I have a question that I am hoping some of you all may be able to answer. I was gifted my dads old Ithaca 37 Featherlight 12 Ga when I was younger. Recently I was trying to date all of my firearms just to see the history of them all and this old Ithaca peaked my interest. I have found that it's a 1975 model due to the fact that the serial number begins with a 38 instead of the normal 37. After that year Ithaca went back to the 37 serial numbers.

What made them switch to a 38 then back to a 37?

Thanks for any help!

edit: Featherweight -> Featherlight

The change to 38 was during a manufacturing change in the shell stops of the Model 37. They did not work out so well. They had a lot of problems with them, then switched back to original style shell stops.

Les Hovencamp
www.diamondgunsmithing.com

I would say , in the Ithaca world a 75 gun is not

old at all.

Thanks for the replies. She may not be old, but shes older than me. Thankfully I haven't had much issue out of the shell stop, but recently went out to shoot some clays with some friends and had extraction issues which I'm hoping were due to the wally world Federal 'Game & Target' loads. Extractors would just jump over the rim.

Couple of other possibilities:

1) The chamber is dirty or rough. Clean and polish it thoroughly.

2) The extractors are dirty, worn, or have weak, old springs. Remove the bolt and disassemble it. Remove the extractors, top and bottom, and see whether there's any accumulated gunk in their recesses in the bolt that's interfering with their rotation. Check the extractor claw edges themselves: they should be sharp and clean. If they show any evidence of wear or being rounded off, a few light strokes with a file should bring them back to spec. Finally, check the strength of the extractor springs: if they are weak, replace them with new ones (available for $6.50 each, plus shipping, from the Ithaca Gun Company).

These steps will cure almost all extraction problems in a 37. If not, it's most probably an ammo issue: cheap shells with thin metal bases expand more than their more expensive counterparts with thicker bases and are therefore more prone to sticking in the chamber.

Good luck.

Before you start polishing/grinding/honing or anything like that.
Change the brand of shells as suggested!!

I have two 75's and they will shoot what ever I choose to put through them.

Marv- just a small point: the proper term is "FEATHERLIGHT", not Featherweight.

Yeah I'm going to try different ammo first, then springs and extractors. I recently broke it down and cleaned it probably the first time in a long time (dad never did) and had no problems before which is why I'm leaning towards ammo. I'll break it down again and inspect the springs and extractors more closely since that's easy enough to do.

@nesto I knew that, I don't know why I put featherweight, long day I reckon.

Once again, thanks everyone for your replies! She was my first shotgun so it's got more sentimental value than anything. The bottom load and eject is unique plus she will slam fire which is another interesting feature.

Marv,check the alignment of the extractor notches in the barrel and the receiver. If they aren't centered they will cause that problem. None of my older Ithacas like cheap Euro type hulls either.

@ohio mike: I checked that as well, but even with the magazine nut tightened fully, the barrel has some play in it. From what I've read, some people even back it off an additional notch, but that little detent doesn't seem to have much positive retention as it is.

Tighten your yoke screw a quarter turn at a time till it ceases to move.

Yoke screw is as tight as I can get it. it helped slightly but there's still some wiggle in the barrel.

Make sure the barrel is seated in the receiver properly. I've
seen some where the barrel is cocked or one thread off.
Tried to do that with some of my guns but they always go together right.
By the way the barrel yoke is a "guide" the magazine nut as it unscrews
locks the barrel into the receiver.

I have one in 20 gauge, and I replaced the funky shell stop with the original style. I kept the one that came with my gun in case I want to sell it, I'll give the buyer both shell stops.

And yes, 1975 is not old. I bought both a 1974 12 gauge and the 1975 20 gauge brand new. And I am NOT old...LOL

My oldest is from 1939 (80 yrs old) I got it at a very good price because
it was ridden hard and put away wet!!!

I'll redo the stocks and have the metal refinished. What have I got to loose?
It is older than me and I want to enjoy a gun in first class shape.

Just wondering how to spot the defective shell stops so I can avoid them. I buy used Ithaca parts often, and it would be good to know what to look for so I can pass on any of the problematic ones. If possible, please post a side-by-side photo of both styles of stops.

Thanks.

Just look at the action bar; the 38's have a notch in them that all the other 37's don't have.

Would these be examples of the faulty "38" shell stops?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ithaca-model-3 ... SwIBpbz0yY

Yes, those are model 38 shell stops. The action bar is a bit different as well. It has a notch in it to activate the shell stop.

MarvTheWetBandit, As I was scrolling through the shotgun world past posts, I happened to see your post regarding using Federal shells. From my experience, I have and shoot skeet with several of my Ithaca 37's. I found that none of my 37's like Federal shells. They will all jam up from time to time using Federal shells. I do not disagree with anyone that suggest cleaning a gun is essential and the most important aspect of owing a gun, I clean my guns religiously . However, I shoot skeet with friends on a regular basics and I only use Remington and Estate, as my 37 Ithaca's for whatever reason do not like Federal shells. I am not at all saying Federal shells are bad, simply saying that based off experience myself and my friends have had using Federal shells in our 37's, our 37's o not like Federal shells.