Ithaca 37 Restoration Project

[NAPOTS]

I inherited my grandfather's Ithaca 37 featherweight when he passed. This shotgun has been in the family for many years; my grandmother bought it for him when he was a young man the year my father was born. My grandfather spent countless hours with that shotgun hunting and my father did years later as well. This shotgun is the first shotgun I ever shot and one of the first firearms I ever shot. Sadly my grandfather passed about 20 years ago when I was 14 years old and other than memories, his old Ithaca was the only thing I inherited from him. Out of all of the firearms in my collection, this one is my prized possession. It has tremendous sentimental value to me and I wouldn't consider selling it at any price.

As of today, the shotgun is in fairly poor condition and doesn't get shot much; I am not sure if I have shot in the last 10 years. Sometime in the '70's my father attempted to refinish the shotgun with a cold blue product and the shotgun has taken on a "browned" appearance. The buttstock has a crack in it and is well worn. Otherwise, mechanically it is in excellent working condition.
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My goal is to restore the shotgun to its former glory and bring it as close to as-new condition as when my grandfather received it from my grandmother. My intention is to hand the shotgun down to my son, who is named after my grandfather by the way, when he is of age. I also would like my father to see it after it is done.

I am going to rust blue it even though it is not correct for the time period. Rust bluing is a finish that I should be able to do at home with minimal equipment. Any type of spray on finish would not be right for this old gun. I am going to clean it up but I don't want to completely remove all of the dings and blemishes that gibe it it's character, they are family history. Before you say anything, I don't care what this does to the value of the shotgun, it is not for sale. I hope that by refreshing this old girl that I'm more inclined to shoot it occasionally.

I've written Ithaca to see if I can buy a stock that matches the origional. I am probably also going to replace the screws as they are a little buggered up and some of the springs due to their age.