Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

We don't have a Canadian distributor for Ithaca yet. So my question is; Does anyone own one and what do they think of them? 12 or 20 ga any preferences and are they as accurate as they claim?

Thanks all.

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?

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

DeerandbearhoG

Thank you for your assessment. It is truly unfortunate that you got a lemon. They certainly look the part though????

Anyone else?

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

While I hate to hear someone had such problems with a gun I love, let me provide the exact opposite review:

I've had my DeerSlayer gun for several years now. Probably since around 2004-ish? I sight in at 150yards with around 2" groups. I have had absolutely no problems with the gun at all. The trigger is smooth & predictable. Mine has the Realtree camo pattern dip on it.

I have a second Ithaca bird gun.

Both have had no problems, and if I needed a shotgun, I would definately look into a Deerslayer III.

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

TSR6,Your gun came from king ferry factory,they were good guns made right, from the old Ithaca factory milling machines, the new guns made after 06 are made in a completely new factory, under a few different owners and management. Although they are the same design they are very differnt company and product I believe. The new co. is just too unstable and "shady" and the product just isnt the sameIMO. I dont know about now, but 2 years ago they were struggling to fill orders which were only taken after guns were paid for, in otherwords there wasnt a distributer , they took orders and whenever the gun was ready, it was shipped to buyers FFL holder of choice. I got lucky,but alot of people on SGW forum said they were getting jerked around.

If you really want one, have you considered buying an used, older production DSII like TSR6 has? I know the new ones look good on the site, but the only real difference, as far as design goes, is the slightly longer bull barrel on the DSIII, youll save alot of $ and the kings ferry dsII has the free floated, fixed barrel just like the new ones.

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

TSR6 and DeerandbearhoG

Thanks for the info. Used is not out of the question. Ithaca's just aren't all that popular up here. Maybe back in the 70's but not now. Good to know about the DS II's though.

Thanks

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

HuntAway,

My only experience is with the Kings Ferry Deerslayer II, and I'll tell you it has been a phenomenal gun. Mine has the 25" barrel and will shoot 3 shots touching at 100 yardsand runshalf the price of a new Deerslayer III. My brother has 2 of them that shoot just as well. Sighted in 2" high at 100 yds puts me about 7" low at 200 yds with all shots easily within an 8" pie plate. The deerslayer III is a whole lot heavier gun, and I'm not sure you'll get any better accuracy. I've seen new Kings Ferry Deerslayer II's every once in a while for around $575. All Ithaca 37's are built to last, so you can't really go wrong with whatever you choose.


KEJ

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

Thanks ChazyKEJ.

A question for anyone. Are the barrels fixed like a rifles or do they come off like any normal shotgun?

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

A "deerslayer II"(orIII) regardless of which factory, has a fixed , free floating barrel. in other words the barrel is threaded to the receiver w/ no barrel lug ring, sorta like a remington 760 rifle. This gives it a accuracy advantage over a pump shotgun w/ a conventional removable barrel, which moves slightly when shot.

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

Thanks DeerandbearhoG,

Are other pump or semi slug guns manufactured with that kind of barrel system? i.e. Browning BPS pump or Deer Slayer semi.

Sorry for being a pain. I'm just not familiar with slug guns.

Thanks,

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

The Ithaca guns coming out of the factory in Ohio are twice the guns that came out of King Ferry. They are using CNC machines compared to the old milling machines which makes the tolerances so much tighter, thus resulting in better fit, finish and accuracy.

I have several and I cannot say enough good things about them. I have sold my Deerslayer III to a family member, because I just don't get far enough shots to warrant using it, but I was routinely getting 4" groups at 200 yards with it. The barrel is fixed.

Currently Ithaca is setting up to allow gun shops to sell for them, but the majority of their orders are done through the factory. If you are not going to get one of their slug guns I would not hesitate to recommend any of their other guns, currently they are working on bringing out a 28ga on a true 28ga frame!

As for the comment on the new owners being shady.....well I just shake my head and laugh. You will find that ownership changed in 2007, and since then Ithaca has been filling orders quite a bit more regularly. Since then in addition to the 12ga slug guns, they have also been filling orders for their 20ga slug guns, 12ga and 20ga Featherlight and Ultralight Models, as well as their Defense model.

Call Ithaca up, ask them any question you want and I am sure you will find they will bend over backwards to help you out in any way they can.
Ithaca 1-877-648-4222

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

Thank you Hurricanespg

I did send them an email and they do not have a Canadian distributor. I live in an area where rifles rule and shotguns are for ducks and geese, not deer. I hunt in controlled hunts in Southern Ontario where it is shotgun/ML'er only, thus my interest in slug guns with cornfield accuracy.

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

When I read about the "tight tolerances" the new CNC machines they use, produce, I think about the way mine kept jamming and that makes me wanna laugh, until I think about how much $$$ I wasted on that POS.

I found this pic in my files. I sent it to Ithaca, to complain about the less than impressive accuracy in their "tight tolerance CNC" 1000$ pumpgun. This was the best I could get using win PG slugs which kicked like hell, and as you can see, did about a 3" group,woopee. I got better than that w/ a 200$ mossberg and a H/R ush. I also used SSTs, and lightfields, which didnt group at all. I think the problem was the 20" pencil barrel they use on the DSII, which I feel was not up to the brutal recoil this gun had, and the fact that the stock kept coming loose , (so much for those "tight tolerances" huh?) Im sure the DSIII is a bit more accurate, but what real advantage, other than looks, does it have over much less expensive guns? The DSIIIs are also around 10pounds, might as well get a Savage 210 which I'd bet shoots circles around it for half the price. Im glad guys are having better luck than I did w/ the ohio factory, and that theyve got better about filling orders,since changing owners and managment for the ??? time, but its still a 1000$+ pump shotgun(dsIII about 1200$) and IMO, nothing better than a 870 wingmaster or browning BPS, which cost much less.


BTW ,Huricane, I didnt not intend to mock your "CNC tight tol." comment. I remembered reading that on the older website when I bought mine in 06'

RE: Ithaca Deerslayer III
 

No offense taken deerandbearhog, I am sorry that it seems you got a bad one, but I can tell you from personal experience that the new ones are nothing like that. As for the Savage 210....mine shoots just a tad over 4.25" at 200 yards...so not quite as good as the Ithaca that I had, but it was a bit cheaper.
As far as quality goes.....I still have to say that the Ithaca stands head and shoulders above both the Browning BPS, and Remington 870 Wingmaster.