I have a chance to buy a over and under 20 ga ithaca shotgun in very good shape, that was built in Japan. Are these shotguns worth the money? Also are the new 37's any good.

Depending on the money. They are very good shotguns.

The man wants $900 for the double. In very nice shape and has 3 inch chambers.

I have a new Ithaca Model 37 and absolutely love it!

That would be one made by SKB. They were well made guns.

The SKB's (once labeled and imported by Ithaca) have their admirers, but to me the actions have always seems rather loose. Compared to the bank-vault closure of a Browning Superposed or even a Beretta, the SKB action feels like a barn door hinge. Due to their locking mechanism they are amply strong and I'm sure that the metallurgy is very good, but if one is accustomed to a tight-fitting O/U or S/S the SKB seems somewhat imprecise. However, I've only handled them and never owned or shot one, so my opinion is based on minimal experience.

Well I talked him down to $750 and bought it. Seems tight right now. I have two Citori's. Not superposed but tight. It is 20 ga with modified on top and improved cyl on the bottom. It is also like new.
I have a Ithaca defender (model 37) and I am very impressed with the function of that gun.

You made a good buy and will get many years of service from that gun.
Good luck

Michael J, I will be shooting it at clay to check it out next week. Several big dove hunts coming up in South Texas in the fall. Will wring it out then.

Is it the Model 500? If it is, the same gun in 12 ga was my first O/U. Bought it new in the '70s, sold it thousands of rounds much later.

Mine said something like "handcrafted for Ithaca by SKB". I even still have the advertising brochure for the year I bought it. It was the same year Ithaca came out with the Mag 10. And Ithaca still had Perazzi shotguns, and the 5E single trap model, and BSA and LSA rifles listed in the catalog then.

Mine was tight enough, but not as tight as my Brownings, as was said earlier.

There were only a couple things to not like about it - although these shouldn't affect you. It had this hard chopping kick that was real unpleasant, even with dove loads. Heavy duck loads would leave your fingers feeling like they were broken and would be black and blue for days. From hitting the trigger guard. The fault was not my hold. I suspect it was the weight plus the way it was distributed plus no recoil pad.

It also eventually got where it didn't want to open. But I sold it before getting around to having a smith look into that. It might not have been the gun's fault. I never knew.

Generally speaking I say it's a fine gun. I certainly put a lot of feathered game on the table with it over almost 20 years.

I also bought out of that same catalog a Model 37 in the Supreme Skeet configuration. I should have kept it. I've never seen one of those since anywhere. Must be a rarity.

Yes, it is a model 500. I just liked it and it will share duty with my two brownings, and my model 12. So it probably will not get worn out. I also have a Remington 1100 that I have had for 45 years and just got a new 26 inch barrel for so I will use that too. Got to damn many shotguns but I don't care - ha!

I still have my model 500 SKB, and its never given a moment's problem in .... um .... thirty some years.

God I'm getting old, but the gun's doing fine.

Greg

Took the model 500 20 gage to the skeet range today along with my citori 20 gage. The 500 is a sweet shooting shotgun. Very impressed. Functioned perfectly. Lighter than the browning, and I hope it is trouble free for many years, as it is going south to Beeville texas to shoot doves for a few days.

great shotguns,still looking for a m37 16 gauge barrel,for an old style receiver.any help out there?
bearden