Home Forums Birds & Dogs Shotguns Ithaca 37 20 gauge vent rib

I have stumbled upon a mint ithaca 37 with corncob fore end 28" vent rib barrel in 20 gauge. My question being were these produced like this or is it something that someone cobbled together. I have seen the vent rib before but not with the corncob forend. Thanks

Some of the newer ones in Ltd runs were put together like that .Colonial choke tubes, sunrise recoil pad? MM

This one is a 70s gun according to serial number. No recoil pad just a thin plastic wafer. Modified choke.

My brother has one with a 26" vent rib but it doesn't have the corncob for end. Now that you mention it I don't think I've ever noticed a ribbed gun with the corn cob forend until some showed up as mag man said.

Vent rib bbl could have added to std gun.

DF

Weren't the corn cob forearms from 50sand 60s? Not positive how late they went.

The factory did make them that way in the years after the checkered forearm and prior to the larger forearm with the long indentation on each side.


My favorite 20 gauge pump is an Ithaca 37R. We have several in the family......

I agree. I think the bigger forearm didn't come along until 70.

Ive seen corncob and rib on a '69, that my dumbazz shoulda bought, but didnt.

I found a first year, pre war with Deluxe Polychoke. Some hate the Polychoke, but you gotta see it as part of a vintage gun.

I refinished the wood, recut the checkering, added a pad. The lpi is different forearm than stock, which I thought was weird.

DF

Dirt farmer my dad's 16 is just like yours w/o poly choke. Nice job on the stock beautiful.

I got some flack over on the Shotgunworld site when I did that work. Some of the "purists" got all bent out of shape because I didn't keep the original pre-war stock as it was.

Actually, the metal was great, just as you see it. The wood was all beat up. I had less than $300 in the gun, so didn't think too much of doing whatever with that wood. To me it turned out fine and is a great little gun, a lot more enjoyable set up like this that the way I got it.

BTW, check out SGW, Ithaca forum. Walt Snyder is the moderator and is THE premiere Ithaca author and expert. His book on the 37 is a classic and answers any questions you may ever have on that gun. He is in posession of the original Ithaca factory records.

DF

Finest pump guns ever built.

It's hard to get a dissenting opinion when you "preaching to the choir"...

DF

To heck with the purists. I tru-oil refinished my early. 50's 20 gauge and 16 gauge. Waiting on the right 12 to come around and finish my triple threat.

Yeah, I like the way you think.

The purists can be pretty rigid and not too flexible.

DF

I have very fond memories of the gun that was the for runner of the model 37. The model 17 Remington. My dad was a bird hunter, and in the south that meant quail. He shot an L.C. Smith 16 ga, before I came along in 1950. But picked up his first Rem model 17 in a pawn shop shortly after I was born. He put the L.C. in the gun case, and never looked back. The Model 17 in ImpCyl with a solid rib became his bird gun. We always had dogs, usually a pointer and a setter, and during bird season they got a workout, and so did the little 17. As I got older I shot the L.C. with fair success, but never became the shot my dad was. I joined the Marine Corps in 1968, and was away from home for a few years. When I got out of the Marines and came home to Arkansas I just had to have a new Browning A5 Light 12 in of course ImpCyl. I was young and at the time the A5 was not all that heavy to me. I hunted with my dad as much as possible, and got pretty good with it. Every once in a while my dad would say, something about my 12 being too much gun for birds, or don't get your birds mixed in with mine, I want some meat to eat, not #8 shot. After years of use, dad found another Model 17 Full choke at a gun show and bought it. It was in much better condition than his "bird gun". Several years ago he gave me his first bird gun minus the ImpCyl barrel. I got the full barrel, and that was fine with me, as I had put the A5 Light 12 away in my gun case in favor of a model 59 Winchester ImpCyl. It was much lighter than the A5 and it was still a 12. Took me several more years to come around to shooting a 20 gauge. It was a little SKB 100 20ga Imp and Mod. and it is sweet. That was about the time that the quail population began to decline here in Arkansas. My dad is now 94 and I am 64, and I long to relive those days when my dad and I bird hunted together. My dad had and still has other guns, but only one that he still calls his bird gun, the model 17 Remington. For those who might not be familiar with the 17, it is a John M. Browning design, and is almost identical to the Ithaca 37. One advantage of the 17 over the 37 is that any 17 barrel will fit on any 17 receiver. Not all 37 barrels will fit on other Ithaca 37 receivers. One advantage the 37 has over the 17, is the fact that the 37 has two extractors, where the 17 has only one. The 17 and the older 37's are two of the slickest working actions of any pump gun that I have ever used. Good evening to all.

G2

Have a 16 ga 37R 28" full choke, used but as smooth as satin. Don't wanna mess with the choke, but I have a pile of early 60's Federal 16 ammo with no shot cups and use them for the first shot followed by newer stuff. Kill a lot of sharptails and pheasants with that 37R and my Sweet 16's. Hate to guess what it would cost for that kind of worksmanship these days. Magnum Man

Should be around a grand. Seen them for $980.

http://ithacagun.com/featherlight.php

Battue, I usually see your point of view and agree with it. Not this time back in 00 or 01 I got a e-mail from the New Ithaca gun company and was asked to take part in a "what do you want in guns from us survey" I replied a 16 ga with corncob(ringtailed forend), vent rib, screw in choke tubes , decent walnut, and a sunrise style recoil pad, as well as the fit and finish of the 50-60's guns. A month or two later they replied that they had tallied the survey results and were going to make a run of 16's. 400 would be Ltd Classics as described above and 200? would be Deluxes featuring the mid 70's style extended forend. You Had to put up a $150 deposit and send an FFL for shipment too your local dealer for 4473 work. They advised a 6 month time est. I reserved the #269 for myself and paid the deposit. True to there word about 6 mnths later I received notice the gun was soon to be shipped and I needed to remit the balance, I did and 2 wks later my local dealer called and said it was in. They did a great job nice wood and good execution of the work. The grip angle didn't come close to the originals, the choke tubes were Colonial brand which work fine but are not to be used with steel shot(disappointment and 1/2 right there). It shot well and I shot it well but I've shot so much with different shotguns that isn't a real problem for me, you know what I am talking about. But the gun did not even begin to compare worksmanship wise to the early and 50-60's guns I'm talking about like a 37R great polishing ,mirror blue, on the money wood to metal fit etc. To get a gun as well built today like my old 37R brand new you would IMHO have to spent $2-3K+ because of the hand finishing and TLC put into those old guns. 2 yrs later that LTD Classic went down the road to make someone else happy and I still have my 37R which makes me happy everytime I pick it up. Magnum Man

Someone can find a dash emblem from a vintage car and "clone" a complete vehicle around it from junkyard parts and new replacements and the resulting car will go for many thousands of dollars.

Someone can replace a missing pin from a firearm and the lords of value will instantly declare it to be not much more than a wall-hanger.

I never have understood.

MM,

We all can't always agree.

My experience with the new Ithaca 37 is limited to the 28Ga I bought last year. Functions as well as the 16Ga Lightweight I had at one time. Blueing seems nice enough, but I trashed it around a bit Grouse hunting last year and wore some of the new off.

Agree on the grip angle in that it does seem to have more of a curve to it than the originals. If I remember correctly the choke tubes are now made by Briley. Will have to look into that.

Can't say I've ever handled a 37R. The only ones I think I've seen were run of the mil 37s and this newer one at least to me seemed to be their equal.

Also had a new 16Ga in my hands and it was much heavier than the old 16 lightweight I once had.

In 1956, I was lucky enough to win a raffle drawing for an Ithaca 37 featherweight in 12 ga/28". Modified, plain barrel. I was in college and there wasn't enough money for guns or much ammo. I worked in a convenience store evenings. I mentioned to the boss that we had lots of calls for .22 and shot shells. Big stores kept sane hours and closed Sundays then. He lit up, and asked me if I could clear enough profit from sales to keep he and I in ammo. My standard order was for eight twenty box cases. Sell six and one for each of us. Standard mark up made the store a few cents on each box and he and I shot a lot of birds and rabbits.

My gun weighed 6 lb 4 oz. Unfortunately, along about 1961 it started dropping live ammo when the pump was operated. I couldn't fix it and neither could two "gunsmiths". The second reported to be a good smith, declared it worn out. It may have had 3000-4000 rounds through it. We had a raven roost on the farm and I shot them as long as I could take the recoil every trip. There were lots of quail and dove in those days. ,

I know where I can lay my hands on a minty, IC, vent rib, 20 ultra featherweight for a very reasonable price. Question, do the aluminum receivers hold up?

Best wishes,,

Jack

I am unaware of any aluminum receivers. The Ithaca 37 is light by being trim and having no excess metal, not by substituting lesser metal. I am thinking your original gun was nowhere near worn out, but that it simply had a timing issue. Most gunsmiths do not know how to time an Ithaca. It is a bit complicated since it loads and ejects through the same opening. I have a 20 gauge that is an early 70s gun. It just got out of the shop where the rib was repaired. My other 37 is a late '40s 16 gauge. My son like my Ithacas so much that he rounded up a 12 gauge.

Some of the receivers were aluminum and some of the new ones still are. They don't wear out all that easy.

http://www.ithacagun.com/featherlight.php

Note the comment on receivers.

The dropping of a live round out of the magazine is caused by incorrect tension of the bar that holds the live round in the magazine. Hard to get it just right, but a good smith should be able to do it or Ithaca themselves may be the best place to go in the first place. They will give the shotgun a complete going over and have it running like new fairly quickly.

Have 3 Ithaca 37's two 16's and a 12. Never had a problem with dropping live shells but from what the experts over on shotgun World say it is an easy fix. Simply replace the spring on the bar that Harry is talking about. You can get them from Ithaca and they are not expensive.

Well I guess I'll post something again at odds with what's been already posted. Back in the late 70's Ithaca made an "Ultra Featherweight" model of the 37 in 20ga. 26" VR barrel available in IC,Mod ,or full chokes. they had a high gloss finish on the wood and were equipped with the extension forend. The pistol grip had a Sid Bell(artist) engraved cap on it and the rec was aluminum and the whole gun weighed 4 lbs 15 ozs. Now before anyone tells me I'm full of s**t on this I know it's true because I had one. I bought it from Scheels in SFalls SD. Mine had a full choke ,so I didn't keep it long as well as the fact that 1 0z loads were painfull. Magnum Man

No doubt it is true, I've not owned, but have seen pics of the same. The engraved grip cap was a nice addition. Bell was quite popular around that time.

Magnum Man, I'm pretty sure that is what the one I'm talking about is. It is a twenty, I think marked as you describe, had a nice grip cap, and weighs about the same as a popcorn poot. Since I'm on blood thinners and bruise easily, I may not want it.

Thanks men,

Jack