Ithaca Model 37 Tactical Build

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Alright folks, I'm proud to announce that I feel like I can finally join the Black & Green Shotgun forum... I've been toying with the idea of a tactical shotgun for a good year now, but it kept getting put on the backburner. Well, two weeks ago I was browsing the EE, looking for a cheap SxS to chop down, when I came across an Ithaca Model 37. I'd considered getting one a while back, but the price was out of reach back then... this one was cheaper, and although I toyed with the idea of getting it, I wasn't serious about it.

That is, until that Thursday, when I'd spent a good couple hours talking to my friend about firearms, shotguns, and finally the Ithaca Model 37. The more we talked, the more interested I was in getting one... I figured the slam-fire would be an amusing addition to a tactical build, and the brand's long military history seemed to lend some credibility to the idea. Still, it wasn't until the next day, when my pay-cheque was a little bigger than expected, that I actually decided to contact the seller and buy it.

So, as of last Wednesday, I'm the new owner of an Ithaca Model 37, although I decided to wait until I had it in my hands before making a new thread. Well, it arrived this morning, so without further ado, pictures:

Ithaca_Whole.JPG

Picture of the whole gun on my couch, with a tape measure (not that you can see it).

Ithaca_Receiver.JPG

Shot of the receiver. If you look closely, you can see that the barrel length is about 23-1/2". The rail laying on the tape measure one of a pair, and is going on top of the receiver as a ghost-ring/possible red-dot mount.

Ithaca_Choke_1.JPG

The front of the barrel... the weird slotted part at the end is a Savage Super Choke, and the rail will be mounted on top of the barrel for the front ghost sight.

Ithaca_Choke_Closeup.JPG

Close-up of the choke... the end is where the choke actually is. I believe that the slotted section acts as some sort of muzzle brake. Note the length of the whole thing... some 4-1/2" long.

So, what are the plans with this thing? Probably your "typical" tactical build... Pistol grip, top-folding stock, stubby VFG, heatshield, ghost ring sights, laser, flashlight, and possibly a magazine extension. As some of you may know, aftermarket parts for an Ithaca are just about nil, so a bunch of this stuff (pistol grip, folding stock, heatshield, forearm, and magazine extension) is going to be adapted from other firearms, or fabricated from scratch. I'm working on designing a top-folding stock in the Gunsmithing forum, so anyone who's interested is welcome to check it out here.

Anyway, don't mean to keep going on, so I'll try to get updates up as things happen. However, I do need suggestions on a decent angle for a pistol grip on a shotgun... if people could comment on what kind of pistol grip they use, and how it feels, I'd appreciate it.
 
Hair on you, bud. The Ithaca 37 isn't built into a tactical gun as often as it should be. They're extremely well designed, tough as nails (all steel!) and smooth as Sammy Davis Jr.

Here's my bear gun...

IMG_0892.jpg


Ghost ring, silver ArmourKote, short barrel, butt cuff and that's it. I'd be curious how well your Picatinny rail mounts up.

Watching with interest!

Dan
 
Dan: Thanks for the support. That's a nice little shotgun you've got... The bluing isn't great on mine, so I'm considering a matte finish too, although I'm leaning towards black, charcoal, or a kind of "Urban camo" (black and varying shades of gray).

As for the rail... I've got two options: Either drill and tap the receiver for the mount, or fabricate some sort of stand-off mount to bolt the rail to. I want to put a heatshield over the barrel as well, so I'll likely just use a clamp near the end of the barrel and attach both the heatshield and rail to that.
 
nice looking Ithaca. A few thoughts I have are: mounting your front sight on a ramp like Dark Alley Dan's would look alot better than a 20mm rail on the barrel. Just cleaner IMO. The mag tube extension might be tough with the way the original mag tube attaches to the barrel. I think cutting the barrel to 18.5" and adding a quality set of ghost rings would be a nice looking and performing solution. I am very interested in the top folder though. Ive always loved em. Keep us posted, this should be a good one!
 
Ryan: I think I saw your picture there in the past couple days in another thread... although, to be honest, I was admiring the shorty, and I don't know if I caught on that the other one was an Ithaca. After I saw it, I was actually debating whether I could afford a cheap SxS to make a sawn-off too...

Super: Thanks for the support... should be a fun project, especially with all the help available on here. I agree, the magazine extension would be a bit finicky, but doable. The biggest issue would be getting that barrel attachment moved. In my understanding, it's just welded/brazed on, and the local shop should be able to move it further up the barrel without too much issue.

Which, brings me to the barrel... yes, at the moment, it's about 24" long, including the choke. It's a bit long for a tactical build, but not impossible. I'd like to keep the choke, as I could shoot slugs, then switch to buckshot and get a decent pattern without any tools or loose choke tubes. Seeing as the gun came with an adjustable choke, and it cost me nothing extra, it'd be pointless to get rid of it. The "muzzle brake" section does make it relatively long, but I kinda like it... according to an old Savage advertisement I saw online, it's supposed to help reduce recoil (definitely a plus for PGO shooting). I don't know whether that's true, as it's hard to find any information online, but people that use it seem to like it. Besides, I think it looks kinda cool...

If you ignore the choke, the barrel itself is only about 19-1/2" long, assuming 1/2" extends inside the choke tube. Even if I decide to shorten it to the bare minimum before reattaching the choke, the shop I typically deal with won't cut it any shorter than 18", even if I get them to permanently affix the choke tube again. At most, I'll shorten it by 1-1/2", but I don't think the cost justifies it right now. If it was a standard length barrel, I'd do it for sure, but in this case it's such a small difference.

As for the ghost sights on a ramp vs a rail... I guess you're right about the rail looking a little awkward, although I'm not actually planning on attaching it directly to the barrel. Instead, I've got a length of finely perforated metal, a few inches wide, that I was planning on shaping to the barrel to make a heatshield. It's got smaller holes than your standard heatshield, but there's more of them, and they're spaced closer together, which gives it a bit more of a solid look, especially at a distance. I was thinking of covering the entire barrel, from the back of the choke to the receiver. If I manage to line it up well with the receiver, I think it'd give a very sleek look. Still, I could attach a ramp to the heatshield for the front ghost sight, and mount the rail under the barrel instead for a laser and light.

Forbes: I actually saw that site recently... I've noticed Ithaca stocks on a couple other US sites, and found out they were made by Choate, so I did a search and came up with that. However, I'm not sure about the policies regarding shipping of things like that to Canada from the US... I spoke to the local shops here, and they said they couldn't get any, either original or aftermarket. I'll try emailing that company tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. Someone else also brought up an important point (in the other thread) that I should avoid attaching a folding stock through a synthetic grip, so I'll have to figure out some sort of mounting scheme regardless. Since removing the original stock, I realized that the design of a custom grip is going to be much harder than I originally thought, but all great ideas have to start somewhere, right?
 
A note re: forends - I had difficulty with finding a replacement. Many of the aftermarket forends are built for the 3" version of the 37, and not compatible with older, 2 3/4" guns.

Something to keep in mind...
 
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Dan: I didn't realize that there was a difference in forends between the two... I figured that the forend was just an easy way to work the action, and that the length of the action bar made the difference. Unless they simply shortened the forend and lengthened the action bar to keep the length of the magazine tube the same.

Forbes: I took a look at Brownells, but didn't see a listing for a pistol grip under Ithaca or Choate... then again, I didn't look very hard. I think I need to contact Choate directly and find out whether they still make them, or if they have some leftover stock they could sell me directly. Brownells did have a lot of other parts that might come in handy though.

EDIT: Actually, it looks like that link that Forbes put up a few posts back is actually the Choate homepage... at first I thought it was a distributor. I've emailed them, so I'll post the results.
 
Good project.

My 2cents,

Cut the barrel to just a hair over 18", blast off the engravings and rust, add new sights, parkerize and paint the metal, remove wood finish and steam out any dents in the wood,smooth it out by hand and re oil the wood..... Done.
:)
 
Can: You're right, there is a some rust on it, so I'll have to polish it out. I was considering getting rid of the engraving on the receiver too, but I have no idea how to do that... I'd rather not just sand it down, as I don't want to weaken the receiver. I was considering some sort of filler material... Bondo, or maybe JB Weld or something. There's an article in the Gunsmithing forum about using Devcon to bed a rifle, which I may try on my .30-06, so I might be able to use some of the material to fill the engraving, then sand it down flat.

As for the other suggestions... you've hit on the basic plans, other than the wood and barrel length. For now, I'm going to leave the barrel alone, as I like the choke. I'll keep the wood too, but I'm going to try for a pistol grip with folding stock. It should be relatively easy to swap between the two stocks though.
 
Dan: I didn't realize that there was a difference in forends between the two... I figured that the forend was just an easy way to work the action, and that the length of the action bar made the difference. Unless they simply shortened the forend and lengthened the action bar to keep the length of the magazine tube the same...

Hey, PF.

Can't recall exactly what the issue was, but I do recall that the Ithaca 37 Choate forend that I bought for my shotgun (about the same age as yours) was a total non-starter installation-wise.

There is a source in Canada for factory parts (or at least there was a couple years ago - Ron Sharp has 3 different colours (choices) of laminated, $200 for the set with the correct forend iron for your gun. Not high-speed/low drag plastic furniture, but still pretty high-zoot... 905-774-6368. Word has it he's a bit of a crusty old fart, but has good stuff at a reasonable price, and it's all factory quality material.
 
I appreciate the contact info, but $200 is a bit steep for me at the moment... I know most people probably say this, but I'd like to get it done on a budget. I'm not too concerned with replacement OEM furniture, as my forend and stock are still in relatively good condition. The stock has a few dings in it, but it's solid, with no cracks. The forend looks about the same. Brownells has a listing for a "Forend tube, 2-3/4", classic" for about $22.00, but it's out of stock... not sure if that means temporarily, or permanently.

I did partially strip down the gun to check the inside of the magazine tube and all, and ended up looking at how the forend is attached. It turns out that the grip just slides over a metal tube, which (in turn) slides over the magazine tube. It seems that the only thing preventing the wood grip from rotating is a notch cut into it, which lines up with a raised section on the "action" (I'm at a loss for certain technical terms). I'm planning on measuring the outer diameter of the "action" (or the inner diameter of the wood grip), and then trying to match it up with some sort of plastic or metal pipe. I work in construction, and there's always junk bits of one thing or another laying around, so I might get lucky and find something that fits. Even if it's not perfect, I can at least use it temporarily to mount a stubby VFG to see if I like the feel of it. The worst that can happen is that I'm out an hour of my time trying to get it fitted. I know some people are going to be against my use of "reclaimed" parts for this build, but all that matters to me is that it works and I think it looks good.

By the way, I've heard the term "high-speed/low-drag" tossed around before, but what does it actually refer to?

And please, call me Fil.

BTW, I checked out the serial number a few days ago, and IIRC it's a 1954 build date... and it's still holding up well enough after 56 years of use. Amazing...
 
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They are a helluva gun, Fil. Touched by the hand of the master, Mr. John Moses Browning himself.

I'm with you on the stock set for $200.00. I have a great many places for that money to go that don't include new furniture for a shotgun I shoot only rarely. But Mr. Sharp might have any number of little bits and pieces that your old thumper lacks, or that need replacing. Worth keeping the number anyhow.

Been thinking about your pickatinny rail atop the receiver. When you drill any holes, be sure to stay well clear of the locking notch in the ceiling of the receiver. One wants as much mass there as one can get.

I like the big ol' choke on yours. Looks right evil. Like a death ray... :D

I believe "high speed/low drag" originated in military aviation. Seems most likely. Perhaps in relation to old school "fat" bombs vs. the newer more streamlined ones? Urban Dictionary skips the etymology, but offers a definition:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=high speed, low drag

Military Definitions tells us this: "high speed, low drag (US) Excellent, particularly of equipment."

I like using it because deep in my psyche is a 10 year old kid who appreciates how awesome it sounds...
 
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Greetings,

I am watching this with great interest as I just got a Steven Security 350 w/ the ghost ring sights for Christmas (yes, very early but I don't care :p ) frm my fiancee (and a Jericho 9mm, but that's another story. Dan, do you know if the Choate stocks will fit the Chinese copy of the 37?

I am hoping to make the tacticoolest shotgun ever out of this inexpensive boom stick LOL :shotgun: w:h: .

Thanks,

Matt
 
Hey, Matt.

With the dual action arms on the Stevens/Norinco, I'd imagine it won't accept the Choate/Ithaca single action arm forend. Dunno for sure, though. Probably a real bear of a job to inlet that long tube to accommodate a second arm...

That Stevens is an interesting piece of kit. The one I handled at P&D was smooth to the point of sloppy. I've handled pumpguns that will open a little on the weight of the forend alone, but never one that'd open all the way! I'll be curious to hear how yours shoots w/slugs. I have a buddy on the coast that's considering one as a cheap bear gun for paddling purposes...
 
I am hoping to make the tacticoolest shotgun ever...

Do I smell a challenge? :rolleyes:

And off-topic, but does the Stevens model have the same slam-fire "issue" as the Ithaca?

Dan: That's true, I may need to contact him about the little bits. So far, everything seems good... I'm going to try to make a range trip with it this week, as I need to get a feel for it. If I extend the magazine, I'll need a new spring at the very least.

I was looking at the top of the receiver from the inside, and there seems to be a "trough" cut along the top center of the receiver, lengthwise. The bolt (correct term?) has a little raised section on it that fits in there. I'm not sure what it's for, but if I drill and tap the receiver, I'll have to make sure to stay above that. I may just get a gunsmith to do it for me, so's I don't mess it up.

I appreciate the support on the choke... I wanted some sort of muzzle brake anyway, as they look cool, and this one seems to fit the bill.

To be honest, I kinda like the look of the old bombs and trucks and all... I know, they're big and bulky, but that's what I love about them. That retro styling, the "I'm bigger than you" attitude. On an similar topic, I'd love to get myself an old Unimog, but I'll probably have to bring one over from Germany.

Things have been time consuming with school and all, so I've managed to take the stock off and have a look at the mounting point, but I haven't done anything yet. I'll probably start working on a pistol-grip design tonight... Ithaca just emailed me back today, saying I should contact Choate about the pistol grip. I'd emailed Choate on Monday evening, but no reply yet, so I'm going to assume the worst.
 
They are a helluva gun, Fil. Touched by the hand of the master, Mr. John Moses Browninig himself.

I'm with you on the stock set for $200.00. I have a great many places for that money to go that don't include new furniture for a shotgun I shoot only rarely. But Mr. Sharp might have any number of little bits and pieces that your old thumper lacks, or that need replacing. Worth keeping the number anyhow.

Been thinking about your pickatinny rail atop the receiver. When you drill any holes, be sure to stay well clear of the locking notch in the ceiling of the receiver. One wants as much mass there as one can get.

I like the big ol' choke on yours. Looks right evil. Like a death ray... :D

I believe "high speed/low drag" originated in military aviation. Seems most likely. Perhaps in relation to old school "fat" bombs vs. the newer more streamlined ones? Urban Dictionary skips the etymology, but offers a definition:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=high speed, low drag

Military Definitions tells us this: "high speed, low drag (US) Excellent, particularly of equipment."

I like using it because deep in my psyche is a 10 year old kid who appreciates how awesome it sounds...

[youtube]OL4soX9ml2E[/youtube]
 
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