Don’t get me wrong: this is still a 12 gauge and you will know it if you squeeze the trigger and don’t have it pulled up tight in your shoulder. The recoil from heavy 3-inch shells was pretty mild for a pump action thanks to the buffer in the fancy tactical stock. The Defense 37 preformed well and functioned flawlessly at the range. The receiver is machined from a sold block of steel and you can tell by the heft. It also sports an AR style adjustable stock with a pistol grip and fiber optic sights. It has a 20 inch barrel with an eight-round magazine. Ithaca sent me a dressed up version of their M37 for review with an MSRP is $670. The ones I have found are right at the same price as on Ithaca’s site. (A note on pricing: My Internet searching has not come up with too many places selling these to help find an actual street price. The receiver is also taped for installing optics. The base model sports a plane matte blued finish and a brass bead front sight. They come with either wood or synthetic stocks, 18.5- or 20-inch barrels and five or eight shot capacity.
![ithaca 37 shotgun review ithaca 37 shotgun review](https://gundigest.com/wp-content/uploads/Ithaca-Model-37-Shotgun-police.jpg)
Today’s Ithaca makes the M37 in a variant specifically tailored for home defense.
![ithaca 37 shotgun review ithaca 37 shotgun review](https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/TFB_Ithaca_M37_8.jpg)
![ithaca 37 shotgun review ithaca 37 shotgun review](https://images.guns.com/wordpress/2012/12/1349547992356ithaca-model-37-defense-cover1.jpg)
It is a rugged and reliable design that is also well suited for home defense. The M37 design has proven itself on the battlefield from WWII through Vietnam and in the hands and on the streets with multiple police departments across the U.S. This is also great for left handed shooters, no spent shells flying across your face. Mud and crud are less likely to get into the bottom of the receiver and if they do find their way in gravity (it’s a downer) is going to help clear out the mess. This simple difference is what makes this shotgun one of the best combat and defense shotgun designs. The vast majority of pump action firearms, and semi-automatics too, eject spent shells from the side of the receiver. This is where the Ithaca M37 has an even greater advantage over other pump shotguns. This design is typically more reliable than semi-automatics especially when used in adverse conditions where there is a potential for mud, dirt and sand finding its way into the action. Shells are held in a tubular magazine under the barrel and the action is “pumped” to eject a spent shell and load a new one. The Ithaca M37 is like most pump shotguns in its function. It is a solid and dependable action and is well suited for the field and the battlefield. John Browning and John Pedersen were responsible for the original design. Instead of designing their own they waited for some patents to expire on the Remington Model 17 (introduced in 1917) and improve upon it.
![ithaca 37 shotgun review ithaca 37 shotgun review](https://gundigest.com/wp-content/uploads/Ithaca-Model-37-20-ga-featherlight.jpg)
They were already known for their quality double guns but the pump action had started to take a bigger and bigger piece of the sporting shotgun market. In the early 1930s Ithaca was looking to get into the pump shotgun market. It is a nice blend of the original M37 design with modern furniture.įor those not already familiar with the Ithaca Model 37 let’s take a look at where it came from. The new M37 Defense I was sent for review is in 12 gauge with a 3-inch chamber, eight-round magazine, 20 inch barrel and an adjustable AR-style stock. The designs, especially the classic Model 37 shotgun, are still there but are being made with modern production methods and materials.
#Ithaca 37 shotgun review full
Hard times, quality control issues and a hand full of changes in ownership have plagued Ithaca, but the current owners have rebuilt the company from the ground up and moved to a new location in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. In the past 20 years or so there has been a lot of ups and down for Ithaca Gun Company, a classic American manufacturer.