Marine shotguns

[Bobby Ricigliano]

And this is all you need. Personally, never liked all the razzle dazzle on some of these HD shotguns. Too much weight and stuff hanging off of them. Just my opinion, that is all. Likin' BR's version.

Thanks! I will confess that my two other HD designated shotguns have a bit of aftermarket gadgetry, but that Marine Magnum will never be anything but bone stock.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The only thing I'd add to any of these is a light so you could see what you're shooting at night. Many ways to do that. I personally like the Magpul Fore End with a 3" piece of pic rail either underneath or on the side of the fore end.

Recently posted this pic on another thread. It's a Mossberg but the 870 furniture looks exactly the same.

Randy

[The War Wagon]

I was in a gunshop ca. 1990, in a small city in NC, and saw a S&W mariner shotgun, with a factory side folder. Can't even REMEMBER what model it was, but it was SOOOOO cool, and I was SOOOOO broke.

Even if it was a crap model, I'd SPEND the money today, to make it a performer.

[Kokopelli]

Pics of your 1300, please.

Not SS but my 1300 is all the shotgun I could ever need. When going to the range, all my friends want to shoot mine after trying it. Their other shotguns are jealous. I have 4 different chokes for it.

[Spyder]

I'm a long time Mossberg fan because of the safety position. It's the quickest and easiest for me to use, and I grew up hunting upland birds with one so it's ingrained. Any of them listed will work fine for you, if you don't have a connection to anything in particular.

[uzigalil]

send any shotgun you have here and get it coated. This was designed for marine applications.

https://black-t.com/

[jyo]

Personally, I grew-up with and prefer the Remington 870 shotgun---the pictured 870 Marine would be exactly what you're looking for...

[blackberg]

Here is mine , it’s hard to get a proper pic,

[rubbman]

The BRNELLI M4 H2O.

This!

[Bobby Ricigliano]

The Remington vs Mossberg debate is older than dirt. My first pump was an older 870 Express which always ran good and still does. Then on to the Ithaca M37, which is great to carry around, but gives you a good whatfer with slugs and buck.

Finally got around to a 590A1 and I do love that shotgun. I created a small mountain of hulls on the first range trip. Bird, buck, a few slugs. The ghost ring sight is perfect for me. You never think anything above a bead is needed on a shotgun until you try it.

I realize pump shotguns don’t need meticulous cleaning like other systems do, but in giving it a proper one after the range, the takedown is a bit confusing at first for someone like me who isn’t mechanically inclined.

Now, with both systems, I can’t say I have a clear favorite. As soon as I can find a nice Ithaca M37 DS Special, it will become an even tougher call.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Remington vs Mossberg debate is older than dirt. My first pump was an older 870 Express which always ran good and still does. Then on to the Ithaca M37, which is great to carry around, but gives you a good whatfer with slugs and buck.

Finally got around to a 590A1 and I do love that shotgun. I created a small mountain of hulls on the first range trip. Bird, buck, a few slugs. The ghost ring sight is perfect for me. You never think anything above a bead is needed on a shotgun until you try it.

I realize pump shotguns don’t need meticulous cleaning like other systems do, but in giving it a proper one after the range, the takedown is a bit confusing at first for someone like me who isn’t mechanically inclined.

Now, with both systems, I can’t say I have a clear favorite. As soon as I can find a nice Ithaca M37 DS Special, it will become an even tougher call.

The Ithaca's are great field guns but leave alot to be desired as Tactical Guns. There is only one way to load it and that is thru the magazine. You can't load into the ejection port as that is also the loading port, and the lifter blocks the cartridge if the bolt is open, so the bolt must be closed so the the mag can be loaded..

Where this shows up is when the gun is empty and you have no time to reload the magazine. You need to be able to load one at a time to keep firing. And you can,,, you just have to stuff one in the mag and then do a full rack for each new round.

The other guns you only do a Half Rack each time and that cuts down on the time needed to single load the gun. You eject the spent round, leave the slide back, insert a new round in the ejection port, and close the bolt, ready to fire.

With the Ithaca you fire, stuff one in the mag tube do a full rack to eject spent round and chamber new one, and ready to fire. You could learn to do this as long as you know when you fired your last round? If you racked it and ejected the last spent round you have to close the bolt in order to load the next round then rack it again to chamber the new round.

Other than that, if you can learn it, it will do the job, it just doesn't run quite as good as a 870 or 590.

My 1940 Ithaca M37 is the absolute slickest Pump Action Shotgun I have ever touched and as a bird or skeet gun it is SOOOO nice! For anything else I'll take the Mossbergs or Browning A5 every time.

They are just faster to run!

Randy

Just found out Ithaca made both Smoothbore Deerslayer Barrels and Rifled ones. I did not know that.

[-hanko]

My 1940 Ithaca M37 is the absolute slickest Pump Action Shotgun I have ever touched and as a bird or skeet gun it is SOOOO nice! For anything else I'll take the Mossbergs or Browning A5 every time.

They are just faster to run!

Randy

I've got an M37 that I found at a Boise gun show, good shape and paid $200 iirc.

I called Ithaca for any info on the gun's prior life. Ithaca said it was one of 2 dozen shipped to the Baltimore Navy Yard in 1940 and no further info after that.

The gun has no military markings.

I've got an A5 Light 12 and a regular 20, both are great shooters. I had a Mossberg (first shotgun) with a 28" barrel and PolyChoke. A pretty sloppy action. A great gun for ducks and geese, especially if you're laying down in a rice paddy where cows were feeding the day before...lots of poop, worms, and only God knows what else. No issues over the years except a broken extractor, left side.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I've got an M37 that I found at a Boise gun show, good shape and paid $200 iirc.

I called Ithaca for any info on the gun's prior life. Ithaca said it was one of 2 dozen shipped to the Baltimore Navy Yard in 1940 and no further info after that.

The gun has no military markings.

Is the gun Parkerized? Nothing like Provenance to increase value.

That gun was a find!

Randy

[-hanko]

Is the gun Parkerized? Nothing like Provenance to increase value.

That gun was a find!

Randy

It is indeed parked, and it's definitely original park.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

The Ithaca's are great field guns but leave alot to be desired as Tactical Guns. There is only one way to load it and that is thru the magazine. You can't load into the ejection port as that is also the loading port, and the lifter blocks the cartridge if the bolt is open, so the bolt must be closed so the the mag can be loaded..

Where this shows up is when the gun is empty and you have no time to reload the magazine. You need to be able to load one at a time to keep firing. And you can,,, you just have to stuff one in the mag and then do a full rack for each new round.

The other guns you only do a Half Rack each time and that cuts down on the time needed to single load the gun. You eject the spent round, leave the slide back, insert a new round in the ejection port, and close the bolt, ready to fire.

With the Ithaca you fire, stuff one in the mag tube do a full rack to eject spent round and chamber new one, and ready to fire. You could learn to do this as long as you know when you fired your last round? If you racked it and ejected the last spent round you have to close the bolt in order to load the next round then rack it again to chamber the new round.

Other than that, if you can learn it, it will do the job, it just doesn't run quite as good as a 870 or 590.

My 1940 Ithaca M37 is the absolute slickest Pump Action Shotgun I have ever touched and as a bird or skeet gun it is SOOOO nice! For anything else I'll take the Mossbergs or Browning A5 every time.

They are just faster to run!

Randy

Just found out Ithaca made both Smoothbore Deerslayer Barrels and Rifled ones. I did not know that.