well bought so much ammo last week and found some 12 gauge for under $3 a box so picked up 20 boxes along with all that .223, 308 and 7.62x39 ammo I picked up so I went looking for a shotgun and this the deal I got.

a very nice condition 95% plus Ithica model 37 featherweight vent rib 12 gauge full choke plus a brand new ontario usaf issue survival knife (the one with the sharpening stone in the sheath) plus a mk3 mod 0 usn sheath knife in fantastic condition .
everything was $208 out the door.
did I do all right it seems all right to me.  Iknow its not a house gun to speak of but in a pinch plus can use it for hunting anyway.
can you shoot slugs out of the full choke or should I stay with buckshot and smaller?
also who makes this knife? its marked on 1 side mk3 mod 0 as it is on the sheath which is hard type of composted with black nylon top part with a lbe type of belt hanger on it. also on one side of the blade its marked 2v376. it seems kind of light for the size but looks very well made and overall length is around 11" with a 6" blade serated on the back side. the handle is black with usn on it.
is this just a after market or a issue type of knife. two gun shows tommorrow gonna spend some money. ammo and mags plus some more reloading stuff.
thanks jon

shotgun under 200, yea id say thats a good deal! if the knife is the kind i think it is, the blade is cheap and has to be resharpened frequently if you use it much.

[shotgun] [dracula]

I think that you got a very good or even great deal, but go and see how the thing shoots.  I recently purchased a model 37S, and I cannot believe what a nice gun it is.  My Remington 870 Express (now sold)  looked like a Chicom SKS by comparision.  

It seems reliable, and I like the all steel construction.  Just don't short stroke it, because I think that clearing jams with the single ejection/loading port is trickier than a shotgun that has seperate loading and ejection ports.  

You'll have no other trouble than with any other pump shotgun. The 37 has been around in one form or another since the Remington Model 1908. Not all of the 37s are steel. At one time Ithaca (for the record, it's spelled [b]I-T-H-A-C-A[/b] with only one "I") produced a Model 37 Ultra Featherlight with an aluminum receiver that weighed in at 5 1/2 pounds in 12 Gauge and around a pound or so less for the 20 Gauge version. I own and have owned quite a few of these. It's probably the most underrated shotgun ever made.

thanks for all the info:
it has a 28" barrel vent rib.
I weighed and it seems about 6 pounds.
stock had great checkering more fancy than most I've seen.
receiver is ingraved with ducks coming off pound on one side and phesants flying out of a field with dog on point on the other.

been playing around with it and it seems to function just fine. they had a 870 for about $150 but was pretty will used and a winchester 1200 but whoever had it did not oil it and has rust all over barrel even if it was lite I passed.
also chose this up because of the good things folks here have said. thanks guys.

Might look around and see if you can find a D.S.P.S. barrel for it. It has rifle sights on it and will handle just about anything you can. Next range session check the gun to see if it has a slide block in it. Most of the older 37's will slam fire if you hold the trigger down and cycle the slide. You can put lots of lead down range with it but it'll scare the hell out of you if your not aware of it.

you are right had one back in the late 70's as did a few friends of mine he did just what you said and blew it up . sold mine right after that and stuck with the rem. 110 after that for ducks and geese. I will be carefull as I do know what can happen. picked up 10 boxes of 00 today for $2.19 a box so that may have to work in a pinch but do have the 20 boxes of 4,6 and 7 1/2 I got last week for hunting. thanks again jon

I have a Ithaca M37 that was my first gun. My Grandpa bought it back in the early fifties. When I waas a teenager I figured out it would slamfire and I went through a lot of lead in a hurry.
I was just thinking the other day I needed to get out to find a grouse with it. Its been a couple of years.
Steve