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mod.37 FJA marked

jeffie076
I asked a while ago about an ithaca mod.37 with an inspectors mark (flaming Bomb) and block letters FJA (col. Frank J. Atwood) ser.# 52,8xx It was mfg. in 1942 and rebarreled in 1947. can anyone tell me something about this shotgun, did it see service if any. what configuration was it , -trenchgun, riotgun, r/g trainer. I can email pics. thanks Jeff
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  • mark christian
    M37 trench guns are the rarest of all US military shotguns with only 1420 produced, but your serial number is well outside the range so that eliminates that (too bad). Since yours was rebuilt after the war my money is that it was a riot gun. Had it been a trainer it likely would have been sold or otherwise disposed of after the war rather than being rebuilt, but there is no real way to be sure what configuration it was in when first issued back in 1942.
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  • Winchester 1912
    quote:Originally posted by jeffie076
    I asked a while ago about an ithaca mod.37 with an inspectors mark (flaming Bomb) and block letters FJA (col. Frank J. Atwood) ser.# 52,8xx It was mfg. in 1942 and rebarreled in 1947. can anyone tell me something about this shotgun, did it see service if any. what configuration was it , -trenchgun, riotgun, r/g trainer. I can email pics. thanks Jeff

    Hello jeffie076. What is the barrel length? Does it have a heat shield over the barrel? And describe "re-barreled". Ithaca trenchguns were the most rare of the military shotguns. Also, Ithaca produced mostly long barreled military shotguns. I would like to see pics.
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  • jeffie076
    The barrel lenght is 30in mod. choke the # is 147,xxx so this was a 1947 barrel the ser.#s don't match, I'm more interested in the FJA stamp, what is this guns pedigree. I'm trying to figure out the pic posting, but having no luck, I can email pics.
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by jeffie076
    The barrel lenght is 30in mod. choke the # is 147,xxx so this was a 1947 barrel the ser.#s don't match, I'm more interested in the FJA stamp, what is this guns pedigree. I'm trying to figure out the pic posting, but having no luck, I can email pics.


    MC already answered your question, re the serial number range. If you have a copy of the Blue Book, it has a section giving serial number ranges for U.S. military shotguns. If yours doesn't fall in the correct range, it doesn't matter if it has a military inspection stamp on it or not. Even if you were able to rebuild it into the original Trench Gun configuration, if the S.N. isn't correct what do you have?
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  • nmyers
    Jeff, if you inquiring as to where it was used & to whom it was issued, there are no records of that type. To the US military, it was just another issued item. All we can do today is evaluate what we see, such as the serial number & configuration, & do our best to figure out exactly what it is.

    Neal
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  • jeffie076
    OK, the ser.#s are out of trenchgun range, and I guess these trenchguns were stamped RLB. the ser.# on mine does fall into the military s/g's per the bluebook, so the FJA ordinance stamp on this gun, came after the RLB's trenchers? I just want to know what I'm hanging onto, should I decide to sell it, what would a fair price range be? Thanks guys, Jeff
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  • DonZone
    One more quetion on the subject: I have a 1942 vintage 37 Ithaca with the flaming bomb and RLB on the left side of the receiver. The receiver is/was polished blue and has no roll engraving on either side. The barrel has a vent rib, but cut off to 20". Also the barrel has no serial number. Does that sound correct? Don
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  • rufe-snow
    quote:Originally posted by DonZone
    One more quetion on the subject: I have a 1942 vintage 37 Ithaca with the flaming bomb and RLB on the left side of the receiver. The receiver is/was polished blue and has no roll engraving on either side. The barrel has a vent rib, but cut off to 20". Also the barrel has no serial number. Does that sound correct? Don



    This is what a US Military Trench Gun barrel and associated equipment looks like. The barrels definitely didn't have vent ribs.

    972Large.jpg
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  • DonZone
    Thanks Rufe. Nice trench gun! Seems from the Trench/Riot gun section of he Blue Book that they made Riot guns and Long Guns as well as Trench guns. I'm pretty clear that mine is not a trench - probably never was. But was curious as it being one of the other 2 configurations. Don
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