Ithaca M37

Ithaca M37 Bear Stopper
general information
Civil name:	Ithaca Model 37 Bear Stopper
Military designation:	no
Country of operation:	United States
Developer / Manufacturer:	Ithaca Gun Company
Production time:	1937 to -
Furnishing
Overall length:	1016 mm
Weight: (unloaded)	2.94 kg
Barrel length :	470 mm
Technical specifications
Caliber :	12 (shotgun caliber corresponds to 18.53 mm)
Possible magazine fillings :	4, 5 or 7 cartridges
Ammunition supply :	integrated tube magazine
Cadence :	Single fire shot / min
Fire types:	Single fire
Charging principle:	Forearm repeater
Lists on the subject

The Ithaca Model 37 is an American shotgun that was manufactured in various versions for hunting, sports, and police and military use.

history

In the early 1930s, the management of the Ithaca Gun Company came to the conclusion that the side-by-side shotguns produced by the company had no great future on the market and decided to include a bolt-action shotgun in the product range. Since various models from other manufacturers were already on the market, it was decided to take a closer look at two of these models; these were the Winchester Model 1912 and the Remington Model 17 . The decision was made in favor of the Remington, presumably because the Browning patents on which the design was based expired on June 15, 1932 and Ithaca would thus have a free hand to market a corresponding weapon. The design of the new weapon came from Harry Howland, a patent for the "Firing Mechanism for a Pump Gun" was granted on March 15, 1932.

The new weapon was to come onto the market under the name "Model 1933 Repeater". However, it turned out that in addition to the Browning patents, there was also a patent by JD Pedersen that was applicable to the design. Remington had agreed with Pedersen in 1925-26 on a payment per weapon for the use of the patent.

The Pedersen patent did not expire until October 7, 1936. Ithaca therefore stopped production of the Model 33, but took all precautions to market the weapon described under the Howland patent as the "Ithaca Repeater" from January 1, 1937.

In February, the first weapons went to the authors of the largest contemporary weapons and hunting magazines in the United States. Deliveries began in April 1937.

Based on the experience that Ithaca had with shotguns since 1883, three versions of the Model 37 were initially offered:

• Standard Grade Repeater, Model 37 (the base model)
• Skeet Grade Repeater, Model 37S (barrel with ventilated rail and large fore-end)
• Trap Grade Repeater, Model 37T (similar to 37S, but with rubber recoil pads and longer barrels)

All three models were initially only offered in caliber 12. From 1938, all three models were also offered in caliber 16. The barrel lengths offered depend on the caliber. The system boxes are decorated with a roll engraving showing two pheasants flying up and a dog on the right side of the weapon, three ducks flying up on the left side of the weapon.

In 1939 the "Ithaca Featherlight Standard Grade Repeater" appeared in caliber 20. The designation "Featherlight" was initially limited to this model, but was later used for all Model 37 versions, although the Model 37S and 37T also from 1939 in caliber 20 were offered.

Another version followed in 1940:

• Solid Rib Grade Repeater, Model 37R

The Model 37R was also offered in 12, 16 and 20 calibers.

The second World War

During the Second World War, the Ithaca Gun Company produced M1911A1 pistols and shotguns for the US armed forces , including versions with 66 cm barrel with handguard and bayonet adapter and 76 cm barrel, all in 12 caliber After war production, production and sales to private individuals ceased in 1942, but resumed in 1946.

the post war period

This was followed by the “Deluxe” and “Supreme” versions of the basic versions, which differ from these only in the quality of the equipment.

In 1959 Ithaca brought the Model 37 Deerslayer (about: deer killer) onto the market. The Deerslayer was equipped with a barrel specially designed for the use of shotgun barrel projectiles when hunting deer. The maximum diameter for shotgun barrel projectiles was set by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute . The technicians at Ithaca developed a barrel with very tight tolerances around this maximum diameter and equipped it with a rifle sight. The Deerslayer thus shot much more accurately with shotgun barrel projectiles than normal shotguns. The Deerslayer was offered in calibers 12, 16 and 20 as well as in the levels Standard, Deluxe and Super Deluxe. The barrel length was 66 cm; from 1962 a 51 cm long "carbine barrel" was also offered.

Against the background of increasing unrest in the USA, the Ithaca Gun Company decided in 1962 to create and market two shotguns for police and military use. These shotguns were the Model 37DS Police Special (DSPS), which was based on the Model 37 Deerslayer, and the Model 37 Military & Police (M&P), which was based on the Model 37 Standard Grade.

In 1962/63 Ithaca again delivered shotguns with handguards and bayonet adapters to the US armed forces, but this time they were based on the M&P.

While the DSPS was optimized for the use of shotgun bullets, the M&P was primarily intended for the use of post shot. The M&P was offered with a phosphated finish (inside and outside), a 20-inch barrel with a cylinder or full choke bore, an oiled walnut stock and a brass pearl grain. The system box is without roll engraving.

In 1967 the Ithaca Gun Company was sold to a group of investors; under the new parent company, General Recreation, Inc., the Ithaca Gun Company continued its work and continuously brought out new versions of the Model 37.

From 1968 the M&P was also offered with an enlarged magazine for eight rounds. From 1976 the M&P was also offered with a matt chrome-plated finish.

In 1981 the Ithaca Gun Company added another version of the M&P to their product range. This new version had a pistol grip and a black plastic forend instead of the wooden butt. It was called "hand grip".

In the same year the "Stakeout" came out, which can be seen as a variant of the M&P. The stakeout had a barrel only 13¼ inches; In caliber 20, the system case was not made of steel, but of aluminum. In 1982 the Stakeout was also launched with a matt chrome finish; the fore-end was fitted with a short webbing strap that prevented the shooter's hand from slipping off during the repeating process and from getting in front of the muzzle.

In 1982 the model 37 Bear Stopper shown in the picture appeared, which, according to the advertising, was intended to protect against grizzly bears.

In 1987 the Ithaca Aquisition Corporation acquired the former Ithaca Gun Company, which had gone bankrupt with its parent company. Parts of the old product range went back into production, but now as Model 87.

construction

The Model 37 has only one large opening in the system box. There is no separate ejector window - the tubes are ejected through the loading opening in the bottom of the system box. As a result, the housing is less weakened than in conventional designs and the weapon is suitable for both right-handed and left-handed users. With this construction, the system box could be a bit lighter than usual; in addition, a significant part of the wooden butt is hollowed out to save weight.

The locking takes place in that the locking block is tilted from the horizontal when it reaches the foremost position; the rear end of the closure enters a groove in the ceiling of the housing and supports the closure.

The barrel can be dismantled easily and without tools to clean or replace it. For this purpose, the end cap of the magazine tube is screwed back so far that a pin located in its end face emerges from a hole in the back of the hook under the barrel (barrel lug). The barrel can then be pulled out of the housing after a quarter turn around its longitudinal axis.

literature

• Walter Claude Snyder: Ithaca Featherlight Repeaters . Cook And Uline Publishing, Southern Pines, NC, 1998. ISBN 0-9629469-1-5 .
• Thomas F. Swearengen: The World's Fighting Shotguns . TBN Enterprises, Alexandria, VA, 1978.
• Chris McNab, handguns , Kaiser Verlag, Klagenfurt, 2007, ISBN 3-7043-1440-4 .