Ithaca 37 Review (2026): 600 Rounds With the Bottom-Eject Featherlight

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Table of Contents

Review: Ithaca 37: The Bottom-Eject Pump That Never Went Away

Our Rating: 8.0/10

• Ithaca Price: $2,799 (Featherlight 12 gauge), $1,999 to $3,499 (28 gauge), $2,999 (Trench Gun)
• Street Price: used Model 37s from $499.99 when I checked (Use our live pricing for the best up to date deal)
• Gauge: 12 (also 16, 20 and 28 gauge over the years; 12, 20 and 28 gauge in the current lineup, with 20 gauge in the Deerslayers only)
• Action: Pump, bottom loading and bottom ejecting
• Chamber: 3 in.
• Capacity: 4+1
• Barrel: 28 in. vent rib with a TruGlo front sight (Featherlight)
• Chokes: Three screw-in choke tubes included
• Weight: 7.6 lb (12 gauge, 28 in. vent rib), per Ithaca’s spec sheet
• Overall Length: 47.6 in.
• Length of Pull: 14 1/4 in.
• Stock: AA grade walnut with a Pachmayr recoil pad
• Trigger: Gold plated, 4 to 6 lb, per Ithaca
• Made in: Upper Sandusky, Ohio

Most Model 37s for sale are used guns, and that’s what this card shows: it opened at $499.99 for a used Model 37 Featherlight at Guns.com when I checked. New guns come straight from Ithaca.

Quick Take

The Ithaca 37 has been in production, on and off, since 1937, which makes it one of the longest-running pump shotguns in America. It loads and ejects through the same port in the bottom of the receiver. The sides of the receiver are solid steel, so empties drop at your feet instead of flying past a left-handed shooter’s face, and there’s no ejection port to let in rain, dust or chaff.

I shot a new 12 gauge Featherlight for this review, 600 rounds across clays, trap and the first two days of dove season. It’s slim, it swings like a much lighter gun, and the walnut and bluing are as nice as anything at the price. That price is the problem. At $2,799 new, it costs several times as much as a Mossberg 500 or a Remington 870.

The short answer: buy a new Ithaca 37 if you want an heirloom field gun built in Ohio and you’re happy to pay for it. Buy a good used one if you want the same handling for a fraction of the money, as long as you know what to check first.

Best For: Left-handed shooters, upland and dove hunters who carry a gun all day, and anyone who wants a classic American pump with real walnut.

Design Intent: One Port, Underneath

Ithaca’s own history credits the Model 37 to a John Browning design, and the company put it into production in 1937. The idea that survived nearly 90 years is the bottom port. Shells go in underneath, empties come out underneath, and the receiver walls stay closed. That makes the gun work the same for right and left-handed shooters, keeps debris out, and lets the receiver stay slim and light.

Slim and light is the Model 37’s whole personality. The 12 gauge Featherlight weighs 7.6 lb with a 28 inch vent rib barrel, per Ithaca’s spec sheet, and it feels lighter than that because the weight sits between your hands. It’s a gun built to carry through a field all day and come up fast when a bird flushes.

The company has changed hands several times. Ithaca moved production to King Ferry, New York in 1987 and renamed the gun the Model 87, switched the name back to Model 37 in 1996, and has built it in Upper Sandusky, Ohio since the mid-2000s. For the Deerslayer III, Ithaca says the barrel and receiver are CNC machined from solid steel.

Buying a Used Ithaca 37: Serials, Barrels and Slam-Fire

Most people searching for an Ithaca 37 end up buying a used one, and Ithaca built well over a million of them before 1987. Three things decide whether a used gun is a good buy.

Date it by the serial number

You’ll find the serial on the bottom right side of the receiver, per Ithaca, or on early guns at the chamber end of the receiver between the magazine and barrel. Ithaca publishes a full serial table on its site. A few anchors from it:

Serial number	Built
1 to 3500	1937
92000 to 115350	1946, first postwar guns
855000	1963, first gun with interchangeable barrels
371 prefix, up to 371933432	1969 to 1987
870000001 and up	Model 87, 1987 to 1996
M37000001 to M37007300, then 370007312 and up	Model 37 again, 1996 to 1997, then from 1998

Barrels only swap above serial 855000

Ithaca’s serial table marks 855000 as the start of interchangeable barrels. Its FAQ adds that a new barrel made in Upper Sandusky will fit a gun above 855000, but will likely need custom fitting by one of its gunsmiths. On an older gun, plan on keeping the barrel it came with.

Know whether it slam-fires

Most Model 37s built up to about 1975 have no trigger disconnector. Hold the trigger back, work the slide, and the gun fires as soon as it closes on the next shell. That’s how it was designed, not a fault, but it surprises people who’ve only shot modern pumps. Ithaca hasn’t published the exact serial where the change happened, so check any older gun with snap caps before you take it hunting, and never hold the trigger while you pump.

Beyond those three, check for a cracked stock at the wrist, pitting under the forend, and a slide that binds. Ithaca’s FAQ says most feeding problems are fixed by a thorough cleaning inside the receiver, and the factory in Upper Sandusky is the only authorized service center.

Ithaca 37 Variants: Today’s Lineup

Ithaca’s current shop lists four Model 37 families. Every one holds 4+1 and ejects out of the bottom.

The 28 gauge was designed in-house in Upper Sandusky on its own frame, and Ithaca’s spec sheet puts it at about 6 lb. Ithaca builds the Trench Gun as a limited run for collectors, and Ithaca’s shop showed seven in stock when I checked. The Deerslayer III uses a heavy fluted rifled barrel and a Weaver scope base, and Ithaca says it can shoot four inch groups at 200 yards with saboted slugs. If slugs are your plan, our best slug guns guide covers the field.

The Model 37 in Service, Collections and Film

Part of the Model 37’s pull is where it’s been. Ithaca says its new Trench Gun replicates the shotgun that served American troops from World War II through Vietnam. Police departments bought them too: Ithaca’s serial table lists dedicated LAPD serial blocks for both the Model 37 and the Model 87, plus an LAPD commemorative model from 1981.

That police history put the gun on screen. Kyle Reese takes a cut-down Ithaca from an LAPD cruiser in The Terminator, Stansfield clears an apartment with a pistol-grip Model 37 in Leon: The Professional, and Tubbs carries an Ithaca Stakeout in season two of Miami Vice.

Collectors look for the special serial runs. The table lists a 1976 Bicentennial Model numbered USA0001 to USA1975, Ducks Unlimited guns from 1977 and Centennial models from 1980 to 1983. Those guns sell for well above standard Model 37s on the used market.

Competitor Comparison

Browning BPS

Browning’s BPS is the only other mainstream bottom-eject pump. It also loads and ejects underneath, and it adds a tang safety that’s easy for lefties to reach. It’s bulkier than a Model 37, with a taller receiver, and the best major-retailer price I saw was $1,200.99 for a new BPS Field Composite at Guns.com. If you want bottom ejection with synthetic furniture for less than a new Ithaca, this is it.

Remington 870 Fieldmaster

Remington’s 870 is America’s most common field and police pump, with a side ejection port. It’s bulkier and not as lively in the hand, but parts and accessories are everywhere. The best major-retailer price I saw for a Fieldmaster was $619.99 at Sportsman’s Warehouse. Our Remington 870 review covers it.

Mossberg 500 Field

Mossberg’s 500 is the value choice. Its tang safety works for either hand, but it ejects out the right side. The best major-retailer price I saw for a 12 gauge Field model was $449.99 at Sportsman’s Warehouse, so you could buy six of them for the price of a new Featherlight. It won’t feel like an Ithaca. It will kill the same birds. See our Mossberg 500 review.

Winchester SXP Field

Winchester’s SXP is the fastest-cycling budget pump I’ve used. Its inertia-assisted slide almost runs itself after each shot, and the Field model has walnut furniture. The best major-retailer price I saw for an SXP Field was $329.99 at Guns.com. It’s a right-side ejector and nowhere near the Ithaca’s fit and finish.

Verdict: Only the BPS matches the Model 37’s bottom ejection, and nothing else here matches its weight or finish. The cheaper pumps do the same job for far less money, so a new Ithaca is a gun you buy because you want it, not because you need it. Our best pump-action shotguns guide ranks the wider field.

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The Model 37 Featherlight. Photo: Ithaca Gun Company.

Testing Protocol

My test gun was a new 12 gauge Featherlight with the 28 inch vent rib barrel. I shot it over six sessions in late August and September: three rounds of sporting clays, one afternoon of trap, and the first two days of dove season. Temperatures ran from 72 to 95 degrees, and one clays session was in steady rain.

Ammunition Log

• Winchester AA 2 3/4 in. 1 1/8 oz #8: 250 rounds
• Federal Top Gun 2 3/4 in. 1 1/8 oz #7.5: 200 rounds
• Fiocchi 2 3/4 in. 1 oz #7.5 dove loads: 100 rounds
• Remington Gun Club 2 3/4 in. 1 1/8 oz #8: 50 rounds

Phase 1: Break-In

The first 150 rounds were Winchester AA during my first sporting clays session, mostly to get used to the slide. It was stiff for the first box and smooth by the third. Every shell fed and every empty dropped straight down.

Phase 2: Reliability

Rounds 151 to 600 mixed all four loads across clays, trap and two days in a dove field. The gun didn’t malfunction once. I short-stroked it one time on a fast double at round 347, which was my fault, not the gun’s, and it’s the only stoppage in my notes. The rainy clays session was where the bottom port earned its keep: no rain ran in through an open side port, though the action bars did pick up grit.

Phase 3: Patterning

I patterned at 40 yards on 48 inch paper, three shots per load, counting hits inside a 30 inch circle. With the modified tube, Federal Top Gun #7.5 averaged 63 percent and Winchester AA #8 averaged 59 percent, both evenly spread with no big holes. Switching to improved cylinder at 25 yards, the AA put 71 percent in the circle, which is right for close doves and skeet. The trigger broke at about 5 lb on my gauge, inside Ithaca’s 4 to 6 lb spec.

Tracking & Observations

After 600 rounds the bluing showed nothing more than light handling marks where my hand met the receiver. The action got gritty during the rain session and smoothed out again after a wipe-down and a drop of oil on the action bars. The Pachmayr pad took the edge off a 100-round dove day, although at 7.6 lb this isn’t a soft-shooting gun with heavy loads.

What This Means for You

• Upgrade Impact: None needed. It’s a finished field gun.
• Reliability: No malfunctions; the only stoppage was my short-stroke.
• Ammo Preference: 1 1/8 oz #7.5 patterned best through modified.
• Maintenance: Clean and oil the action bars after wet days.
• Pattern Expectation: About 60 percent at 40 yards with modified.

Ithaca’s current Model 37 Trench Gun. Photo: Ithaca Gun Company.

Performance Testing Results

Reliability (9/10)

Pump guns rarely fail on their own, and this one didn’t. The only hiccup in 600 rounds was a short-stroke I caused. It kept running through a rain-soaked clays round.

Accuracy (8/10)

Even 59 to 63 percent patterns at 40 yards through the modified tube, with no holes a bird could slip through. The TruGlo front bead is bright without being distracting on clays.

Ergonomics & Recoil (9/10)

This is why people love the Model 37. It comes to the shoulder fast and swings smoothly, and a left-handed friend shot a round of clays with it without a single empty crossing his face. Recoil is noticeable with 1 1/8 oz loads because the gun is light. That’s the trade for carrying it all day.

Fit, Finish, and Quality Control (9/10)

The bluing is deep, the scroll engraving at each end of the receiver is crisp, and the AA walnut on my gun had real figure. Wood-to-metal fit was tight all the way around. For $2,799 it should be, and it is.

Technical Deep Dive

Component	Specification (Ithaca)	Why it matters
Action	Pump, bottom loading and bottom ejecting	Ambidextrous, closed receiver sides
Receiver	Steel, blued, scroll engraved	Slim, durable, classic look
Barrel	28 in. vent rib, 3 in. chamber, TruGlo front	Handles field and target loads
Chokes	Three screw-in tubes	Skeet to long dove shots
Trigger	Gold plated, 4 to 6 lb	Clean break for a pump
Stock	AA walnut, 14 1/4 in. length of pull, Pachmayr pad	Fits most adults, softens recoil
Capacity	4+1	Standard for a field pump

Parts, Accessories and Upgrades

Upgrade Category	Recommended Component	Why It Matters	Cost Estimate
Choke tubes	An extended light modified or skeet tube	Fine-tunes patterns for your birds	$30 to $80
Extra barrel	A factory barrel from Ithaca (serials above 855000)	One gun for birds and slugs	Call Ithaca
Sling studs	Factory or gunsmith installed	Easier carry in the field	$20 to $60
Service	Factory re-bluing or trigger work in Upper Sandusky	Restores and tunes older guns	Call Ithaca

If you’re choosing tubes, our shotgun chokes explained guide covers which constriction does what.

Common Problems & Solutions

• Double feeding or not feeding: Ithaca’s own first fix is a thorough cleaning inside the receiver. The owner’s manual shows how to take it down.
• Slam-fire on older guns: Most guns built up to about 1975 fire when the slide closes with the trigger held. Don’t hold the trigger while you pump.
• Barrels that won’t swap: Guns below serial 855000 don’t take interchangeable barrels, and newer barrels may still need fitting.
• Heavy trigger on an old gun: Ithaca says it can lighten an older trigger by replacing the hammer and trigger.
• No local service: The factory is the only authorized service center, so ship through your local dealer.

Who Should NOT Buy This Gun

• Budget buyers: A Mossberg 500 Field does the same job for about a sixth of the price.
• Waterfowlers who want 3.5 in. shells: The Model 37 tops out at 3 in. A Browning BPS or a 3.5 in. Winchester SXP makes more sense.
• Home defense buyers: The Featherlight is a field gun. A Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 defense model is the practical pick.
• Shooters who want a soft-shooting target gun: A gas gun like the Beretta A300 Outlander recoils less. See our pump vs semi-auto comparison.

Final Verdict

The Ithaca 37 is the slimmest, quickest-handling pump I’ve shot, and the bottom port makes it the pump I’d hand a left-handed shooter first. The new Featherlight ran 600 rounds without a malfunction and patterned evenly. It’s also beautifully made in Ohio, and priced like it.

If $2,799 is too much, a clean used Model 37 gets you the same handling for a fraction of the price. For other choices, see our best 12 gauge shotguns guide.

Specs and prices in this review come from Ithaca Gun Company’s Model 37 Featherlight, 28 gauge and Trench Gun pages, its spec sheet, FAQ, history and serial number table. Street prices are what we saw on September 25, 2026.

Final Score: 8.0/10: A lifetime field pump that works for either hand, if you’re willing to pay for it or shop used carefully.

FAQ: Ithaca 37