Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ithaca 37 and waterfowl loads

My son is getting his grandfather's old Ithaca 37 in 12 gauge for Christmas. I am thinking it may make him a nice waterfowl rig once I get the safety switched over to lefthand for him. If we have the choke opened up to improved cylinder for decoyed ducks, will it handle steel shot or would we need to run bismuth or hevi shot out of it?

It is a classic old gun and I may have to pack my Model 12 for a retro duck hunt with him.

Simply opening the choke isn't all that's required to make it compatible for steel shot. You'll need to also have the forcing cone lengthened.

you might consider cutting off the barrel (say to 26") then having it threaded for screw-in chokes. might also consider keeping grandpa's gun "as is" for posterities sake and get the kids a rem 870 express (new or used). odds are it will accept screw-in chokes.

Bad idea. Thin wall chokes, like Trulock, don't require the barrel to be shortened. In fact, shortening the barrel may make it a LESS viable candidate for interchangeable choke retrofitting.

Back in the day I had Simmons Gun Specialties in Olathe KS do some work for me. Any shotgun smiths anyone would recommend for this kind of work? He's got a modern shotgun he can use, but I really want him packing this old Ithaca some as well.

Just found out Simmons is still in business. I'll check with them to see what they can do on this. Might post some before and after pics.

hey bricktop - love that avatar! is that a mug shot you found somewhere on the web?

The Smoking Gun.

Simmons is a first-rate outfit, however, for the kind of money they charge, you might be better off getting a steel-compatible barrel instead. (Model 37s with serial numbers higher than 855000 use interchangeable barrels.)

I agree with you. The newly manufactured barrels with choke tubes should be good to go.

Muncher, I have an inkling of what your up to with that gun and I would say leave the original gun the way it is and get a second barrel to handle the steelshot. If that can be done...
If not keep that 37 as is and buy an old rem. express for the mud, muck and ducks. That 37 has your family history behind it and it will do fantastic on pheasants, quail, turkeys and doves. I love those old Ithacas, it's a really neat design. When your son's grandfather purchased that shotgun, we probably didn't have the steel laws that we do now, but I wouldn't change the firearm to make it fit our current waterfowl laws. It still has plenty of upland work to dish out and will never revert to a 'closet queen'.
I remember a place in that spring hill area, called 'Spring Hill Meats'. Don't know if they are still open or not. Just an old butcher shop. But if they are and you can get one of their tri-tips rolled in their special dry rub (doesn't cost any extra) that will be bbq heaven on earth, I can promise that.
lnf

I am with the leave the choke alone crowd and you don't need another barrel either. Buy some new bismuth or Kent Tungsten Matrix ammo. Yeah $2-4 a pop, but they do perform well and teach skybusting restraint. I use this ammo in my magnum field grade Browning Superposed choked fuller and fuller(.686" both barrels) when I want to go retro on waterfowl.Ducks over decoys ,use 1 1/4 oz of 6,4 in the bismuth or 1 1/4 oz of 5's in the Kent Tungsten Matrix. Pick up a box(10 rds) of the Kent in the 1 3/8 oz of 1's or 3's if geese are a possibility. No nothing is inexpensive any more... Magnum_Man

Probably the best idea yet. A new 870 Express will cost little more than a new barrel for the Ithaca. (They run about $229 every day at the discount retailers.) Used will be even less. Since waterfowl hunting also means hard duty for a gun, I wouldn't be inclined to use a gun with sentimental value.

Random thoughts for whatever they are worth. I would vote with not doing anything to alter Grandpa's gun. Also, don't I remember ads from Ithaca back when steel was first being foisted upon us that said something to the effect that everyone else is rushing to produce barrels that will stand up to steel, but we don't have to because our roto-forged barrels could do so all along? My memory is old and could possibly be playing one of its many tricks on me.

I am another vote for not making any changes in the way the old Ithaca is set up. If you're worried about the barrel, shoot the (expensive) soft non-toxics. For volumn waterfowl, get another gun.

The model 37 is a great design, but it's sweet handling qualities depend on that design being left intact.

However, that ol' Ithaca can be made into something special, too.

I also inherited a Model 37, which I wrote about here...

http://fishingnhunting.blogspot.com/2009/11/dads-ol-ithaca.html

They're a great shotgun!

I would personally not mess up a vintage Model 37 just to go shoot ducks in some swamp. Like the guys said, an 870 can be had for a lot less money, and well who cares about those? Benilli makes a very nice pump gun for duck shooting and then some. I myself just got back into duck and fowl shooting and been shooting a Vinci. There are plenty of shotguns made for the purpose, ie steel and what have you. Or you could just go down to Argentina and shoot all the ducks you want with lead shot, they don't buy the Lead Poison BS down there. Its a tough call, you want you son to hunt with gramp's shotgun.

use heavi-shot classic doubles load....safe in old guns, kills like lightning

I use it in LC Smith and old Belgian Brownings.

I have an older model 37, when steel first came out I had it reamed out to improved cylinder, been using it for pheasant with lead and steel in it for ducks ever since with no problems at all. I few years ago I lucked into a 20 gauge featherlight, I bought a spare barrel and had it reamed out to a skeet choke and use it with steel for ducks over decoys, it also has worked well. About the only worry is making sure the smith centers the reamer properly and doesn't ream it off center.

You can pick up a spare barrel for model 37's for around a hundred bucks, pretty easy to have it reamed and have the original setup and one for ducks.