Just sharing: I picked up a beautifully restored Remington Model 17 this past weekend at a KC gun show. I shot it this afternoon and it shoots as good as it looks. Such high quality work is rare these days and I feel lucky to have the gun in my collection. I'm shooting sporting clays tomorrow in preparation for dove season. A new gun makes it all the more fun.
Remington Model 17 20ga
- Thread starter Sniper66
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Actually the 17 is the predecessor of the Ithaca 37 and some of the parts probably would interchange. John M Browning patented the design that became the Remington Model 17 in 1915 and after the patents on it expired, Ithaca did some refining of the design and brought out the Model 37.
They are very cool guns. You have acquired a keeper for sure.
They are very cool guns. You have acquired a keeper for sure.
Kp321
Member
As drcook said, the 17 is very similar to the Ithaca 37 but only some parts will interchange and those might need fitting. In other words, be careful and don't break anything.
Congrats on your new to you gun. I picked one up a while ago for $75 that was Being turned in at a gun buyback in seattle. It was being turned in because it was "broken". Only thing wrong mechanically was the shell lifter was installed wrong and would jam up the action when you tried to cycle it.
Planning on a restomod. It came with a 28" or 30" plain full choke barrel. Going to have it cut to 26", install a vent rib off a severly rusted (pitting almost all the way through) 11-48 barrel, Have screw in chokes installed and refinish the whole thing.
Should make a great upland bird gun and a fun toy for the skeet range.
Planning on a restomod. It came with a 28" or 30" plain full choke barrel. Going to have it cut to 26", install a vent rib off a severly rusted (pitting almost all the way through) 11-48 barrel, Have screw in chokes installed and refinish the whole thing.
Should make a great upland bird gun and a fun toy for the skeet range.
Tommygunn
Member
Querry: does it have a Cutts Compensator on the muzzle?
I inherited a Remington Model 17 from my father which did, which is why I'm asking.
Mine works OK but I have retired it because the bolt lock-up seems a bit loose and I prefer 12 gauge anyway. Good luck with your gun; you have a classic...the last Browning designed pump action he did.
tactikel
Member
You have IMHO the smoothest pump shotgun ever made. I inhereted my grandfather's '17 which he bought in the '20s. My favorite Grouse gun for 20 years until the OU bug bit me.
It is the only pump, where you can cock it, point it upward, hit the bolt release and it will completely fall out of battery. Cherish your purchase.
It is the only pump, where you can cock it, point it upward, hit the bolt release and it will completely fall out of battery. Cherish your purchase.
So does it's child, the Ithaca Model 37. Both being based on the same design, they function the same. Especially the pre-war Ithacas had the same care and meticulous assembly by the craftsmen of that era.
My 1952 37 16ga is exceptionally smooth.
Have a gunsmith look at the end of the slide release. Unless the mortice in the top of the receiver has been exceptionally worn out (very hard to do) or the bolt itself (also very hard to do), the part that simply keeps it where it should be at is the slide release. It does not take any of the bolt thrust, the mortice in the top of the receiver does that.
If you look at the design, the bolt locks into the mortice/cutout in the receiver and rides on the bolt carrier. There is a cam surface relationship between the bolt and its carrier.
If you work on this design, which includes the Ithaca, you can very simply move it in and out of battery IF the trigger guard assembly is not in place. There is no resistance at all to drop it out of lockup. It is a very brilliant design.
Sometimes the end of the slide release gets peened and allows movement that it should not. It is quite possible that the slide release from an older Ithaca might fit. It has to be one from the "slam fire" days though as the design was changed to prevent that.
I put pieces of both of these above posts together because they are both manifestations of the same design feature.
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45crittergitter
Member
Just FYI
Remington first purchased manufacturing rights to John Browning’s 1913 patent on bottom-ejecting pump shotguns, then manufactured it as the Remington Models 17 (20 ga., 1921-33) and 29 (12 ga., 1930-33). This was J.M. Browning’s last pump design. The Model 17 was available in 20 ga. only and weighed 5¼#. Browning’s patent expired in 1932 and Remington discontinued Models 17 & 29 in 1933 in favor of the side-loading Model 31. The Model 31 was known as “the ball bearing repeater” for its smooth action. The Ithaca Gun Company introduced a slightly revised version of the Model 17 design in 1937 as the Ithaca Model 37. It contained only slight modifications, such as the addition of a second extractor. Ithaca planned to begin manufacturing in 1933, and the gun was to be named the “Ithaca Model 33 Repeater.” Then Ithaca discovered another patent, this one issued to J.D. Pedersen. Surprised earlier by the same patent, Remington had belatedly paid Pedersen a lump-sum fee and a royalty on each bun subsequently produced. Development was halted until the Pedersen patent expired in October 1936. Deliveries of the renamed Ithaca Model 37 began the following year.
Note that the Model 17s are 2¾” guns, as the 3” 20 gauge wasn’t introduced yet. In 1954 Winchester finally announced the 20 gauge magnum, but had already been building some on special order for a couple of years.
Remington first purchased manufacturing rights to John Browning’s 1913 patent on bottom-ejecting pump shotguns, then manufactured it as the Remington Models 17 (20 ga., 1921-33) and 29 (12 ga., 1930-33). This was J.M. Browning’s last pump design. The Model 17 was available in 20 ga. only and weighed 5¼#. Browning’s patent expired in 1932 and Remington discontinued Models 17 & 29 in 1933 in favor of the side-loading Model 31. The Model 31 was known as “the ball bearing repeater” for its smooth action. The Ithaca Gun Company introduced a slightly revised version of the Model 17 design in 1937 as the Ithaca Model 37. It contained only slight modifications, such as the addition of a second extractor. Ithaca planned to begin manufacturing in 1933, and the gun was to be named the “Ithaca Model 33 Repeater.” Then Ithaca discovered another patent, this one issued to J.D. Pedersen. Surprised earlier by the same patent, Remington had belatedly paid Pedersen a lump-sum fee and a royalty on each bun subsequently produced. Development was halted until the Pedersen patent expired in October 1936. Deliveries of the renamed Ithaca Model 37 began the following year.
Note that the Model 17s are 2¾” guns, as the 3” 20 gauge wasn’t introduced yet. In 1954 Winchester finally announced the 20 gauge magnum, but had already been building some on special order for a couple of years.
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