Ithaca Model 37 Ultra-Featherlight 20-gauge

by
posted on July 19, 2010
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
201071916638-ithaca_f.jpg

September, 1978

The first Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight pump-action shotgun left the factory in late 1936. It has been the company’s mainstay production gun ever since.

A number of reasons account for the Model 37’s continued popularity. Its light weight is a primary one. Nominal weight of the standard plain barrel 12-ga. gun is 6 ½ lbs.; the 20-ga. only 5 ¾ lbs.

There is now an even lighter version called the Ultra-Featherlight. In 20-ga. with a 25” ventilated rib barrel, its nominal weight is only 5 lbs. Ithaca bills it as the lightest pump shotgun in the world.

The weight reduction results primarily from the use of aluminum for the receiver and trigger plate. Opportunities to reduce weight in the stock are also taken. The butt of the brown rubber recoil pad is only 1 ½” wide and 4 5/16” long. The Side-Bell designed grip cap is a distinguishing feature. A gold color towering grouse against a red background is seen through the clear plastic center of the cap.

The barrel of the sample Ultra-Featherlight supplied to the American Rifleman Technical Staff was marked Mod. choke. The bore measured .617”’ the 1.56” long conical choke .599”. The resulting constriction of .018” reduces the bore area by about 6%.

Such a lightweight gun has little “follow through.” This made it somewhat difficult to hit skeet targets consistently. Performance at skeet was also handicapped by the 8 ¼ lb. trigger pull and the gun’s tendency to shoot low. Felt recoil, while appreciably greater than 20-ga. guns weighing 1 lb. more, was not oppressive even with 2 ¾” magnum loads. The large diameter fore-end enables much of the recoil to be taken up by the forward hand. This helps substantially reduce recoil taken by the shoulder. In more than 300 rounds only one malfunction was experienced. A shell dropped from the magazine to the ground instead of being fed into the chamber when the action was worked.

A certain number of shotgunners consider light weight to be an especially desirable attribute of a gun. For them, the Ultra-Featherlight will have particular appeal. It is currently available only in the specifications listed. The Deerslayer version of the Ultra-Featherlight has a 20” barrel with rifle-type open sights.

Latest

Teaching Liberty Hillsdale College 1
Teaching Liberty Hillsdale College 1

Teaching Liberty: Hillsdale College & The Second Amendment

At Hillsdale College, students don't just learn about the fundamental truths behind the Second Amendment. They also learn the practical side of the right to keep and bear arms.

Smith & Wesson Partners With Lipsey's On Line Of "Mountain Guns"

First applied to its Model 629 in 1989, the Smith & Wesson "Mountain Gun" is a lightweight and compact variant designed to be carried afield, and thanks to a partnership with Lipsey's, Smith & Wesson is bringing them back.

Pro-NRA & Second Amendment Supporter Dr. Michael Fuljenz Wins National Writing Award

Longtime NRA benefactor Dr. Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion, was honored by the Numismatic Literary Guild for his recent and timely article about the need to eliminate copper pennies.

Reloading The Stalwart .308 Winchester

For more than 70 years, the .308 Win. has been one of the world’s most tested and versatile cartridges—and it’s still far from obsolete.

The Rifleman Report: Tried-And-True Attributes

In this August 2025 issue, we explored how several entirely different kinds of firearms, and a classic cartridge, possess the tried-and-true attributes that make them effective for self-protection or hunting—even though none is as popular as the modern sporting rifles, semi-automatic pistols and specialty chamberings that account for much of today’s gun coverage.

C&H Precision And Grounds & Rounds HQ Grand Opening

Cavalier Attitude Global Holdings, parent company of eight industry brands, will officially host their grand opening celebration in September with raffles, concerts and the unveiling of Grounds & Rounds, a combination coffee bar and gun range.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.