Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Ithaca m 37

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.