All Model 37's had serial numbers before they left the factory. The older guns have the number stamped in the face of the receiver where the barrel & magazine tube are threaded in. Also, a matching number is stamped on the underside of the barrel. Thanx!

Les Hovencamp
www.diamondgunsmithing.com

 

If it has no number, It's been removed and therefore, according to federal law, it is a felony to possess it..Bushrod

 

No serial number, not removed, no S.N. required before 1968.

"The Gun Control Act of 1968 made it mandatory for all firearms manufactured in the United States to have serial numbers. This law was passed after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Winchester discontinued the Model 37 in 1963.

 

Is this 37 a later model with the elongated trigger guard? If so, the serial number was on the receiver above the trigger guard on the right. If the gun has been reblued, then the numbers could have been polished off.

If it's an earlier gun, the serial number is on the forward edge of the receiver and can be missed if one doesn't know where to look. Those guns have the smaller trigger guard.

DF

 

If it has no number, It's been removed and therefore, according to federal law, it is a felony to possess it..Bushrod

Very true: Under BATFE reg's. it's a felony to possess it. For sure that Model 37 had a serial no when it left the factory or Ithaca would have been in violation of federal law. Ithaca would not have done that all Model 37's carry a serial no,however not in ths same location on all Model 37's

RON

 

Leave it to Natty to get moody.
I will find the serial number, nothing has been removed from this gun.

 

Gun is now sold, found the serial number.
Sorry natty.

 

Moody?? You said the gun had no serial number, Right.. I said it was a felony to own it, So Please tell me where I'm either Wrong or moody. I think it's time for you Drop your 3 year old vendetta.. Bushrod

 

I don't need to be educated by you Natty. You did not tell me anything I did not already know, and you did not contribute to the thread in a positive way. Most of your posts are negative in nature, and you are rarely nice and courteous to anyone.
I do not have a vendetta against you whatsoever.
I also admire your knowledge of history & guns, however, I have always thought that your bedside manners could use some help.

 

Apparently you needed educating by someone or you wouldn't have asked the question, anyway, I don;t intend to engage my self in a battle of wits, with an unarmed man.. That's all for me on this string,,Bushrod

 

Removing a serial number is agaisnt federal law. However, serials weren't required prior to 1968 were they? But many manufacturers put them on, correct? Was there a law in effect prior to 1968 that prohibited the removal of a serial number? If not, what if the removal was done prior to passage of the law?

I don't know the answers to all (or actually any of) these questions, but I could see a multiple scenario here.

It's clear that it's a felony to remove it today.

But the laws have certainly changed several times since Ithaca's have been produced.

JW

 

Well, before 1968, there were a lot of gun models from several different companies that did not have serial numbers.

I do question if Ithaca ever made the M37 without serial #s.

 

Ole Cowboy,

Most manufacturers (that made something worth a darn) put a serial number on it I think so they could track warranty/repair/quality/changes, etc.

However, some older guns had the serial on the barrel only (usually european).

JW

 

Ole cowboy,

I think the serial number was found, my guess on the forward edge of the receiver. That bit of info got buried in the "food fight" that ensued, but if you'll read back, you'll find it.

BTW, Rogmatt, was it an older gun with the serial number tucked neatly on the leading edge of the receiver?

DF

 

Most manufacturers (that made something worth a darn) put a serial number on it I think so they could track warranty/repair/quality/changes, etc.

Whatever you think, but several of the major gun companies, before 1968, made many models that did not have serial #s. Granted, most of these models were not top of he line, but many were of good quality and well though of by many folks.

 

Ole Cowboy,

That's true, I've enjoyed shooting H&R and Hi-Standard revolvers, which were economical. I don't have any at the moment, but they did shoot well.

I admit it was imformation picked up secondhand, and was not from a published source.

JW

 

Most manufacturers (that made something worth a darn) put a serial number on it I think so they could track warranty/repair/quality/changes, etc.

Whatever you think, but several of the major gun companies, before 1968, made many models that did not have serial #s. Granted, most of these models were not top of he line, but many were of good quality and well though of by many folks.

I know for example that there were many SxS's from J.C. Higgins, Stevens, and Savage that were not marked with serial numbers, particularly the older Model 311's.

 

All the M-37s were serial numbered. Fitted barrels/receiver assemblies were separated during manufacture process and the sn, if for no other reason, assured the parts eventual reunion. In contrast to the M-49s that weren't serial numbered until 1968.

 

If I understand right, there is no problem with a gun not having a serial # if it was made before '68. The problem is if a serial # is removed from a gun, even one made well before '68. Am I close?