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Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

I was curious if any of you guys had purchased a current production model 37 from Ithaca and had a weight on it.

The site references 7.4 pounds without consideration for length of barrel.

I thought that seemed a bit heavy (even for a 28 or 30 inch barrel) considering my BPS is sub 7 pounds. I would figure a field barrel, 26 inch model would weigh less than the BPS.

Might make me a better option on public land for wild pheasants.

Joined: 09 Dec 2012 Posts: 691

Nope, they are heavy. The Ohio built 16's are based on a 3" length receiver, same as the 20's and 12's. Add in the heavier steel, and thicker barrel walls and you have that weight. 2" of tubing is not going to cut much overall weight off.

This is one of folk's biggest gripes about the new guns, especially the 16's, which are basically field guns.

My suggestion? Find a post serial nbr 855,000 gun with a Full choke barrel. Full chokes have a perceived less value. Then send it to Briley and have their choke tubes put in. You will have a gun that costs less (overall) and weighs a bit less than the new ones.

I built up my own guns because of the weight and the fact that their dimensions don't suit me. The fore end is smaller and further out than on past models.

However, older vent rib, choke tube barrels are getting harder and harder to find and the price keeps going up when you do find them.

OR OR

buy one and have the barrel choke opened up and down the road buy an Ohio barrel.

This one (not mine) is a candidate

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=489595346

If you got this gun for the 350 (even with shipping and transfer) plus the cost of Briley tubes

http://www.briley.com/2009/screwchokepricing.html

you will come in a bit less final price wise than a new Ohio gun for 800 to 900 plus shipping and transfer fee (or tax etc) depending on where you find one at.

Unfortunately you missed the Cabelas fire sale when they quit stocking Ohio built Ithacas and cleared them out.

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

drcook,

Thank you for your advice, with no weight savings I would be better off sticking to my BPS as a steel friendly walking option.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the environmentalist hadn't scared the living bejusus out of the politicians and we could still use good old toxic, game poisoning lead shot?

The old guns were lighter, pointed better, and killed game better, with less cripples when using lead shot.

I know I am a voice crying in the wilderness, but has anybody ever done a study on the mortality of the cripples created with steel shot vs the "poisoning" of lead shot?

I for one, have a hard time swallowing the Gov't line on many things, and this is just one of them.

From what I hear and observe there are so many wildfowl now as to become a problem in Aviation, that the Gov't, in their wisdom,are trying to figure out ways to get rid of them.

Well,let us nasty hunters use lead shot, extend seasons, and see if that might help the "problem". Wink

Dale

I just bought a 1943 dom 37 with checkered forend old style stock and a wonderful polychoke. I love poly's much quicker to change than a tube. I have shot steel and heavy shot through Roto forged barrels with NO issues at all.

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

I just received a 16 featherweight from Ithaca this week, with 26" vent rib barrel.
Book says 7.4 pounds. Seems lighter to me.
Ill weigh it and post here.

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

df,

That would be great. I talked with Ithaca and that would be the exact model I would get. He didn't have any 26" field barrels just rib.

I might also mention they only had another 15 units left of the last run. Seems that while they do make them they are a special run item.

He did offer to mix and match my barrel want to my gun (assuming they had it). Very nice people.

I am weighing the choice of buying another gun or another barrel for my BPS. Course I am always considering buying a gun! Laughing

I wonder if anyone's ever removed the vent rib from a BPS barrel to reduce barrel weight by a few ounces.

Joined: 28 Aug 2014 Posts: 924 Location: Eastern Tennessee

Other than turkey hunting I have absolutely no use for that damn extra weight! I must admit I have a clip on middle bead I use to aim for turkey season. I can do without it though.

I must be missing something, but do not understand why so many makers include ribs on their barrels. I'd love to take the one off my 870 Express to help with the front heavy issue.

Joined: 01 Oct 2007 Posts: 962 Location: Minnesota

Just weighed it on a digital bath scale with me holding it and then just me. Man I better stop eating so much.
It weighed 7.4 pounds, exactly as advertised.
Like I said, it seems ligher than that to me.
I'll sit by a water hole and shoot a limit of doves and for sure will use it on pheasants some. I have plenty other scatter guns so this one will be a part time hunter. Yes I wish it were a bit lighter, but I sure can live with it as is.

I did contact them about buying a 16 ga about ten days ago. They had 19 16 ga left and were not sure if they would ever make more.
I wanted a 26" but all they had was 28". I e mailed about the possibility of chopping the barrel 2" And re installing choke tubes.
They called me and said they found several 16 ga barrels and would install one for me. Obviously I thought that was a great idea.
They are very nice people to work with.
Fwiw, my brother has a new 37 in 28 ga. I don't know the weight but it's light.

I bought a 1960's post-855.000 16 gauge Model 37 DLXR w/rib nearly a decade ago. The 28" barrel originally was full choke. The stock was OEM in every aspect w/ the original red Ithaca recoil pad and spacers. My gun weighs in at just about seven pounds. I had to raise the comb a bit and lengthen the LOP a 1/4 inch in order for the gun to fit me and to shift the pattern centers up so they hit spot on at 30 yards.

The OEM barrel O.D. and wall thickness permitted using Colonial or Tru-chokes. I had Mike Orlen install a set Colonial chokes in the barrel. The total cost at the time was far less expensive than having Briley do the work. The resulting patterns are excellent.

Another option is to buy a Browning 16 gauge BPS pump. the BPS is essentially a modernized Model 37. The BPS bolt locks up into a barrel extension instead of into the roof of the receiver (as do all modern post-WWII pump designs--see the Rem 870 for comparison). Headspace and loosening barrels will never become problems, because the breech lock up is the more secure closed system.

I own a 26", Upland model BPS. Mine weighs in at 7 pounds or a tiny tad less. Mine handles and balances the same as my Model 37 for all practical purposes. The BPS OEM stock fits me to perfection and the gun hits spot on right out of the box. Having shot my BPS enough to break it in and smooth it up, I can no longer tell which pump shucks quicker or smoother. Both are typically as slick and smooth as any Model 37 I've ever handled.

Joined: 25 Jan 2014 Posts: 229 Location: MN

I recently acquired a NIB 1999 Kings Ferry Model 37 with a 26" barrel with tubes, vent rib and a recoil pad.

It weighs 6lb 11oz on a postal scale.

I plan on trying it as my main pheasant gun this fall It is about 3/4 pound lighter than my 870 12.

I also plan to use it for some for some early season duck hunting, probably with steel.

Joined: 17 Jan 2014 Posts: 1381 Location: Denver, Colorado

Dale:

Non-toxic shot was the first step in the war on guns and hunting. Like "Global Warming" is supposedly "settled " science now. The toxicity of lead shot was rammed down the public throat with very questionable science used as backing. There may have been some uniquely toxic situations, but they were not the norm. How do I know this? 20-years in the environmental remediation business taught me how such things worked. I am not a chemist, my training is in geology, but I've had enough hard science to know bull feces when I hear it or read it.

Member Joined: 09 Jun 2005 Posts: 885 Location: Wisconsin

Mine from 58 with a 28" M barrel weighs in at 6 lbs. 4 ozs. Shoots steel shot just fine and as long as one knows how to estimate distance I see no problem with steel. I am one of the few on this board that has shot steel since 73. Still have a box of 12 ga. Winchester Steel 4s. marked Experimental. By the way early stuff was bad. Now with the improvements by the loading companies it is a good load for anything by water. Main improvement has been wads. Will say have to handload it for the 16 as factory only available in 2s and 4s. We shoot 3s, 5s, and 6s. so we handload for the 16.