ccm75
NES Member
I was spending some time in the safe this evening and decided to pull out some of my favorites to wipe them down and clean a couple that I’ve been using. And I got to thinking about how I ended up with so many Ithaca shotguns....You could say I have a “thing” for Ithaca guns.
I grew up in Trumansburg, NY which is just up the lake from Ithaca. When I was a kid everyone I knew had an Ithaca in their house. I went to school with kids whose dads, uncles or grandfathers worked for “the gun company”. I remember the night my father came home with a NIB Deluxe 37 that he bought through my uncles little bait and tackle shop over on Seneca Lake. It was 1970 and I can still remember the long white box and the new beautiful gun that my dad would use to hunt birds and I would learn to shoot with. That gun still hangs in the top pegs of my father’s gun rack.
I grew up hunting with and shooting a hand-me-down Mossie 500 from my uncle and I dreamed of the day that I too would have my own Model 37…..Fast forward about 10-15 years when I was out of the service, single with not much debt and making some money. It seemed like every gun shop I went into had a few nice Ithaca shotguns for me to drool over and eventually I was able to pick one up here and there.
My first nice Ithaca that I was able to buy was a real gem and is still my go to bird gun. I found it at Bob’s in Webster in May of 1991 after I moved to MA for work. It was a NIB 37 Ultralight, 12 ga., mfg. 1984, with beautiful wood. Bob or his dad weren’t in the store that morning so after looking at the gun and realizing I had to have it, I asked the woman if she could work with me on the price and she gave me a nice discount. The next time I went in there I told Bob how much I liked the gun and he said - “That was you! You’re lucky I wasn’t here that day. That was my last new Ithaca made Ithaca and you got a good price on that gun…!” And from there my modest collection grew to multiple Ithaca guns; mostly 37’s. I hunt with most of them but several never leave the safe…
I love a NIB gun from the 70’s or 80’s and hope to find the time to learn more about the earlier trap guns and maybe someday acquire a single barrel trap gun along with a 1911. I have a small collection of catalogs and advertising and need to get back to hunting for those great old catalogs that I poured through as a kid in the 70’s. I’m happy to own two signed copies of Walt Snyder’s books about Ithaca Gun. These are a must read for anyone that has an interest in the history of some great American gun making.
From top to bottom: (Sorry for the lousy pics..)
37-Mag, 20 ga. New Unfired, 1977; short run of 20ga in 3”, with original inspection hang tag and deluxe wood.
37 DS, 26” barrel, shoots like a rifle. Mfg. 1970.
37 FL, 20 ga. VR, Mod. Mfg. 1970, My son’s current bird gun.
37 ULT as mentioned above. 1984 still mint.
37 DS, 20” 12 ga. My current deer gun. Mfg. 1983, with dozens of deer to it's credit.
Model 51, 20ga., 1987, LNIB.
Model 66, 20 ga., 1978
Model 49, .22, 1978
And to left, the red headed step child, a King Ferry 37, 20ga DS/Turkey combo.
Thanks for looking and show me your favorite Ithaca!
I grew up in Trumansburg, NY which is just up the lake from Ithaca. When I was a kid everyone I knew had an Ithaca in their house. I went to school with kids whose dads, uncles or grandfathers worked for “the gun company”. I remember the night my father came home with a NIB Deluxe 37 that he bought through my uncles little bait and tackle shop over on Seneca Lake. It was 1970 and I can still remember the long white box and the new beautiful gun that my dad would use to hunt birds and I would learn to shoot with. That gun still hangs in the top pegs of my father’s gun rack.
I grew up hunting with and shooting a hand-me-down Mossie 500 from my uncle and I dreamed of the day that I too would have my own Model 37…..Fast forward about 10-15 years when I was out of the service, single with not much debt and making some money. It seemed like every gun shop I went into had a few nice Ithaca shotguns for me to drool over and eventually I was able to pick one up here and there.
My first nice Ithaca that I was able to buy was a real gem and is still my go to bird gun. I found it at Bob’s in Webster in May of 1991 after I moved to MA for work. It was a NIB 37 Ultralight, 12 ga., mfg. 1984, with beautiful wood. Bob or his dad weren’t in the store that morning so after looking at the gun and realizing I had to have it, I asked the woman if she could work with me on the price and she gave me a nice discount. The next time I went in there I told Bob how much I liked the gun and he said - “That was you! You’re lucky I wasn’t here that day. That was my last new Ithaca made Ithaca and you got a good price on that gun…!” And from there my modest collection grew to multiple Ithaca guns; mostly 37’s. I hunt with most of them but several never leave the safe…
I love a NIB gun from the 70’s or 80’s and hope to find the time to learn more about the earlier trap guns and maybe someday acquire a single barrel trap gun along with a 1911. I have a small collection of catalogs and advertising and need to get back to hunting for those great old catalogs that I poured through as a kid in the 70’s. I’m happy to own two signed copies of Walt Snyder’s books about Ithaca Gun. These are a must read for anyone that has an interest in the history of some great American gun making.
From top to bottom: (Sorry for the lousy pics..)
37-Mag, 20 ga. New Unfired, 1977; short run of 20ga in 3”, with original inspection hang tag and deluxe wood.
37 DS, 26” barrel, shoots like a rifle. Mfg. 1970.
37 FL, 20 ga. VR, Mod. Mfg. 1970, My son’s current bird gun.
37 ULT as mentioned above. 1984 still mint.
37 DS, 20” 12 ga. My current deer gun. Mfg. 1983, with dozens of deer to it's credit.
Model 51, 20ga., 1987, LNIB.
Model 66, 20 ga., 1978
Model 49, .22, 1978
And to left, the red headed step child, a King Ferry 37, 20ga DS/Turkey combo.
Thanks for looking and show me your favorite Ithaca!
my buddies father had/has a farm in Mecklynburg.
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