Ithaca 37 [Archive] - M4Carbine.net Forums

JTR

10-22-08, 17:45

Anyone own an Ithaca M37?

Interested in picking one up to add to the collection. Already have a few 870s and Mossberg. Just looking for soething different.

Talked to a few different gunsmiths, all seem to love the ole 37.

Your thoughts?

tiger seven

10-22-08, 18:23

I have one. I like it very much. I was drawn to the design because I'm a left-handed shooter, and I liked the bottom eject. I'm glad I bought it when I did (mid-1990s) because I haven't seen many of them for sale over the years. It's a great gun: lightweight, smooth as can be, and very reliable. Mine is an ex-PD riot gun.

I will now tease you with a picture. :)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y82/zulu15/Ithaca_37.jpg

I think that if you can track one down, you'll definitely thank yourself for adding it to your collection. Good luck!

Derek

JTR

10-23-08, 01:11

Aaaahhhhhh.

I am jealous.

I'd love to have a gun just like that.

The M37s without the hunting scene roll marked on the side are tougher to find, especially inexpensively... and I'm a cheap bastard.

Been thinking of pickin up an ole farm gun for just a few bucks, having the barrel cut and maybe even welding in those roll marks and having the receiver ground flat again then Parkerizing.

LSK

10-23-08, 08:56

I had a 37M&P thirty years ago. It was well made and handled very well. It did require the removal of the butt stock to remove the bolt. The 870 was much easier to maintain and more defensive accessories were available.

tiger seven

10-23-08, 09:13

The M37s without the hunting scene roll marked on the side are tougher to find...

The place I bought this from handles a lot of PD trade-ins, and this was part of a lot of about twenty parkerized M37 riot guns they got. It was one of only two that didn't have the "dogs & pheasants" on the side. Looking back, I wish I'd bought both of them.

Derek

TOrrock

10-23-08, 10:41

Growing up watching "Tour of Duty" in the 80's made me want one really bad.

:cool:

Medicine Calf

10-23-08, 11:41

I love the 37. Not that anyone here is going to hold the trigger and start pumping right?

tiger seven

10-23-08, 13:55

Not that anyone here is going to hold the trigger and start pumping right?

Never again! :eek:

Derek

mtk

10-23-08, 16:33

I love the 37. Not that anyone here is going to hold the trigger and start pumping right?

Only if properly motivated. :D Of course, that only works on the old ones.

I'm also a lefty and I bought an Ithaca 37 about a year ago myself, which I turned into an SBS via a Form 1. Now it's 13.5" of tactical-stocked, slam-fire goodness. I even tracked down a Williams "Big Head" safety (lefty) for it.

Much like any NFA toy, it is very popular with anyone I've ever shown it. :cool:

There's always a good reason to buy a new gun. ;)

Medicine Calf

10-23-08, 19:08

Aw hells bells, now I want one for myself.

water4545

10-23-08, 20:17

Utilized this weapon in several CQB's over the years. Never had a problem. My duty weapon of choice for that period of time.

Hersh

10-23-08, 22:01

Yeah I have one in the safe. Mine has a vent rib barrel, the "dog & pheasant" scenes on the receiver and it has put many a dove in the crockpot!

JTR

10-24-08, 01:00

...I bought an Ithaca 37 about a year ago myself, which I turned into an SBS via a Form 1. Now it's 13.5"...
Tease.

Do post a pic.

sjc3081

10-24-08, 08:34

I have a 1963 Deerslayer, its shoots 3" 100 yard groups with cheap Win 2/3 1oz slugs.

Falboy

10-24-08, 08:36

Templar, you must be about my age......I loved that show. Zeke was the Man!!

mtk

10-24-08, 10:50

Tease.

Do post a pic.

I don't have a place to post them, unless this site allows photo uploads to the server.

I've got pics of it, just no place to put them.

TOrrock

10-24-08, 16:49

I don't have a place to post them, unless this site allows photo uploads to the server.

I've got pics of it, just no place to put them.

You can get a free account on www.photobucket.net which is what the majority of us use, it's free if you don't have a ton of stuff on it, and it's very simple to use.

If you want, you can email me timorrock at yahoo.com and I'll post them.

JTR

10-24-08, 17:26

I don't have a place to post them, unless this site allows photo uploads to the server.

I've got pics of it, just no place to put them.
You can just e-mail em to me too and I can upload them.

ch139ATnetscape.net just change the AT to @

mtk

10-25-08, 21:14

I'll either email them out or get my ass in gear and get a photobucket account in the next few days.

Scattergun

10-26-08, 16:14

I have 3 M37s, great guns..

mtk

10-27-08, 20:08

I didn't forget you guys; I just can't find my jump drive with the pics on it at the moment. :o

mtk

10-29-08, 19:23

I emailed out a few pics of my Ithaca 37 SBS to the two folks who offered to post them for me. Hopefully they'll be posted here fairly soon.

TOrrock

10-29-08, 21:02

I emailed out a few pics of my Ithaca 37 SBS to the two folks who offered to post them for me. Hopefully they'll be posted here fairly soon.

Here you go....I'll let you give the description mtk.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Ithaca/Ithaca37SBS.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/Tim_Orrock/Ithaca/P1200005.jpg

mtk

10-29-08, 21:38

I included two photos: one of the finished SBS (you'll have to excuse the debris-covered benchtop) and one of the barrel in the condition in which I bought it. That brass on the barrel is the reason I only paid $73 for the shotgun in the first place. The barrel was damaged, below 18", and had been cut and brazed back together again. It was 25.5" long when I bought it and had a visible "dog-leg" in the barrel at the repair point when you looked down the tube. Since I was planning an SBS the whole time, it was the perfect donor shotgun for my plans.

The stock and foregrip are both from Choate. The front bead is a Trijicon tritium bead mounted on a threaded base I got from Brownell's, which was attached to the barrel by the "new" Ithaca when I had them check over the rest of the action. It's also got a William's "Big Head" left-handed safety in it. Barrel length ended up being 13.5" and it no longer has a choke.

Thanks much for posting the photos for me.

marty

07-14-09, 13:44

Has anyone purchased a new 37 lately from the reincarnated Ithaca gun company?

tiger seven

07-14-09, 13:58

Has anyone purchased a new 37 lately from the reincarnated Ithaca gun company?

I've been interested in seeing one of those myself, to see how it compares to the older Ithacas, but I haven't come across one yet. I've asked a few dealers and no one has seen one yet.

On an unrelated note, I'm selling mine very soon, the one in the pic on the first page. I just need to decide on a final price. Anyone can feel free to PM or email me if interested.

Derek

krm375

11-20-12, 09:27

any more news on the old Ithaca? I am looking at getting one for dual purpose. Home defense, with a longer barrel for hunting.

Noodles

11-20-12, 15:56

Way to necro post!

IMO, the ithica design is completely obsolete for the reason that the best part of a shotgun is the ability to quickly swap ammo, the 37 doesn't have a great option for ammo changeovers compared to say an 870. And with the chamber being mostly inaccessible; clearing malfunctions is not as easy as an 870 or Benelli where the chamber is right there.

I'd only use an ithica style gun if I could only carry/use one ammo and was very exclusively left handed and for some reason could not have a left handed 870.

krm375

11-20-12, 20:39

PA PATRIOT

11-20-12, 23:02

The current production Savage Model 350 is heavily based on if not a exact copy of the Ithaca Model 37 shotgun. The one I own (Center Photo) has about 850rds fired and we like it so much two more will be added in the near future.

http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/stevens350pump

Current price ranges from $169.99 to $199.99 depending on configuration and your shopping location.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/savagefiles/firearms/models/900/ZkjHGLo70_30A3OCxGe.png

https://s3.amazonaws.com/savagefiles/firearms/models/900/ZkjHGLo70_BYkHMdwQt.png

https://s3.amazonaws.com/savagefiles/firearms/models/900/ZkjHGLo70_OAcscDez8.png

Noodles

11-21-12, 13:13

I have a Benelli M1 S90 for the reasons listed above, but for a simple hunting gun, birdshot, or home defense ,buckshot, only gun I don't believe the Ithaca is obsolete at all.

Malfunction clearing and not having access to an open chamber. I would not consider a shotgun without these features for anything other than range use or bird/small game hunting where I was at zero personal risk.

I can't see a reason to go with the Ithica design over the 870 design. Even for a left handed user. IMO, it's just obsolete. Not shitting on it's age, I think the KSG is only a range toy for the same issues.

PT Doc

11-21-12, 19:32

My father had a tank platoon with 2/34th Armor in Viet Nam in 66-67. He kept a cut down Ithaca 37 on each of his tanks. He said that for repelling boarders, there was nothing better.

Spooky130

11-22-12, 10:29

Malfunction clearing and not having access to an open chamber. I would not consider a shotgun without these features for anything other than range use or bird/small game hunting where I was at zero personal risk.

I can't see a reason to go with the Ithica design over the 870 design. Even for a left handed user. IMO, it's just obsolete. Not shitting on it's age, I think the KSG is only a range toy for the same issues.

That is funny! I was reading a gun rag recently and they went into detail about why the bottom loader-ejector was a bad idea. First very intense, negative review of the KSG I've seen.

I have to say I am slightly influenced by the Vietnam era books about the use of Ithaca 37s but, as you said, they used only one type of round (#4 buck shot) that worked well in the close range jungle fight. I think modern shotgun techniques have made the 37 more or less obsolete. That and the fact any and every gadget is made for the 870, the gun and parts are widely available and relatively cheap.

I won't kid you though - if I found a reasonable costing riot gun 37 I would probably pick one up for giggles.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

PA PATRIOT

11-23-12, 00:06

I won't kid you though - if I found a reasonable costing riot gun 37 I would probably pick one up for giggles.

Don't think they are going to get any cheaper then the $169.99 to 199.99 range for a NIB version. Now Used they may come in much cheaper but I have never seen a used Model-37's in a shop for the past 10 years.

Their owners tend to hang on to them.

As for the design itself being reliable time will only tell but my Savage version of the Model-37 has been flawless and will be closing in on 1000rds fired shortly.

Ed L.

11-24-12, 11:53

Ithacas do have limitations when compared to a Remington 870, but they are still old, quaint guns and still usable, though far from optimal.

I came across a used Police model in very good shape. I checked the serial number and discovered that it was manufactured in 1969. It has the markings of the Portland PD on it in various places. I love the old style wood and the fact that I saw the gun in countless movies & TV shows growing up.

Here is the Ithaca next to my Remington 870:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/myithaca.jpg

Here is the Ithaca from the movie LA confidential:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/Laconfidential.jpg

From the TV show Adam 12:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/adam12.jpg

From Dirty Harry:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/dirtyharry.jpg

From the Sopranos:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/sopranos.jpg

And from the movie We Own The Night:

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m115/edagain/weownthenight1.jpg