Ithaca Gunner
06-23-2013, 03:37 PM
I didn't want to hi-jack stripercrazy's thread with the story of the Deer Slayer barrel, so here it is by itself from Walt Snyder's book, "Ithaca Featherlight Repeaters...The Best Gun Going"
The Deer Slayer first appeared in Ithaca's catalog in 1959 with a 26" smoothbore barrel, and a carbine barrel of 20", straight bored to within a few thousands of SAAMI specs for slugs with rifle sights mounted, or for the Deluxe model, a receiver sight. Of course this was the Model 37 Featherlight pump. Available in 12, 16, and 20 gauges.
It all started on a deer hunt some years earlier in upstate NY. Ed Thompson, the head of Ithaca's repair department was among a hunting party when one of the fellows shot at a trophy buck at around the 100yd mark with a 12ga. slug, (type of gun was not mentioned, but it was a regular shotgun). The deer fled and the hunter assuming he made a clean miss retired for the day.
The next day the party hunted and stumbled across the trophy buck, dead from the previous day and rotting. Ed Thompson being a sportsman with a concern for game decided to take the problem of accuracy to Ithaca and see what could be done to make the most accurate slug gun possible. In 1958 Ithaca's sales department sent a letter to the barrel department requesting a barrel specifically for deer hunting. Two longtime Ithaca employees are credited with the development and technique of straight boring for the Deer Slayer barrels, Howard Lelik, and Francis Keene, (barrel room foreman). A straight bored barrel with rifle sights which closely fitted factory slugs was the end product.
Accuracy tests were done by H.P. White laboratory before the Deer Slayer made it's debut, "We have confirmed the company's claim to superior accuracy and stated that the performance of the Deer Slayer closely approached that of a .35 caliber deer rifle at 100 yards distance."
Shortly after, other gun manufacturer's began offering slug guns of their own design, but in my opinion, the Ithaca '37 is still the best. The company has changed and made improvements over the years, with rifled barrels introduced in the 1980's, with the D-S II and the D-S III currently available. Sadly, gone is the smoothbore Deer Slayer barrels from Ithaca's current catalog. We have to resort to used smoothies these days, but they're out there! I bought one this year for my '37 Magnum model on Gun Broker.
As for buckshot, Ithaca currently does not recommend or warrant it's use in Deer Slayer barrels. They make an 18.5" home defense barrel for the '37 for buckshot.
The Deer Slayer first appeared in Ithaca's catalog in 1959 with a 26" smoothbore barrel, and a carbine barrel of 20", straight bored to within a few thousands of SAAMI specs for slugs with rifle sights mounted, or for the Deluxe model, a receiver sight. Of course this was the Model 37 Featherlight pump. Available in 12, 16, and 20 gauges.
It all started on a deer hunt some years earlier in upstate NY. Ed Thompson, the head of Ithaca's repair department was among a hunting party when one of the fellows shot at a trophy buck at around the 100yd mark with a 12ga. slug, (type of gun was not mentioned, but it was a regular shotgun). The deer fled and the hunter assuming he made a clean miss retired for the day.
The next day the party hunted and stumbled across the trophy buck, dead from the previous day and rotting. Ed Thompson being a sportsman with a concern for game decided to take the problem of accuracy to Ithaca and see what could be done to make the most accurate slug gun possible. In 1958 Ithaca's sales department sent a letter to the barrel department requesting a barrel specifically for deer hunting. Two longtime Ithaca employees are credited with the development and technique of straight boring for the Deer Slayer barrels, Howard Lelik, and Francis Keene, (barrel room foreman). A straight bored barrel with rifle sights which closely fitted factory slugs was the end product.
Accuracy tests were done by H.P. White laboratory before the Deer Slayer made it's debut, "We have confirmed the company's claim to superior accuracy and stated that the performance of the Deer Slayer closely approached that of a .35 caliber deer rifle at 100 yards distance."
Shortly after, other gun manufacturer's began offering slug guns of their own design, but in my opinion, the Ithaca '37 is still the best. The company has changed and made improvements over the years, with rifled barrels introduced in the 1980's, with the D-S II and the D-S III currently available. Sadly, gone is the smoothbore Deer Slayer barrels from Ithaca's current catalog. We have to resort to used smoothies these days, but they're out there! I bought one this year for my '37 Magnum model on Gun Broker.
As for buckshot, Ithaca currently does not recommend or warrant it's use in Deer Slayer barrels. They make an 18.5" home defense barrel for the '37 for buckshot.