Stopped by Cabelas last night on my way home from work out of town. Snagged a "Coast to Coast Model 367H" 12ga 3" 28" full choke for $140(Savage Model 30 Series H I believe). No serial on the gun and it has the cheesy Savage pressed checkering on the stock, that should date it to 66 or 67 if I'm correct(maybe one of the experts could confirm this for me ). I probably should have sprung the extra $60 for the used, slightly abused, but still very serviceable Ithaca 37(12, 2 3/4" 28, full) sitting right next to it...but that wouldn't have matched my 99e.

I'll get some pics up tomorrow after I clean it, I have important squirrel matters to attend to now.

I agree Cowboy Tim, you should have picked up the 37, if they were about equal in condition.

Yeah, I would have gone with the $200 Ithaca too if what I was searching for was a good pump gun because I needed one and not looking to fill a hole in a Savage collection.

Did not all Savages of that period have the "lever boss code" (inspectors date code) stamped somewhere on them, not just 99's?

Yep, should have a date code on the barrel, may not be legible tho.

30/67/77s are no Ithacas, for sure....but they work. Like all Savages; you don't really buy them for "pretty".

(The gubmint Savage shotguns in Vietnam worked as well as the 37s, IMO).

Took her out and tested her for function this afternoon. lined up a bunch of milk jugs and bleach bottles...boom boom boom boom, seamed to throw a nice tight pattern and cycled and fed perfectly. Three of the Ithacas(there were 4 of them) were a bit more abused looking than the Savage I bought, the other was a Modified choke, and I was really set on a full...

Went to clean the shotgun today and the slide release wasn't working right. Dropped it off at my local smith to have him look it over. Would've been a 5 hour round trip to take it to Cabelas and have them do it. Probably nothing major, and if it is, I'll just take it back and let them deal with it...comes with a 30 day "function" guarantee....

Up here there is a dealer who holds them Ithaca 37s in no high regards. I've picked up a number for $100 or less. Them Ithaca shotguns, they breed faster than Savages if you leave them alone in your gun safes.



Them little sub-gauges are more prolific than the big guns. Just a word of warning!

I know what you mean about those 37's. I picked up a beater 16 ga circa 1953 last year for a winter project. It cleaned up nice and is a dream to carry. I'm always looking for more now, but nothing that struck my fancy yet. There is one 12 ga magnum I know of for sale, but the fellow selling must not really want to sell because he won't budge on price which I feel is a bit high. It is all in the hunt anyway.