Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Ithaca m 37

Just picked up an ithaca model-37 featherlight in 20ga. It has a full choke and was made in 1972 according to the serial number. It has been fired but is in almost new condition. I always wanted a 20ga and always liked the ithaca with their bottom ejection. About how much are these worth. I paid $300. I hope I did no over pay. Was the quality of these guns considered good at the time it was made?

You did well. Wonderful gun. You also deserve credit for being one of the minority who can spell Ithaca.

In nearly new condition, I think you made a good deal. They are well-made and a joy to carry in the field. The barrel metal is typically too thin to have regular screw-in chokes installed but a choke maker like Colonial Arms may be able to install their thin-wall choke system if the full choke doesn't work for your hunting needs.

It came with a full choke barrel and I will probably leave it as is. I have a rem 870 with several barrels and screw in chokes so no need to mess with things. Thank you both for the info.

A great solution when a full choke is not required such as bird hunting. These work very well for me: http://polywad.com/spredr-shells.html

First year production 37R, metal was as you see it, wood was rough. I paid $225, refinished the wood, recut the checkering, added the pad.

It came with a Deluxe Poly-Choke, vintage for the times.

DF

Great job redoing the wood. It really came out nice

In even just good condition you did well in near new you did excellent IMHO You bought a fine gun for the cost of a new Mossberg or 870 express. Before I get flamed I have had Mossbergs and currently have a express. They are good guns but not in the class of a m37.

I was chastised on Shotgunworld, Ithaca Forum, for changing the shape of a pre-war stock. I did reshape the comb a bit.

My reply was, gimme a break, I have $225 in the gun. If it had been a "valuable" gun, I could sympathize with your position.

This guy had been hunting for a vintage pre-war 20 ga. stock, and here was one refinished and altered from original by me. I guess I understood his angst.

DF

The important thing is that the gun is the way YOU like it and that is all that matters.

You will love this shotgun. I bet you buy another one too.

IMR

thats a terrific price on an almost new 20g Iffica. Congrats.

I hope you enjoy it.

Be aware the Iffica has a big drop to comb, 1 1/2" if I remember correctly from measuring my two.

Sometimes that makes it fit better to shoot but sometimes not.. So dont panic if your accuracy changes. It may just be a fit issue from maker to maker and comb drop.

I dont shoot my Winchesters or Remingtons as well as I shoot steep comb drop shotguns like my Ifficas, i never gave it much thot, until I bought one and shot it.

I love them.

Enjoy.

When I first saw that Ithaca I thought the stock looked a little different. I actually thought it was too short. But like any long gun I always shoulder it before I buy. Although I have not fired it yet it felt really good on my shoulder. My eyes lined up perfectly with both beads. Just nead to get some live rounds as I do not have any 20 gauge on hand.

There are other good bird guns, but none better. You did very well in buying a high-quality gun that fits you, it's a bargain at twice the price.

Dirtfarmer, altering a stock just makes you a shotgunner. Collectors may like them virgin, but a shotgunner adjusts stocks like riflemen adjust sights, and for the same reason.

Great point and so true.

I even changed the angle of the pad, thinking the Ithaca factory toe in wasn't right for me. I really like my Browning Superlight bird gun, so now this Ithaca has an identical butt plate/recoil pad angle.

DF

Love my 2 Ithaca's. You didn't get hurt on the price.

Paid $150 for this 20 guage from early 50's, wood had a slip on recoil pad that made the finish completely dark under it, the other wood was bleached out, so I refinished and added a recoil pad. Have killed a lot of doves with it, and a handful of pheasants and even quail. It too has a full choke, but it seems to hit where I point, so I've left it alone. Have thought about sending to Les Hovencamp and having an improved cylder barrel fitted to it, but have a hard time spending more on a barrel than I did on the gun.



My 16 guage, modified choke-

Beautiful, Cheesy.

Real nice.

The affection Ithaca owners have for their guns is legendary. And, for good reason.

Has anyone handled the new Ohio M-37's? They seem pretty nice, although pricey compared to the older ones.

With so many used M-37's on the market, it seem to me the new ones, costing several times the price of a used one, may be slow sellers. Or, those may cause the price of used ones to rise.

DF

I have not handled any of the new M-37s although I always see lots of used one's around. And like you say you can find nice used one's at a much lower price than the new production one's. Mine seems really nice so no need to pay a lot more and besides I have always loved old hunting guns with a story behind them.

They make a 28ga on a small 28ga frame. Something not available in the originals and a really nice carry. Have used it on both Grouse and Pheasants. Glad they are still around when it comes to parts and service.

Handled a new 28 and 20 at a shop in Casper, Wyoming a month ago. First new ones in my hands ever. The 28 was sweet, but not for my wallet at $900ish. The 20 was heavier than my early 50s version, I'm sure the barrel was heavier for tubes, and thinking it had a rib as well. Still nice.

i picked up a20 gauge, with vr, mod choke for $350

love it

especially for quail

Me, too.

Check this link for an old gun with a story.

http://www.shotgunworld.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=124719

DF

That's the one I'm interested in.

I really like the 28 ga., have a Merkel O/U.

DF

Back in the 80's I bought a ultra Featherlite M37 20 gauge with full choke for my father.
He never fired it. Just before he died he gave it back to me. I can't decide what to do with it.
I still hunt with an A5 Belgian Browning that I have hunted with since 1970.
Maybe when I get to old to carry the Browning I will hunt with the Ithaca?
It suprises me that they are not worth more.

Vintage Ithaca M37s are arguable the best of the pump action game guns. I prefer the earlier ones with corn cob fore arms and hand checkered butt stocks.

IMO, $300 is a fair price for the gun you described. Like others have mentioned, M37s are oddly undervalued.

I hunted with a 16 gauge 37 for a season a long time ago unfortunately it did not belong to me but it was sweet. I wonder why there is not more demand for them myself , they are beautifully engineered and nice and light.

Thanks everybody for sharing your experiences with the m-37 with me. It really seems like a well made gun for the money I paid. I agree that they are undervalued. Bye the way it works. I cycled some rounds through it and the action felt really good. For a second I thought it did not work because I did not see the shell come out of the side. Then I remembered it is bottom ejection. Silly me. I fired one shot in my back yard and it felt fine. I can not wait to get the ithaca out to the trap and sleet range in the spring.

When I first got my M37, it would cycle target loads very slick. However, short mags would hang up in the chamber. Dunno if this was an issue with 20ga models but it seems that other owners of 12 gauges experienced sticky chambers and posted their experiences on Shotgunworld.com.

The fix was to polish the chamber.

Something to be aware of if you plan on shooting heavy loads.

I have two Model 12 12ga guns and a 16ga model 37. I am in awe of the Ithaca's design and workmanship. Take a model 12 apart to get years of crud out of it and then a model 37 and you will be an Ithaca fan for life!!! Don't get me wrong, I like the M12 but there is far less to wear out on an Ithaca!!!

I've been in touch with the new guys a couple of times and they've been very helpful with answers to my questions. My 37 is from the early 60's and falls just short of the vintage that will accept interchangeable barrels. The cost of converting and adding a new barrel is too close to the price of a new gun for me. A nearby gunsmith will put flush tubes in for about $200 and I've seen the job he did on a thin-barreled double, so I trust his skill. I don't do much shotgunning these days, so this one's a ways down on the to-do list. Mine's a 28" plain modified 12 ga. and points and balances really well for me, possibly as well as my late, lamented A5 Light 12 (don't ask).

The guy I bought my 37 from had a fancy 28ga. custom built by the new company for Arkansas quail hunting. It's a real beauty, but had a few glitches at first. The company was still working things out at that time, but they took care of everything and he's a happy camper now and dearly loves his toy.

Mine has the checkered stock, but a fluted, uncheckered forend. I too prefer the corncob, but the rest of the gun was really nice so I had to get it. I paid a bit more than average, but the bluing is very nice and the wood pristeen.

I think the steel cap on the forends is a really nice touch and keeps them from getting dinged up. The machining on these things is amazing, especially when you consider the price. The new ones are a bit pricey, but a worthwhile investment for the guy who wants tubes and 3" capability. The number of nice, old ones available at low prices must make life tough for the present makers. Another issue is their lack of much of a dealer network. I have yet to see one in a shop.

The featherlite barrels can be cut for flush chokes. Had it done on my 800,000 vintage 20ga. Colonials I think. No issues.

Just thought I would post an update.
A couple of weeks ago I took this gun out and patterned it. At 25yards I fired one round using Federal 20 gauge 7 1/2 shot off the bench. The pattern appeared slightly bell shaped. I heard this is normal in shot gun patterns. The pattern was about 20" wide and I counted over 30 pellets in the 3" bullseye.
Sunday I headed out to the nearby trap and skeet range to try her out. My only real concern was the full choke. Based on what I have read on other shot gun threads I was worried it would be to tight.
Well I did better than I thought. This was the first time I shot trap this year and the first time out with the Ithaca.
I have always been a rifle and hand gun guy so shot gun shooting is new to me.
I was doing a decent job of busting those clay targets so that full choke did not seem to be a problem. I did not even notice the recoil since I am used to a 12 gauge.
Could not shoot skeet since the skeet clay target thrower was down.