Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Stolen 1933 Ithaca shotgun recovered.....owner sought

Really? When did the Feds and ATF stop collecting "records?" It is not legal for them to maintain records now...

If there is a record of it being stolen there should be a record of the owner.

Thefts and Sales are two different things. Most people know this.you musta been sick that day

You did not read the part about missing local records?

Look under the butt pad and see if anyone put their name in there. Worked for a family member who put an old hunting license in his and was recovered.

Given the value of this very rare beautiful piece, coupled with the fact that Nashville is the location, one should consider that some country singer is or was the owner.

Bob

For the Saturday crowd. Y'all share this far and wide and let's see if we can help locate the owner/family.

Should keep this at the top.

Did the original owner send it via USPS?

When my father bought his new Ithaca Model 37 16 gauge in Nashville in 1948, he was reqiured to register it with the police depatrtment. Probably some sort of city ordinance, but the idea that there was no "registration" before the ATF came along is pretty much a myth. It's not uncommon for old theft reports to be trashed after a few years. I've got a Ruger Secutity Six .357 that's been bouncing around on the stolen gun market since 1990, and there's no record of the police report I filed at the time it was taken.

Heirs.

What a valuable piece of history. Amazing that it wasn't cut down into a sawed-off at some point.

Contact Walt Snyder, North Carolina. He’s written several books about Ithaca shotguns, has the original New York factory records.

He posts on the Shotgunworld site

I’ll drop this link over there.

DF

Here's the link to SGW, "I Love my Ithaca" forum.

Lot of Ithaca fans over there. Maybe Walt will see it and respond.

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/stollen-early-ithaca-28-ga.569647/

SGW is a neat site for shotgun lovers. In fact, I started over there when I ended up with Major Charles Askins personal Superposed. Those guys were great help.

I found this site from a reference over there.

DF

Thank you for posting the link over there! I really hope it finds its way back home.

My start over on SGW back in 2007, which eventually led me over here.

I don't post much over there any more, am more of a rifle guy, prefer this site.

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/ithaca-20-ga-37-r-1940-first-year-rib-gun.121976/

https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/1933-superposed.124719/

The Browning one is sorta long, but at least to me, interesting info on the Askins clan.

A hard core Ithaca type was critical of me altering an early M-37, 20 ga stock. But, the wood was pretty rough and I didn't like the original shape. I liked my Superlight, Superposed stock more. So, this one now has more of that profile.

I had gotten the gun for $255 from a major dealer, Collectors Firearms in Houston, so to me it wasn't a collector, just a shooter. Oh well, you can't please everyone.

DF

We're already getting some info.

Check out the Gunsinternational link where it sold.

Lots of good pictures and info.

DF

This is cool.




P

First off, I hope the firearm is returned to the rightful owner or heir. A quick google search of the detective named in the article shows that he appears to be the real deal. Well recognized in the state of TN for his property crimes prosecution and recovery work.

Second, this incident has me shaking my head. The four most important details in any transaction are WHO, WHAT, WHEN and WHERE. It boggles my mind that our government is able to maintain the WHAT-An Ithica shotgun with s/n xxxxx. WHEN-1972. WHERE-Nashville. But not the WHO it was stolen from. Why maintain any form of stolen firearm database if the intent is not to return the firearm to the rightful owner? Yes, I read the part about "archives not maintained." But somehow they managed to maintain three of the four "W's". Why not the fourth? Curious...

I looked over there but I can't find what you referenced. Admittedly, I have trouble navigating their site sometimes. Can you post the link? And thank you for taking interest in this.