The slide release is pressed and the slide retracted completely then pushed forward.Pulling the trigger fires the gun and releases the slide for reloading. Loading the Ithaca 37 involves inserting shotshells of the proper gauge through the loading/ejection port in the bottom of the receiver and pushing them forward into the magazine until retained by the shell stop. The Model 37 Featherlight has commonly been seen in the hands of farmers and hunters in the midwestern United States. The Ithaca 37 remains a popular choice among civilians for both sport and personal protection. Other users include the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and various military, police, and security agencies and prisons around the world. The Model 37 was issued by the LAPD beginning in the 1940s and remained in service until the late 1990s. The New York City Police Department used two versions of the Model 37: one with a 13' barrel with forend hand-strap for its Emergency Service Unit and one with an 18' barrel for its Highway Patrol and solo patrol officers of designated low-crime precincts through a short-lived program spanning from the late 1970s to early 1980s. The largest single users outside the US Military were the New York City Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department. The Model 37 was used by the United States armed forces in World War II, the Korean War, and especially the Vietnam War, where it gained a great reputation for reliability in the jungles of Vietnam.
Ithaca Model 37Ĥ, 5, or 7-round tubular magazine (riot, standard, and extended tube versions) Since function-testing of this carbine before buying is very simple and spare parts are still available, I would rate it as a diamond in the rough. For a budget carbine with iron sights, that’s pretty impressive! My friend who owns this particular rifle has had it since he was eight years old back in the 1960s, and the gun just keeps on working with minimal care. With the rifle rested on a sandbag, five-shot groups all looked like the picture below.