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July 27, 2017
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picked up a model 37 shotgun in 28 gauge red letter used great shape.
how rare are these 1st one i every came across in wyoming.thanks. the millbilly.
July 8, 2012
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James,
I don’t know how many model 37’s were made in 28 gauge but from what I understand, it’s very rare. Maybe Bert, or someone here will have an idea or estimate as to how many 28 gauges were made compared to other gauges. We’d love to see pictures of it.
Al
April 15, 2005
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tionesta1 said
James,
I don’t know how many model 37’s were made in 28 gauge but from what I understand, it’s very rare. Maybe Bert, or someone here will have an idea or estimate as to how many 28 gauges were made compared to other gauges. We’d love to see pictures of it.
Al
Because the Model 37 was never serialized, and there are zero production records for it, there is no way to even estimate how many 28-ga Model 37 shotguns were manufactured. All that can be stated with any assurity, is that the production was significantly less than the garden variety 12-ga.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
November 7, 2015
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James Hollander said
picked up a model 37 shotgun in 28 gauge red letter used great shape.
how rare are these 1st one i every came across in wyoming.thanks. the millbilly.
I know very little about these sturdy little shotguns and suspect the low value may have an effect on collector interest. The single shot shotgun was the unsung hero of the American frontier but the Model 37 missed that by a few decades. I think the Model 37 may have been used to put a few rabbits and game birds on the table or may have defended garden plots. I think they were competing with “hardware store” shotguns and then as now, the price tag influenced most decisions during this time period.
Mike
January 20, 2023
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The Model 37 was, in my youth, the Cadillac of single barrel shotguns – unless you want to include the Ithaca trap gun of which we were ignorant.
I was recently given a postwar Model 37 16 gauge by a declining friend. I have no immediate need for it but it has been very well cared for and will make a fine teaching tool for somebody some day.
The original plastic buttplate is gone and a deteriorated aftermarket pad had been screwed on. The stock was never cut square and I have the correct buttplate that I need to install and sand to size.
On the other hand, it would make a better teaching tool if it had a modest soft pad.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
December 9, 2002
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A late friend of mine had over a dozen of them and would get excited talking about a “Red lettered one”. Didn’t do anything for me as I listened as friends do. I found it funny, because we used to travel everywhere buying up collections or individual pieces, as we had some great times doing it, and his famous line was that he didn’t do shotguns! LOL! Then some later years as we kinda both slowed down and things changed in the market as far as buying things. He wound up with several of those darn things, that never grew on me.
Once again, “Different Strokes”!
Tony
August 8, 2024
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I read that the Model 37 kept Winchester afloat financially. So, I believe that it was a very important gun for them. It is a very well made single shot shotgun that has a nice look to it. The modified hammer is very quick to use, and it even ejects its empties!
A collection of these can be had for a very modest cost, with the exception of the 28 gauge Model. Which should always be a Red Letter. Even the rarer beginners 20 gauge model can be bought cheaply when found. The 32” barrel guns are kinda neat, and they too won’t put the collector back very much. The .410 Model can also be found very affordable. Even high condition models can be found today modestly priced. Maybe, not for everybody. But, if a collector wanted to keep his cost down, and still have a nice collection of Winchesters. I can see that this might be appealing.
July 8, 2012
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Bo Rich said
I read that the Model 37 kept Winchester afloat financially. So, I believe that it was a very important gun for them. It is a very well made single shot shotgun that has a nice look to it. The modified hammer is very quick to use, and it even ejects its empties!
A collection of these can be had for a very modest cost, with the exception of the 28 gauge Model. Which should always be a Red Letter. Even the rarer beginners 20 gauge model can be bought cheaply when found. The 32” barrel guns are kinda neat, and they too won’t put the collector back very much. The .410 Model can also be found very affordable. Even high condition models can be found today modestly priced. Maybe, not for everybody. But, if a collector wanted to keep his cost down, and still have a nice collection of Winchesters. I can see that this might be appealing.
I agree Bo
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