RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
I bought a 20" DSII 2 years ago when the new company got started. Dont ask me what I was thinking, paying 1k for a pump[:@]???? But I did, and believe it or not, I actually got the 1st one to leave the factory, ser. # 003 and the prez. of Ithaca sent me a letter!
Although I was always a 37 fan, let me tell you, this was the worst gun money I ever spent. At 1st I thought it was a pretty good looking gun ,and I was so stoked about getting the 1st and the letter, so I wrote them a email saying how good I thought it was, but I soon became very disappionted. The trigger was very heavy, I sent it back and they lightened it alot but it still wasnt any better than the H/R I had the year before. The gun kicked so bad, the thumbhole stock kept loosening from the reciever! The deer engraving was cheezy as hell, and the accuracy wasnt too good either, about 3" at 100 w/ Win PGs.
The worst thing about the gun was, it had to go back to the factory 2 more Xs, because the action bars would jam after the shot for some reason, and I had to turn it upside down and shake it hard to get it to cycle another round, so it was basically a single shot during the 06" season. The 1st time they said it was a "burr" and that they fixed it, but they didnt and when I sent it back, they said it was fine, so after alot of frustration in the woods, and at the range,I sold it for 1/2 what I paid.[:@]
I hate to bash Ithaca ,an american icon IMO but,If you want my advice , save yourself 5 or 600$ and get a H/R USH or a savage 210 for an accurate slug gun.
Hmm, I just went to the Ithaca site to see if they were still in biz, I see they are but theyve changed ownership ...AGAIN? When I bought mine in 06', the owners name was Craig marshall ,now I see some guy named Dave dublak owns the co. I dont know how much that means to the quality of the gun, but remember since the Kings ferry factory closed, the Ithaca has gone through many different ownerships and managements, IMO for the kind of guns they sell, they just cant compete in todays pumpgun market, so you might want to think about that before laying a grand down on a pump. What if your gun has a problem?Are they gonna go bankrupt for the 5th time and close before you can get it fixed?