Help me "appraise" a 1972 Ithaca M37 Deerslayer12g

[musicmanbass]

Hey guys,

I have a friend wanting me to help sell his shotgun. It was given to him and he just doesn't use it. I am a revolver man (S&W, to be precise) and don't have much experience pricing shotties.

It's a Very Good condition 1972 Ithaca Model 37 Deerslayer in 12 gauge. Haven't measured the barrel yet but it feels like a 28" gun on the shoulder. Excellent mechanically, very smooth. Nice figured walnut stocks and very little loos of bluing... I'd say less than 3-4% of the guns total area. There are a few scratches and dings as any gun carried through the woods a time or two wood have. I believe everything to be original as I know my friend hasn't done anything to it, and he says the original purchaser, who gave him the gun, was not into modifying his guns at all.

I know there is a book about these guns out there somewhere, but I am not going to hunt one down for a gun that isn't even mine! I have found just a very few listings for this gun, and most of the auctions I saw closed without a sale even being made so that really doesn't help me with values.

Also, I'm curious to see how much the new Deerslayer guns from Ithaca are going for. Do any of you know where I can find a pricelist for the new Ithacas?

Thanks so much!!

 

[UncleS2]

Deerslayer- open rifle sights, yes? IIRC, the standard Deerslayer barrel length back then was 26", but some shorter lengths were available too. My brother got an Ithaca 37 for his 12th Christmas, a 20 ga w/28" modified? full? choke barrel & RayBar front sight, circa 1969. You bet he still has it too! Note- if it does *not* have the rifle sights, then it's an Ithaca 37, but it's not a Deerslayer.

Unless the market is a lot different in Tennessee than in East Texas- it's a good desirable gun, but it's not gonna bring huge bucks. Very Good condition as you describe, surely $200, maybe $250, maybe more- but not a whole lot more. I'd be *Extremely* surprised(but happy to be wrong!) if you got, say, $400 or more for it. Are there any zones/counties in Tn that allow Shotgun Only for deer? There used to be a few counties like that in NE TX. People who hunt in shotgun-only areas would be prime potential customers, and you might well get more $$ for it from them. Also, there may be Ithaca collectors somewhere that'll pay a premium for a nice Deerslayer.

Note- even though the rifle sights make it great for hunting deer & wild hogs w/slugs, and are rarer, they also make a shotgun less versatile in the eyes of many, & therefore it may be harder to get a good price for the seller.

Still- you could start out asking $400 or a little more, & maybe get a great price for it!

Also: try Googling something like Ithaca 37 forums, Ithaca Deerslayer forum, etc. You might strike a gold mine of information.