1981 M37 Defense

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.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:44 am
PostPosted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 6:53 pm
I just bought an M37 Defense shotgun, with extended magazine tube.

A quick serial number search brought up a date of manufacture as sometime in 1981. Well thats makes it 30 years old and for its age it's in great shape.

A few scratches and dings,a bit of rust and carmalized gun oil in the internals but nothing a bit of elbow grease and a bronze brush can't fix.

I have it apart cleaning out the rust cooties right now, so no pics for the time being.

And Yes I'm stoked!

I also got to handle a new Ithaca M37 Featherlight made in Sandusky. Old school blued steel and wood. It was a beautiful shotgun, quality and worksmanship from bead to butt plate.
PostPosted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:52 pm
Sounds nice...please post up some pix when you got her back in shape !!

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:44 am
PostPosted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:05 am
Yeah photos are in order on this one! It was dry as a cobb, and some of what I thought were dings through to metal on the receiver turned out to be paint scuffs. So other than some minor surface pitting in the chamber, it is in better shape than I originally thought it was.

The magazine spring is a bit in the weak side so I'll order another, and install when it arrives. I'd consider that normal given the age. Hoping to have it back together and ready for a function check with live ammo by Monday.

Do you know how hard it is to find one of these things that looks like it has sat in a closet for 30 years? Ths one has that look to it. I can spot the tell tale signs.

To start with, I hit it with some G96 triple gun treatment and let that set and work for a while, the phosphate finish has come back to a pretty OD green and the carmalize oil is lifting a bit. I'm liking it!

.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:44 am
PostPosted: Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:28 am
Image

The top is a new Ithaca Defense made in Sandusky, it has the fixed barrel and the receiver is about 3/16" of an inch longer than the 1981 DSPS that is pictured below it. The slight difference is not apparent until you put them side by side

They are both great shotguns, the older DSPS has a lighter greenish shade of parkerizing which doesn't show up well in the picture. As you can see is in excellent condition for a 30 year old shotgun.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 10:59 am
Have you taken them out to shoot them?
Those are some nice looking guns ,gunner..
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.22LR
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:44 am
PostPosted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:24 pm
I recently acquired these two within the last month and as yet found the time to get to the range with them. I would like to pattern them with buckshot. I have function tested them with the A zoom snap caps and they cycle.

The older DSPS will slam fire while the newer one won't. I don't know why the folks at Sandusky didn't stay true to the original M37 design. Liability perhaps? I can't say, but thats my uneducated guess. The new M37 Defense has a bit more heft to it. It is not as light as the older DSPS. It is noticeable but not overly so. If that makes sense.

I would like to add an older 18 1/2" Defense to the collection. Yet have not seen one except in pictures.

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