Old Ithaca Featherweight

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Leavenworth

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Hi All
I have an old Ithaca Featherweight that I had re blued but the re blueing removed some of the factory detail with the engraving. Are there people who can restore the engraving ? Is it costly ? Is it worth it,I know this last question is a dandy.

Thanks
Leavenworth
 
Normally no it would not be worth it but I have no idea what the gun means to you. i.e. if it was passed down from a family member etc
Cheers
I have a set of 37's and a couple extras I bought just because they were in nice condition
This one for example was like $275 for this 12ga in the past 4 years so it would not be worth reworking engraving if it needed it


But this one is my all time favorite in 28ga :) wish there was the same in 410 :(
 
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3macs1 said:
Normally no it would not be worth it but I have no idea what the gun means to you. i.e. if it was passed down from a family member etc
Cheers
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I love the old Ithaca 37s but they are not worth a lot. That being said I put a lot more into restoring one of my dad's old guns than it was worth.
 
3macs1 said:
Normally no it would not be worth it but I have no idea what the gun means to you. i.e. if it was passed down from a family member etc
Cheers
I have a set of 37's and a couple extras I bought just because they were in nice condition
This one for example was like $275 for this 12ga in the past 4 years so it would not be worth reworking engraving if it needed it


But this one is my all time favorite in 28ga :) wish there was the same in 410 :(
Click to expand...

Those two are awesome ! When were those made ?
Thanks for posting the pics !
Leavenworth
 
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The bluing process would not have any effect on the engraving , which is not really engraving but the gunsmith who did the buffing on the metal is the one that pulled the lines on the reciever . If theetal was pitted then there was no way not to pull the lines but if was not pitted then there was no need to over buff the metal .
 
I have been s model 12 man all my life but just picked up a new version 20ga o my talk about smooth handling also have a 20 from 1965 and a 37r from the late 40's
 
I have one same generation as the top picture 3Macs posted, 1975 Featherlight 28" barrel Full choke(although mine doesn't pattern that tight). Being a dyed in wool slide action action shooter, I've been watching for another, either with screw-in chokes or lightly choked(I/C or Modified). As 3Macs said, however, they are not valued the same as a Model 12, so spending small fortunes on a restoration project would be ill advised as one would never recoup the cost. Well made, very smooth, but until the late 80's sold at prices similar to the Remington 870, as such earlier guns didn't command big money. The recent Ohio made guns are, priced accordingly and as result are worth more.
 
Like Mac ,I have an older 12 gauge Ithaca Model 37 shotguns(1973) and one of the newer 28 gauge ones(2009).Both are made in the United States.The old one in the old plant in Ithaca, New York.The newer one in the new Ithaca plant in Ohio.

The 28 gauge Model 37 is a great upland game gun.Since I bought it new in 2009,it has been the only 28 gauge I have used in the uplands.
 
In my view, the earlier 1940's guns are worth more than average as some folks do collect them and they have some cool differences with the later guns. The most useful of those is the retractable arm on the mag cap to make take down easier.

A lot of guys have put new mfg choked barrels onto early receivers, which an affordable way into a really versatile model 37. I have a soft spot for these guns. But I would not bother having the factory engraving touched up. The new ones are machine engraved, but the old ones may be roll stampings applied before the flats were sanded - not sure. They did not have computer engraving when the 37 featherlight was introduced.
 
The first time I ever saw an Ithaca 37

...was this one, in "Aliens"....


thanks to the internet movie firearms data base, I found out what it was.

sorry, don't mean to derail the thread...
 
While we are on the topic of classic Ithaca 37's, I've got a made in 1952 12 gauge, full choke barrel. I know that steel shot, especially larger shot, is potentially dangerous and not good for the barrel. Can the barrel be economically reamed to reduce the choke to handle steel shot, or is it better just to buy a modern gun and keep this one at the back of the safe?
 
Claven2 said:
In my view, the earlier 1940's guns are worth more than average as some folks do collect them and they have some cool differences with the later guns. The most useful of those is the retractable arm on the mag cap to make take down easier.

A lot of guys have put new mfg choked barrels onto early receivers, which an affordable way into a really versatile model 37. I have a soft spot for these guns. But I would not bother having the factory engraving touched up. The new ones are machine engraved, but the old ones may be roll stampings applied before the flats were sanded - not sure. They did not have computer engraving when the 37 featherlight was introduced.
Click to expand...

Just be cautious on the new barrel exchange since as you know if you are into these Model 37® firearms with a serial number below 855,000 have barrels that are fixed and non-interchangeable that would be 1963 roughly and ahead. They can be done but it takes a trip back to Ithaca or a knowledgeable smith

From Ithaca
If your M37 was made before the 855,000 mark (which occurred in 1963), we will be able to furnish you with a replacement barrel for it, but you must send your gun to us for the barrel to be fitted. The process includes machine removal of existing threads, insertion of adapter and re-threading of receiver and re-bluing. Please note that once this is completed you will not be able to reuse your old barrel. Cost for this process is $180.00 for the adapter, plus cost of barrel. Includes re-bluing at no charge.

Also IMO and I own both vintage and the second modern version and although it hurt me bad to pay it initially one can see why they are so expensive now. The old ones were good but these are a much improved barrel design better fit , finish and are a higher quality pump than the old ones they will hold their value like a wingmaster IMO . The old ones which even collectors will not pay a lot for so be aware of that if you are gathering them. I sold two really early corn cob here in the EE about 3 years ago and they were mint. The 16ga finally went for 225 and the 12ga for 250.
There was not a lot of interest Just have a couple of shots of the old 12 I sold or the one I kept I cannot remember since they looked identical side by side. Hard to find much better IMO for their age .Sad but their value has really never increased too much over the years for such a good pump action



Cheers
 
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Very well made guns. I really don't know why they have such a low, or should I say reasonable, resale value. Unfortunately the 37 FW has the honour of being the shotgun whose recoil beats me up worse than any other. lol. Probably the stock dementions and the light weight combo.
 
Jjonahjamison said:
While we are on the topic of classic Ithaca 37's, I've got a made in 1952 12 gauge, full choke barrel. I know that steel shot, especially larger shot, is potentially dangerous and not good for the barrel. Can the barrel be economically reamed to reduce the choke to handle steel shot, or is it better just to buy a modern gun and keep this one at the back of the safe?
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In my opinion if you open the choke to modified or more open(to taste), you can shoot steel up to about no.2 or BB. Not larger unless you go to IC or greater. My local smith shop charges $40 to open a choke. Ymmv.
 
crunch68 said:
Very well made guns. I really don't know why they have such a low, or should I say reasonable, resale value. Unfortunately the 37 FW has the honour of being the shotgun whose recoil beats me up worse than any other. lol. Probably the stock dementions and the light weight combo.
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This due to the very light weight for an all steel gun and the usual hard plastic butt plate. These were made to be upland game guns that would be carried a lot and not shot as much per outing as a waterfowl gun. If you put in a pachmayr decelerate or similar, recoil wil improve a lot.
 
3macs1 said:
Just be cautious on the new barrel exchange since as you know if you are into these Model 37® firearms with a serial number below 855,000 have barrels that are fixed and non-interchangeable that would be 1963 roughly and ahead. They can be done but it takes a trip back to Ithaca or a knowledgeable smith

From Ithaca
If your M37 was made before the 855,000 mark (which occurred in 1963), we will be able to furnish you with a replacement barrel for it, but you must send your gun to us for the barrel to be fitted. The process includes machine removal of existing threads, insertion of adapter and re-threading of receiver and re-bluing. Please note that once this is completed you will not be able to reuse your old barrel. Cost for this process is $180.00 for the adapter, plus cost of barrel. Includes re-bluing at no charge.

Also IMO and I own both vintage and the second modern version and although it hurt me bad to pay it initially one can see why they are so expensive now. The old ones were good but these are a much improved barrel design better fit , finish and are a higher quality pump than the old ones they will hold their value like a wingmaster IMO . The old ones which even collectors will not pay a lot for so be aware of that if you are gathering them. I sold two really early corn cob here in the EE about 3 years ago and they were mint. The 16ga finally went for 225 and the 12ga for 250.
There was not a lot of interest Just have a couple of shots of the old 12 I sold or the one I kept I cannot remember since they looked identical side by side. Hard to find much better IMO for their age .Sad but their value has really never increased too much over the years for such a good pump action



Cheers
Click to expand...

Caliber does factor into the price, as well as if the trigger guard is steel or aluminum like on some later models. For example, nice steel tg 20gauges typically sell in the $400+ range but are much less common than a 16 or 12. Also if the early gun has multiple fitted barrels of varying choke, that helps value a lot. They could be bought as sets back in the day.

It's amazing these do not sell for more. Even the old ones are better made than almost any pump shotty out there. The design is brilliant and a JM browning creation.
 
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