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Ordnance Notes -- by Bob Stoner GMCM(SW) Ret.
ITHACA Model 37 Shotgun
The Ithaca "Homeland
Defense Shotgun" is identical to the guns used in Viet Nam except
for the installation of sling swivels. Photo: Ithaca Gun
The Ithaca Gun Company produced its
first shotgun in 1883. In 1937 the company released its newest creation: the
Model 37 Repeater. The Model 37 was a pump action shotgun based on the Remington
Model 17 pump shotgun. The Ithaca was an improvement on the former design because
it emphasized simplicity of form and function. The Model 37 has remained in
continuous production since its introduction. It has been produced in a bewildering
number of finishes, calibers, barrel lengths, smooth bore and rifled barrel
configurations, and stock and forearm configurations. It's simplicity and reliability
have earned it the respect of sportsmen, police officers, and the military.
Simplicity: the Model 37 has the
fewest parts of any pump shotgun. Reliability: the gun is easily used by right
or left handed shooters because, unlike other pump shotguns, it loads and ejects
through the bottom of the gun. The double-fingered shell carrier provides positive
control of the round, from magazine to chamber. The barrel is attached to the
receiver by an interrupted thread. It is easily removed for cleaning by unscrewing
the knurled plug on the end of the magazine tube, turning it 90 degrees, and
pulling it off the receiver.
Shotguns have been used in combat
by American troops since the Revolutionary War. While the tools of war have
become more fearsome in their range and the number of rounds they can shoot,
the shotgun is still an awesome adversary at short range. The Model 37 can put
54 pellets of 00 buckshot (.33 caliber) down range as fast as the trigger can
be pulled and the forearm cycled. (Once the trigger was pulled for the first
shot, the disconnector allows the gun to fire all the ammunition in its magazine
by merely cycling the forearm.) In this regard, it puts your average submachine
gun to shame.
Ithaca 37 combat shotguns used in
Viet Nam were either riot guns (18-inch barrels) or trench guns (20-inch barrels).
The stocks and forearms were wood and the exposed metal parts were Parkerized
(manganese phosphated). The caliber was 12 gauge and the barrel was cylinder
bored (without any choke or restriction) for maximum shot dispersion. Capacity
was 6 shots. Trench guns had a barrel shroud or ventilated handguard over the
barrel and could mount the M-7 bayonet of the M-16 rifle. Sling swivels were
provided for the standard 1-1/4 inch web rifle sling. Sights consisted of a
brass bead mounted on the end of the barrel and a flat, grooved sight plane
milled into the top of the receiver. The forearm latch (bolt release) was located
at the right front of the trigger guard and the safety was located at the rear
of the trigger guard. Shotguns procured for issue to U.S. forces during Viet
Nam were in the 9XX,XXX serial number range.
The point man of Navy SEAL teams
liked to carry the Ithaca M37 for the firepower it could bring to bear in the
jungle where engagements were usually fought a point-blank range. The Navy also
made up some modified Ithaca M37s for its SEALs. The magazine tube was extended
almost to the muzzle of the 20-inch barrel and its latch lug was repositioned.
The trench gun ventilated handguard was not used. The modified M37 could now
carry two additional rounds for a total of eight. A shot spreader (commonly
called a "duck bill") was attached to the end of the barrel. The shot
spreader's purpose was to flatten the shot group exiting the barrel from a circular
pattern to an oval pattern. The shot spreader gave more coverage of the target
at usual engagement ranges. These guns are now quite rare. Since the end of
hostilities in Viet Nam, combat shotguns in the military inventory have been
augmented by militarized versions of the Mossberg 500 and Remington 870. Nevertheless,
the Ithaca M37 was a proven, useful tool. They are probably still in the racks
of Naval Special Warfare armories.
Ithaca Model 37 Specifications:
Length . . . . approximately 43 inches (depending on barrel length)
Type . . . . . pump action shotgun
Caliber . . . 12 gauge
Feed . . . . . tube magazine - 6 or 8 rounds
Sights . . . . brass bead front
Weight . . . . approximately 7 pounds
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© 2002 Bob Stoner
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