini-14s also.
Click to expand...

I would expect that letting loose with 12 ga. slugs from a 13" barrel in the confined quarters of a concrete structure such as a public housing project would be quite dramatic.
 
Rich, nice pics, thanks. I remember when it was the thing to smoke a pipe, have a mustache and grow a head of dark hair over a flat stomach. Whut happened to us? :)

Slugs may be a definitive stopper. I know what they do to deer and many PH's in Africa used slugs and or double aught buck to follow up wounded big cats into cover.

Now if I had a big cat with a bank bag, a firearm of any size and malice aforethought in my face I think that 13' shotgun or "shortgun" would be the one I'd pick.
 
bushmaster1313 said:
I would expect that letting loose with 12 ga. slugs from a 13" barrel in the confined quarters of a concrete structure such as a public housing project would be quite dramatic.
Click to expand...

Well, in point of fact most of our "hostile" encounters took place either on the street or in and around a business. The only time I came close to really using my model 37 was when my two partners and I arrested four armed robbers who made the mistake of trying to take down a bank while we were just around the corner. Timing is everything.

Rich
 
The Ithaca M37 Featherweight is a very reliable Shotgun and is excellent for either right or left handed shooters since it ejects from the bottom. The only real negative I can think of is that because of the somewhat narrow stock, perceived recoil is sort of stiff with Buckshot and slugs.

If you get a hold of an older model, you MUST be very careful and cognizant of the fact that if you operate the pump while the trigger is squeezed, the gun will fite and continue to do so until you either run out of ammo, stop pumping or release the trigger. Ithaca DID make a replacement part that did disconnect the trigger so this could not happen, but I do not know if they are still available.

That said, it is a well built, reliable pump gun that is relatively compact.
 
Back in 1969, fresh out of the Army I wanted to go deer hunting with my uncle. Now you need to know that growng up in our house the only gun I was ever exposed to was an old model 27 winchester SS .22. Dad didn't hunt as he only had one eye as the result of a childhood accident. He wanted to, but he also knew he couldn't see well. (side note...after 6 tries he got into the Army in '43 by memorizing the eye chart, lasted 27 days at ft. Dix)
Anyhow, after my military exposure to firearms, I was hooked and wanted to hunt some deer. NY state at the time only allowed shotguns in the southern portion of the state, so a shotgun was in order. I bought a brand new model 37 featherlight in 12 ga for the princely sum of $109.00, about two weeks wages. It took three years but I did score my first deer with that gun. Hunted with that gun for many years, until I moved to the north country, where rifles were the go to option. I've had 30-30's, (prefer Marlins), 308's, even an old Marlin 38.55 since but that 12 ga was the winner. Hold it tight and recoil wasn't too bad, and it was accurate out to about 75 yards with Brenneke's.
Alas the old Deerslayer is gone but was replaced by my uncles 1957 model 37 in 16 ga , which now resides with my oldest son in MD. Rather spend time with my handguns and old Savage 99's now.
Good luck with your 37, and show us some pics of the restore
 
Ithaca 37 Question

Wasn`t this pump a Browning design ? Is the current BPS a (somewhat) faithful repro ? Thanks, John
 
much ado said:
Wasn`t this pump a Browning design ? Is the current BPS a (somewhat) faithful repro ? Thanks, John
Click to expand...

Yes he did design the 20 gauge M-17 and sell it to REM. It was the basis for the Rem 31, Ithaca 37 and the Browning BPS per the following link. It is wiki, accuracy is probably close.

I think they may mean M 10 Rem, not the 31.

But there a few good REM collectors who can get to the bottom of this.

I have to appoligize as the only old Remingtons I touched was when I moved them to get a better look at an old M-12 Win. :o

With that said I would like to find one of the ball bearing action ones, cheap.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Model_17
 
Texas Star said:
It was worth restoring.

But avoid armadillos. They can carry leprosy. Really.
Click to expand...

I hear you about the possum on the half shell. I've read that. Thanks for being my straight man.

Leprosy? I'd bet Bubba would come apart at the seams if he saw the Ithaca now. :rolleyes:
 
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