Ithaca 37 Question

[viking499]

Found a Hastings 37 barrel today. NIB with chokes. The guy asked me which of the three barrels I needed. I asked why and he told me that Ithaca had three different setups on their barrels.......

I thought there were only 2. The only thing I ever looked at was the serial numbers.....above or below 855,000.

Am I missing something?

 

[jaguarxk120]

I have been told the same thing by a gunsmith. BUT the only two thread sizes I know of are the before and after 855,000 serial numbers.

And Ithaca changed the barrel end enough so the two can not be interchanged.

Plus I have read about the dangers of correct headspace on guns like the Ithaca, BUT no reports/pictures of guns failing. Seen blowups from wads stuck in barrel or smaller gauge shells dropped in where they dont belong 20/12.

Try the Ithaca owners web site maybe someone there can sort the barrels out.

 

[rcmodel]

Ithaca themselves make no mention of more then just the two models of barrels.

http://www.ithacagun.com/ithacabarrels.html

rc

 

[Southpaw 02]

There are only 2 that I know of pre 855000 and post 855000.

 

[viking499]

I was also thinking only 2.

Is there a way to tell if it is a 3" chamber? Is it labeled on the receiver or in the serial number?

 

[rcmodel]

Chamber length & ga is marked on the barrel only.

rc

 

[CaptainChaos]

the only two thread sizes I know of are the before and after 855,000 serial numbers.

I believe that it's not so much a question of *size* but of *type*; the old threads are helical but the new ones are parallel. At least, that's what I read somewhere...

Regards,

Mark.

 

[Centurian22]

Another vote for the two types, pre and post 855,000.

 

[SDC]

Ithaca also added an "M" (Magnum) to the serial numbers on the receivers of their Magnum-chambered pumps.

 

[viking499]

Chamber length & ga is marked on the barrel only.

Won't a 3" barrel work on a 2 3/4" gun if the serial number is above 855,000? You could probably run 3" shells through a 2 3/4" gun with a 3" barrel, but I would think that they might hang ever now and then, or at least rub some.

Or is a 3" barrel and a 2 3/4" receiver no problem, nothing to worry about?

Ithaca also added an "M" (Magnum) to the serial numbers on the receivers of their Magnum-chambered pumps.

Is the "M" on all their 3" guns?

 

[Southpaw 02]

That would account for the 3 variations the mag receiver is longer.

 

[SDC]

"Is the "M" on all their 3" guns?"

That depends on exactly when it was made, and in what series; they made 3" guns in the 37, the M37, and the 87 (basically the same design), but all of these will be denoted with a "MAG" or "M" if the receiver was made to accept 3" shells.

 

[viking499]

Does anyone here use a 3" barrel with a 2 3/4" receiver?

Would there be any worries about pressure issues?

 

[jaguarxk120]

Not the pressure's as the length of the shell. A 3 inch shell won't cycle through a 2 3/4 action.