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I just picked up a 37 in 16 ga for a decent price. It has a full choke. I’m obviously going to pattern it to see how it shoots but my question is, how difficult or expensive would it be to have the barrel choked to modified or ic? Or would it be better to have it threaded for interchangeable tubes? It would be my primary pheasant gun. Just looking for options if it patterns undesirable.

Thanks


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Send it to Briley and have them put thin-walls in. Last I checked cost was in the ballpark of $175 for threading and one choke.


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I always wanted a 16 gauge M37 and stumbled across one recently that is a bit of an odd configuration. A 1938 S in full choke. I honestly didn't know what I had until I got home, just knew it was a 16 with a vent rib and the price seemed fair. I'm a big fan of more open chokes and almost passed because of the full choke. Seems odd someone would order a skeet gun in full but I think likely they just wanted the vent rib and I don't think they made the trap version in 16 gauge. Downside is the stock has been cut down to 13" with a pad. I've got a slip on pad on it temporarily to get it back close to standard but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.

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That's an interesting configuration as you say.

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Originally Posted by JSH
I always wanted a 16 gauge M37 and stumbled across one recently that is a bit of an odd configuration. A 1938 S in full choke. I honestly didn't know what I had until I got home, just knew it was a 16 with a vent rib and the price seemed fair. I'm a big fan of more open chokes and almost passed because of the full choke. Seems odd someone would order a skeet gun in full but I think likely they just wanted the vent rib and I don't think they made the trap version in 16 gauge. Downside is the stock has been cut down to 13" with a pad. I've got a slip on pad on it temporarily to get it back close to standard but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.


The 37S or 37 Skeet was a model rather than specifically a skeet gun. They were available in all the common chokings. Mine is a 26” IC.


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Originally Posted by mart

The 37S or 37 Skeet was a model rather than specifically a skeet gun. They were available in all the common chokings. Mine is a 26” IC.

Understood. So were the S and T versions the only way to get a vent rib at that time? Yours is really nice looking, mine looks to have been carried a bit more with some bluing loss on the receiver along with stock and forearm wear. No worries as I didn't buy it to collect. I may refinish the stock at some point since it is no longer original anyway and it has some nice grain. Cool guns.

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I’m not real well versed in the 37 history but I believe that is true. I don’t think the vent rib was offered in the early years except on the S and T models. I’ll dig out my Ithaca book and see what it says.


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A little 37 history from Snyder’s Ithaca book. Looks like the 37S and 37T were offered with the vent rib. In 1940 they made the 37R which had a solid rib. In 1957 the 37S was dropped from the line up. In 1964 they dropped the 37T. The author says that in 1964 the Featherlight models are offered with a vent rib. So I would garner from that information the 37T was the only vent rib model from 1957 to 1964. The 37R was the solid rib. The book doesn’t say when it was dropped.

I sure wouldn’t be afraid of that 37S full choke. Briley can tube it for you or open up the existing choke. I have to say that my 26 inch IC makes a lively upland gun and no slouch on the skeet fields. I shoot it as well as my Beretta O/Us. I think Ithaca will restock it for you if you’d like a longer stock.

Last edited by mart; 11/24/21.

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Packed mine a couple weeks ago I’m Montana, didn’t get much action as my time was spent filling buck and antelope tags, 2 shots, 2 pheasant…. Was a pleasure to carry for sure…
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Very nice! I started looking for a clean one several years ago and they seem to be far and few between.

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I got lucky, 10gaugemag turned me onto this one, bout perfect 4 bills. Damn nice scattergun


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Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable
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Not to derail the thread, but the talk of chokes made me wonder: I haven't heard the old "a modified choke in 12 will accept a dime". Is it still valid? Was it ever? I ask because we had an interesting experience regarding it.

Last edited by 5sdad; 12/06/21. Reason: idiot mistake

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It was a dime. No way a quarter would go down any 12 bore. The rule of thumb was if a dime wouldn’t enter the muzzle of a 12 gauge, it was a full choke or tighter.

In reality it wasn’t quite that simple. While generally true, choke is measured by the amount of constriction from the bore diameter to the final choke diameter. So it is possible to have a slightly undersized bore with only enough constriction to be considered a modified choke and still not have a dime enter.


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Originally Posted by mart
It was a dime. No way a quarter would go down any 12 bore. The rule of thumb was if a dime wouldn’t enter the muzzle of a 12 gauge, it was a full choke or tighter.

In reality it wasn’t quite that simple. While generally true, choke is measured by the amount of constriction from the bore diameter to the final choke diameter. So it is possible to have a slightly undersized bore with only enough constriction to be considered a modified choke and still not have a dime enter.


Thank you. I corrected it now. I know damn good and well it is a dime, but my aged brain decided to short out.

Last edited by 5sdad; 12/06/21.

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Originally Posted by WiFowler
I own a handful of Ithaca 37s. Really like the 16ga. One 16ga is a solid rib version, the other vent rib. Haven's shot the VR model as I've been dragging my feet with a needed stock repair.


I could really like the 16 ga if they ever made it with the English stock in the Featherlight model; did they? But a big obstacle for me, a lefty, is the plunger safety that has to be pushed off from the right side. And I don’t know if that one is reversible.

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Ithaca made an English Ultra Featherweight in 12 and 20 I know. I am not sure if they made it in 16. They do offer English stocks for their 37s and I expect they would restock a gun for you.


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About a year ago, you could get a new 16ga 37 that was running $1600....customish gun.

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Originally Posted by George_De_Vries_3rd
Originally Posted by WiFowler
I own a handful of Ithaca 37s. Really like the 16ga. One 16ga is a solid rib version, the other vent rib. Haven's shot the VR model as I've been dragging my feet with a needed stock repair.


I could really like the 16 ga if they ever made it with the English stock in the Featherlight model; did they? But a big obstacle for me, a lefty, is the plunger safety that has to be pushed off from the right side. And I don’t know if that one is reversible.


The 37 safety can be reversed. RH-LH, LH-RH. Don't believe the trigger group of the Featherlight is any different from the others. My most recent Mod 37 acquisition (a 16ga VR, with a p*ss poor job of reattaching the broken toe) had the safety configured for a LH shooter. Pretty simple to change it over for a RH shooter, which I did.

As to whether Ithaca ever made a 16ga Featherlight with an English stock - can't help you there.


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Thanks. Good to know.

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I've always had a soft spot for this shotgun. I cut my teeth on a 16-ga M37, solid rib, improved cylinder, ringtail forearm. Quail, dove, rabbit, squirrel...and more quail. smile If you're a reloader (or a lefty) the bottom ejection is a godsend. And unlike a Sweet 16, it's light enough to not stretch your arms as you chase bird dogs all morning long.


"An archer sees how far he can be from a target and still hit it, a bowhunter sees how close he can get before he shoots." It is certainly easy to use that same line of thinking with firearms. -- Unknown
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