Ducks Unlimited to Home Defense

Moderator: ripjack13


Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2016 10:05 pm
For Father's Day, I found an identical 87 Ducks Unlimited to my father's. He bought it used and it had a cracked wrist. I found the gun that I used for furniture for $500, and it probably was one of the best gifts he ever got. He loves the wood coloring, and we have been looking around for years to find a replacement.

So, I had a stockless 87, with a 26" ribbed barrel. To fix the stock, I picked up new walnut from Boyds. Due to getting the corncob forend, I had to get a new forend nut to make that work (the arm assembly that should have worked didn't, so I made the original work 8-)).

After the stock was installed, I decided to make it into a basic defensive shotgun. Sent the barrel out to RAS, and had it shortened to 20" (at a rib mount), and install two beads (white front, brass mid). I also had it threaded to Remington chokes, since I use 11-87s for hunting, and have an entire set (has Improved Cylinder in it now).

Image

Image

Image

I'm going to refinish the gun, and likely going to use CCR (used them for a lot of guns, never a problem). I kind of want to go all nickel, with their cera-plate. But depending on what they can do in regards to plating larger parts, I might Parkerize the major parts (barrel, magazine tube, receiver, trigger guard), and plate smaller stuff and internals.
PostPosted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 10:35 am
Welcome to the Ithaca Owners Forum !!

Enjoy our community...
User avatar
.270 WIN
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:14 am
Location: Mitcham, South London, England
PostPosted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 1:06 pm
Sometimes the simplest is the best, we in in the UK are stuck with minimum barrel length of 24", your first picture shows , in my opinion the fundamental good looks, balance and simplicity of the Ithaca pump gun, with optimum barrel length. Nice One!

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 3:57 pm
impala59 wrote:Sometimes the simplest is the best, we in in the UK are stuck with minimum barrel length of 24", your first picture shows , in my opinion the fundamental good looks, balance and simplicity of the Ithaca pump gun, with optimum barrel length. Nice One!


Thanks.

It is a very nice handling shotgun. I would have liked to have gone a little shorter, but worrying about getting too close to the legal limit.

Currently have a few emails out regarding the finish. I am considering Melonite, nickel plating (NP3 or cera-plate), and Parkerizing (also a mix of the last two). Definitely will update this when the project wraps up.

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Fri Sep 09, 2016 6:26 pm
Well, shotgun is on its way to Robar... NP3 Plus.

Will post pictures on its return.

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2016 5:13 pm
Just got a notification on my phone that Robar charged my card for $491... pictures should be coming soon.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:41 am
Looking forward to the pictures...

.270 WIN
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 pm
Location: Midstate, Pa.
PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2016 9:17 pm
I went a little nuts on my '37 Magnum Model. It had a 30" VR full choke barrel, then I added a new 26" VR with interchangeable chokes. Still not satisfied, a rifled Deer Slayer from an '87 was next, then an older smooth bore Deer Slayer barrel. Lastly I bid on a new '37 Magnum 20" "riot" barrel and won as the only bidder. I think I'm done buying barrels for the Magnum now...
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:59 am
Have any pictures Krag...!?

.270 WIN
Posts: 494
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:10 pm
Location: Midstate, Pa.
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2016 3:12 pm
Image

I didn't have the 20" "riot" when I took this.

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Mon Nov 28, 2016 10:04 pm
I got it Wednesday, but didn't get pictures until today...

Image

Image

Image

Image

Cut the Velcro to work with the shell cards. Really happy with how it came out. I did show my dad when he came over this weekend... and he thought it came out great. Wanted to have his barrel cut down the same, but kind of discouraged him. Think he should leave that gun how he has it.
PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 9:52 am
Looking real good... !!
User avatar
.270 WIN
Posts: 202
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 2:14 am
Location: Mitcham, South London, England
PostPosted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 2:13 pm
Great looking gun, hope the finish is durable, because I hope you get out and shoot the thing too! It would be interesting to see how it patterns with bird and buck shot
PostPosted: Thu Dec 01, 2016 10:33 am
Yes...a range report would be nice.

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2016 5:20 pm
Might take it to the trap range to try bird shot... but I don't shoot it out of guns unless I'm bird hunting or shooting clays.

Will probably try it out with Remington 00... think I have a few low-recoil boxes laying around that I might as well shoot opposed to my defensive stuff (I shoot it out of my bed gun at least once a year).
PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 11:53 am
Anything good to report from the range Screwball...!?

Copper BB
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Jun 03, 2016 10:27 pm
Location: NJ
PostPosted: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:08 pm
SHOOTER13 wrote:Anything good to report from the range Screwball...!?


Nope. Trying to take it sometime before Christmas, but hard to make time.

Return to Ithaca Model 37

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 12 guests