[10Glocks]

The first gun I ever owned for my very own was a Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight Deluxe 12 ga with a 26" ventilated rib barrel and fixed improve cylinder choke. I must have gotten it sometime between 1978 and 1980. Like a fool, I sold in the early 90s to buy something "cooler" and shortly regretted it. I've since picked up a few newer Ithaca Model 37s, including guns made in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. As great as those guns are, they just didn't make up for the loss of my first Ithaca. I'll never get that exact gun back. But I recently found one, a 1975 production gun that is exaclty the same as the one I gave up back in the 90s. In fact, it's in better shape that the one I sold. It looks like it was scarcely used. Even the recoil pad shows no signs of dry rot and is still rubbery after all these year. I couldn't pass it up.

 

[PaulMooney]

Was my first shotgun as well, luckily it still sits in my safe. Nice find

 

[Waffletop]

Similar story for me with my Winchester Super X Model One, I sold it and regretted it for years, eventually I found one just like it and I am whole again.

 

[10Glocks]

Thanks, I was lucky. This one is actually nicer than the one I sold, though I wish I still had my original. When I first saw this shotgun in a picutre I thought it might have been the actual one I sold. The wave in the stock grain on this gun was like the one I had on my original. But my shotgun had a nice dent in the barrel rib. I was waiting for my grandad to pick me up for a hunt and I had the shotgun in a case leaning against a post on the porch and it tipped over and hit the edge of the porch just right to leave a dent in the rib. Years later I got brave enough to take a screw driver and lift the dent out, but you could still see it. The rib on this gun has no such dent.

 

[HILL COUNTRY SHOOTER]

the Ithaca 37's are great shotguns, I have 4

 

[TRAILS-END]

I had one in in 16 ga and always regret selling it. They are great shotguns. Yours is a beauty.

 

[Trip 444's]

1st shotgun I shot in the late 60's. It was my grandfathers and my uncle still has it. 16 Gauge. I have tried to get it, but no luck so far.

I did find one in excellent shape a few years back almost identical and in 16 gauge as well, and it was made in 1956-the year I was born. Great Guns. Ithaca moved a while ago, and they make them now about an hour west of me in Sandusky Ohio.

 

[10Glocks]

I have two of M37s made in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. They are every bit as nicely made as any previous M37. My only concern is that while the receiver dimensions are the same between my 1975 M37 and my new Upper Sandusky guns, the ejection port on the Upper Sandusky guns is lenghtened a bit. I suppose with was to better accomidate 3" shells. And the Upper Sandusky guns handle 3" shells nicely. But I've run into some timing issue using 2 3/4" shells. Occassionally when cycling a 2 3/4" shell, the next round will dump from the magazine out onto the ground, missing getting picked up by the carrier. Not often, but sometimes. I sent my newest guns back to Ithaca in Upper Sandusky for their gunsmiths to fix the timing and they repleced a couple of springs and made some adjustments, but they're still not 100% with 2 3/4" shells. That's okay. One of them has a slug barrel on it and I use 3" sabot slugs in it. The other has a 26" vent rib barrel and I've not had many issues as I only use it infrequently.

I bought the Upper Sandusky guns direct from Ithaca. They were kind enough to send me sequentially numbered guns.

 

[94win30wcf]

Very nice.

 

[bandit1250]

Very nice Ithaca 37. My kind of pump shotgun with it having 2 3/4" chamber and fixed choke. My friends think I am crazy for not caring to own screw in choke shot guns. All I can say is I have lost my chokes a few times before but never lost any of my barrels.

 

[Old 45-70]

I have the same gun...In fact it will be 51 yrs. old this comming March. It has accounted for many ducks , and upland birds. It will be passed along to my son when I'm gone. You have a keeper...hang on to it.

 

[10Glocks]

Thanks, I won't be letting any of these Ithacas go.

I agree, I like fixed chokes, too. I took a whole lot of squirrels with high brass #6 shells with that old Ithaca until someone told me that an open choke was no good for squirrel hunting. (BTW, it wasn't one of my dead squirrels that told me that. ) I also took a few quail. But mainly I used it for deer hunting in the shotgun-only counties I hunted in. I found it would shoot a 1oz foster style slug like no one's business. I could break bottles at the dump with it and Federal slugs at 75 paces. I really want to take it out to my old hunting area and try that again. I've got "better" rifled barreled shotguns, but a nostalgic old school hunt appeals to me. Inside a reasonable range, those old foster slugs are underrated these days.

 

[NewtoSkeet]

Very nice! Another gun I could have had if I had started showing an interest in firearms as a kid before my grandmother sold most of my departed Grandfather's guns.

 

[Waffletop]

I I really want to take it out to my old hunting area and try that again. I've got "better" rifled barreled shotguns, but a nostalgic old school hunt appeals to me.

Amen! If it was good enough for Grandpa it's good enough for me.

 

[Mark Risch]

I have one in the sanctuary. I love it. nice and light easy to carry and shoot. Grandad hooked me on the 37 way back in the past when times were good with real hardware stores... you all know the rant. Congrats on a great find.

 

[Oletimer]

I had that same shotgun when I was in my 20's. I still regret selling it. I even striped the factory finish off mine and gave it nice oil finish. Sad part is, I can't even remember what I wanted that made me sell it.
Unbelievably fast shotgun. You can hold the trigger down on those and it will fire as fast as you can slam the bolt home,.. that didn't do much for preserving my basic shotgun fundamentals..

 

[Old 45-70]

I had that same shotgun when I was in my 20's. I still regret selling it. I even striped the factory finish off mine and gave it nice oil finish. Sad part is, I can't even remember what I wanted that made me sell it.
Unbelievably fast shotgun. You can hold the trigger down on those and it will fire as fast as you can slam the bolt home,.. that didn't do much for preserving my basic shotgun fundamentals..

Yup...mine took me out of a tree stand when I forgot to release the trigger as I racked another shell for a follow up shot on a doe! LOL Never made that mistake again.

 

[10Glocks]

Sad part is, I can't even remember what I wanted that made me sell it.

I remember what I sold mine for. Ready for this shameful admission? A European American Armory (EAA) Witness pistol in .45 ACP.

Back then, Tanfoglio pistols were relatively new to America and were failry well regarded. I shot a little IPSC back then and had ideas of converting it into a race gun. I never did. And I didn't hang onto it too long before I traded it for something else.

 

[410er]

I have the Remington 17,for runner of the 37 in 20 ga.Ithaca bought the rights and Remington call the new gun a remington31.
I could use a 12ga in one .

 

[Good Shooter]

I sold my Ithica 37 Deer Slayer to my friend and when I bought it back it had two barrels. It is my favorite shotgun and I am really glad I could get it back.