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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,186 Likes: 21
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 60,186 Likes: 21 |
Doc,
Hey, Mike McIntosh is one of my most-favorite gun writers!
Plus, he was a great guy. First met him almost 30 years ago, during a big weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, shortly after the launch of a new magazine named SHOOTING SPORTSMAN. I was another of the original staff writers, and we had a great time talking writing, guns and life, and shooting some Sporting Clays as well. I miss him, and while I have plenty of his writing on my shelves, miss reading more.
“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.” John Steinbeck
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6 |
Travis,
Find yourself an Ithaca 37 Ultralight in 20 gauge, one of the originals in 2 3/4", with a vent rib 25" barrel. Your small gauge fantasies will recede quickly. How about a pre-war, first year production 20 ga. with solid rib..? Bought it used, metal as you see it, wood pretty rough. Refinished wood, recut checkering, added the pad. DF
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,761
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,761 |
Travis,
Find yourself an Ithaca 37 Ultralight in 20 gauge, one of the originals in 2 3/4", with a vent rib 25" barrel. Your small gauge fantasies will recede quickly. How about a pre-war, first year production 20 ga. with solid rib..? Bought it used, metal as you see it, wood pretty rough. Refinished wood, recut checkering, added the pad. DF First Ithaca 37 with a solid rib I have ever seen....very nice...a classic for sure. Doc
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 17,101
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 17,101 |
If I can't kill it with 3.5 in BB'S from my SBE2 I don't need to shoot at it
The government plans these shootings by targeting kids from kindergarten that the government thinks they can control with drugs until the appropriate time--DerbyDude
Whatever. Tell the oompa loompa's hey for me. [/quote]. LtPPowell
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6 |
Travis,
Find yourself an Ithaca 37 Ultralight in 20 gauge, one of the originals in 2 3/4", with a vent rib 25" barrel. Your small gauge fantasies will recede quickly. How about a pre-war, first year production 20 ga. with solid rib..? Bought it used, metal as you see it, wood pretty rough. Refinished wood, recut checkering, added the pad. DF First Ithaca 37 with a solid rib I have ever seen....very nice...a classic for sure. Doc 37R Yeah, pretty rare. It has a Deluxe Polychoke. I figure that was a popular vintage set up and use it as is. The gun is very light. If I cut the Polychoke and install choke tubes, it wouldn't handle as well, would be too whippy. It's not too unlike shooting a 28 ga., just uses slightly larger shells. DF Edited to add, 1940 date of mfg.
Last edited by Dirtfarmer; 01/24/16.
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Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,891
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 3,891 |
DF. That's a really nice job on your m37.. I have my Dads 16 ga with the same type furniture on it. You're correct great guns.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6 |
I like the look of the checkered, small forearm handle.
I was surprised to find that the line per inch checkering was different, stock (20 lpi) vs. handle (18 lpi). I've heard that work was farmed out and whoever did that checkering, used different tools, different spacing, probably different people.
Those old guns were really well put together and are super slick. Ithaca fans seem to be looking for a cheap gun, tend to pride themselves on how cheap. That one cost me $255 from a major Houston dealer. Then, on the Shotgun World Ithaca forum, one member jumped all over me for altering the stock. Said he's been looking for a pre-war stock for years and I'd ruined this one. Oh well...
I explained my thinking. If this was an expensive collector, then I would have been more cautious. The wood was really beat up, so I did what I thought was needed to make it a shooter to suit me, no thought about the collector issue. I guess I can see it from his point of view.
Hard to get these guns for cheap, then act like they're high dollar trophies. From what I've learned about Lou Smith, the Ithaca founder, he would like to see his guns out in the field being used.
Philosophical disagreement...
DF
Last edited by Dirtfarmer; 01/26/16.
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,813
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,813 |
I think you did right by that shotgun. In America old cars get restored to better than new, while many think old firearms deserve nothing more than an oily rag rubdown.
laissez les bons temps rouler
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,805 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 17,805 Likes: 2 |
That is a beautiful Ithaca 37R.. I have had a couple, but all were 12 ga. When I was a kid that 37 in 16 ga. was the choice of many of my cousins.. I need to find a nice 37 to complete my collection of pump guns.. I really want an R probably in 12 to go with the others..
Travis, did you get a 28???
Molon Labe
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 18,005
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 18,005 |
Doc,
Hey, Mike McIntosh is one of my most-favorite gun writers!
Plus, he was a great guy. First met him almost 30 years ago, during a big weekend in Oxford, Mississippi, shortly after the launch of a new magazine named SHOOTING SPORTSMAN. I was another of the original staff writers, and we had a great time talking writing, guns and life, and shooting some Sporting Clays as well. I miss him, and while I have plenty of his writing on my shelves, miss reading more. I miss reading more of his stuff, too. Good to know you liked him. Shooting Sportsman has been a favorite of mine off & on for a lot of years.
"I'm gonna have to science the schit out of this." Mark Watney, Sol 59, Mars
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6 |
I think you did right by that shotgun. In America old cars get restored to better than new, while many think old firearms deserve nothing more than an oily rag rubdown. Thanks, I even changed the toe angle, using my Browning Superlight as the template. The Browning handled better for me than the Ithaca, so now the 37R is set up exactly like the Superlight. The Ithaca purist wasn't too happy about that, either. Oh well... Sorta bothered me that it bothered him. But, I really like this gun and the way it handles. Light, quick on target and mild recoil with low brass shells. Because it's so light, I used a Limbsaver pad. And, I sorta like the PolyChoke. Something different, very retro, a glimpse into the past. DF
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 555
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 555 |
I have a gun for you 28 gauge aficionados, how about buying my 1937 mfg, Winchester model 12 28 gauge field gun? It's absolutely beautiful, lightly used, not altered, an honest to God 28 gauge, not a fake. 6g's and its yours and you won't find another. No cutts.
Last edited by Alaskajim; 01/29/16.
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Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 115,424 Likes: 13
Campfire Sage
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OP
Campfire Sage
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 115,424 Likes: 13 |
That is a beautiful Ithaca 37R.. I have had a couple, but all were 12 ga. When I was a kid that 37 in 16 ga. was the choice of many of my cousins.. I need to find a nice 37 to complete my collection of pump guns.. I really want an R probably in 12 to go with the others..
Travis, did you get a 28??? Haven't even found one. Wife's birthday this month so I may have to get motivated. Travis
Trump being classless,tasteless and clueless as usual. Sorry, trump is a no tax payin pile of shiit. My young wife decided to play the field and had moved several dudes into my house
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,207
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,207 |
I bought a Franchi Renaissance o/u in 28 gauge. Love that shotgun for pheasants. 5 1/4 lbs, and death on pheasants. And not that expensive.
Good luck.
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Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 993
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 993 |
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Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,461
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,461 |
what are your opinions on this one?? it looks nice to me ....http://www.cabelas.com/product/DICKINSON-PLANTATION-SXS-SHTGN/1975147.uts
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Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 32,044 |
The shotgun on my bucket list is an Ithaca Model 37 in 28 ga with the corncob forend
A Doe walks out of the woods today and says, that is the last time I'm going to do that for Two Bucks.
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,024
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,024 |
I hunted pheasants this year with a guy who shot a 28 bore Bespoke shotgun of some sort of British lineage. He shot RST 1oz, # 7 1/2 shot pigeon loads traveling at about 1300fps. That 28 was an absolute HAMMER on pheasants, and was hotter than the 20ga loads I was using. I was shooting 1oz of #5's at about 1220 fps. We couldnt tell a damn bit of difference between the two. 28 bores rock!!!!
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,141 Likes: 4
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,141 Likes: 4 |
Folks, my 28 is in the Classifieds for sale. I'm cutting down on my sporting gear and after much gnashing of teeth and a period of rare pragmatic thinking, it drew the short straw.
It's a great gun; go take a look.
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 37,192 Likes: 6 |
Folks, my 28 is in the Classifieds for sale. I'm cutting down on my sporting gear and after much gnashing of teeth and a period of rare pragmatic thinking, it drew the short straw.
It's a great gun; go take a look.
Post a link, can't find it. DF
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