Rare Ithaca M37

First shotgun I ever fired was my dad's 12-gauge 37, back in about 1970, fixed mod choke, slam-fire capable. It's still in my gun safe now; took my first duck, first grouse, first goose with it back in the day. No longer hunt with it but I like taking it out once in awhile and shooting some hand-thrown clays behind the house. :)

It wears a replacement stock now, after the original went for re-finishing to the house of a "friend" and somehow failed to return. This gun is soooooo smooth to operate it's almost scary. My expert friends who know how to measure gunstocks for a custom fit tell me it's horrible for me. I tell them that's okay, it doesn't need to fit me...after a half-century-plus of use, I fit it... :)
 
The M37 has an artless shape; stupid, cartoonish roll-imprinted fake receiver 'engraving'; it makes noises that no fine gun should make; and wood-to-metal fit is approximate at best. And yet... in the hands, it is near perfect. I think the M37 is a fabulous gun (best in 16 gauge, in my opinion), and mine felt like it was a part of me. It never failed me; it was utterly dependable. As pointed out, it is ridiculously undervalued on the Canadian market. There is no better pump gun, quality-wise (though the Winchester Model 12 and Remington Model 31 are closest). I can't abide a gun that is cheapened or 'improved' to make more money for company shareholders, I prefer the guns that were properly machined and built to last. Whatever tiny visual flaws the M37 has, I can easily overlook them.

I will always be a M37 fan. SuperCub, Dump Shoot, nice guns you have there!
 
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