Model 37 Ultralight followed me home!

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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:13 pm
Here she is, the first one I've ever seen. It's been hunted, used, but in great shape with really good wood. After I leaned all the gunk out of it she's slick as a whistle. I'm pretty excited! Here's some bad pics!

Image

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:35 am
That's a very nice looking gun, Colonel - very "clean" lines.

I wonder if any Ultralights made their way over The Pond. I've yet to even *hear* of one over here, let alone *seen* one.

Regards,

Mark.
Came late in life to shooting but is making up for lost time...
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:07 am
Wowee Col, that is a nice one! hang onto it, you don't see too many, especially in that condition!
--Jim

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:31 am
Should make a fantastic upland gun!

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:40 am
Nice looking gun Colonel.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:23 pm
Thanks guys. It's a real neat gun, at a real good price. You know what they say, the Lord takes care of infants and idiots lol.
But I do have a question for you experts. So the serial numbers follow the same guidelines as to saying them? I'm trying to figure out it's birthday.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:35 pm
It looks like a King Ferry gun, just looking at the picture. Ithaca started making them in 1978. It should have the ULT prefix but if memory serves the serial numbers follow the number sequence.

Some one correct me if I'm wrong.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 2:44 pm
It does say King Ferry, and have ult add a prefix. I'll run the numbers when I get home.

So it's my first ultralight and my first King Ferry gun. When I was cleaning it last night I also realized that it's the first one I've ever had that has the L pin holding the right hand shell stop. It sure made cleaning easier.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 3:33 pm
Replacing that tiney little screw with the "L" pin was a definate improvement. I don't recall when it was done, but my 1981 Magnum has the pin.

I've long admired the "English Ultra" 20ga, ce to handle one!have never seen one for sale in my area. I'd like a chance to at least handle one!

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:57 pm
Alright fellers. We have a mystery before us. The serial number is nine digits long ULT- 37173xxxx. If I'm reading the list correctly that dates the gun to 1982 which is before the Kung Ferry time, right?

The barrel says model 37-20 GA-2 3/4 & 3 chamber- proof tested, Ithaca GUN COMPANY, LLC, KING FERRY, NY, MADE IN USA.

the barrel is vent rib too.

So...... Is this an old receiver that was left over and a king ferry barrel was put on it after the change? Is it an old receiver that someone put a new barrel on? I know the barrel says 3", is the receiver 3"if it's from '82?
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:19 pm
in 81 the guns looked diffrent then yours .
i have an 81
the ult in front of the SB indicates an early gun ,,later guns were SN ult
firstly all the ultrafeatherwieghts in 81 were 2-3/4
the barrels of all of them were vent ribs and 26", the early ones were marked ultafeatherwieght
later barrels were same specks , but dropped the ultra on the barrel
also the stock you have is a later stock then 81 ,,think 70s press checkering and the grouse gripcap


its looking to me like an early ultra that was restocked and rebarreled.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 6:33 pm
That's what I'm a thinking too.

Looks like I'm going to have to track down the proper furniture, maybe barrel too.
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 7:26 pm
well depending on how accurate you want to make it could be real easy ,, or hard

there were a few diffrent press checkering patterns used .
it might take a bit to locate the correct one but its doable,
the grouse gripcap is gonna be the harder thing to locate.

the factory correct barrel is gonna be hard to find ,but any 26" vent rib in either IC or mod would work

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2013 8:37 pm
Thanks twisted oak. The wood is really good, so I'll probably stick with it unless I run up on the real thing. I would like to find the grip cap though. I'll start the search there.

Thanks for the help!

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:13 am
I think the 20ga. used a 25" barrel while the later 12 had a 26" at first, later a 25" like it's 20ga. kin. As far as I know all 20ga. UltraFeatherlight barrels with standard chokes were marked, "UltraFeatherlight" while the later, (and heavier) screw in choke barrels were not, (being the same as the standard Featherlight, unmarked). If your gun is a 1982 production, it should read, "UltraLight" rather than "UltraFeatherlight" as they shortened the name for that year.

As for stocks, I know in 1982 the UltraFeatherlights, (UltraLights) used a slimmer forend than standard, and also a shorter than normal stock with a 12.5" or 13" LOP could be correct on those guns and could have a cut checkering rather than impressed. (See Walt Snyder's book, Ithaca Featherlight Repeaters, pages 126-132)

Strange things happen at factorys at times, my 1981 Magnum Model is Field, or "Basic" grade and has several non standard features for it's grade, yet I'm sure it left the factory that way. I have a Winchester Model 1894 special Order rifle that the factory letter states it was received in warehouse, (as it is in my possesion with all special order features present) in August of 1901, the receiver dates to 1898, three full years before it was recorded as being received in the warehouse to be shipped...
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 5:30 am
It sounds like it was a leftover from the old company. Too many new parts on an older receiver. In the year before the King Ferry Company ceased, they were doing anything they could to get product out the door.
--Jim

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 8:08 am
Dad and I were thinking te same thing. The receiver and barrel have equal amounts of wear. If just the barrel had been replaced, or just the wood it might be different.

I don't know but it being a leftover receiver makes sense to me.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:28 am
ravengunsmith wrote:It sounds like it was a leftover from the old company. Too many new parts on an older receiver. In the year before the King Ferry Company ceased, they were doing anything they could to get product out the door.


Totally agree


The other thing to remember is Ithaca was doing this in its later years in Ithaca and the move to King Ferry for many reasons, bankruptcy etc. So the mix & matching of parts is not surprising. I have read that even when Ithaca moved to Ohio during the start up they were mixing parts. These parts were later scrapped in favor their new production.

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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:34 am
Thanks guys. I'm agreeing with y'all.

So...... Even though the barrel has a 3 inch chamber, the receiver is still going to be 2 3/4, right?
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:56 pm
yup
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PostPosted: Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:33 pm
I LIKE! :mrgreen: I want an Ultralight bad. :oops:
Insert comical quip here.

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PostPosted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 10:02 pm
Keep your fingers crossed. I haven't decided if she's staying yet or not! One minute I think yes, then I don't know.

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