Shotguns have had a long, but often unheralded, tenure of service with America’s armed forces. Even before the Revolutionary War, smoothbore flintlock “fowling pieces” were frequently pressed into service in the hands of militia and other irregular troops. Shotguns were often employed, particularly by Confederate cavalrymen, during the American Civil War. Likewise, shotguns accompanied troops during the Western Expansion from the late 1860s through the 1880s.

There were a good many commercial riot guns made by Ithaca- some non-US marked 'commercial' trench guns too, though those usually have 7-digit serial numbers. There were 'S prefix' riot guns made for both the US military and the South Vietnamese during the war. There was even a tiny handful of 'S prefix' trench guns. Ithaca Gun Co. Produced a small number of Model 37 trench guns and a larger number of Model 37 riot guns and training guns. Stevens Arms Co. Delivered trench gun, riot gun and training versions of.

A few shotguns were acquired by the military during this period for “foraging” use, such as hunting birds and other small game to supplement the typical salt pork and hardtack fare. In the immediate aftermath of the Spanish-American War of 1898, the U.S. Military procured shotguns specifically for combat purposes when a couple hundred commercial Winchester Model 1897 slide-action “riot” shotguns (20' barrel) were issued to American soldiers fighting Moro tribesmen in the Philippines. While never a large part of our military small arms arsenal, increasing numbers of shotguns saw service in all subsequent U.S. Military conflicts.

During World War I, a version of the Model 1897 fitted with a ventilated metal handguard and bayonet adapter was issued for combat use, along with a smaller number of similarly modified Remington Model 10 shotguns. Dubbed “trench guns,” these arms produced during World War I remained in service with the U.S.

Military between the wars, but no new combat shotguns were manufactured after cancellation of the 1918 contracts. After the Armistice, civilian gunmakers concentrated on rifles and shotguns for the civilian sporting/hunting market.

Due to the growing popularity of the Winchester and Remington slide-action shotguns, Ithaca Gun Co. Sought a gun of this type to keep pace with its two major competitors. In 1937, Ithaca introduced its first repeating shotgun, the Model 37. Cara hack email yahoo tanpa password hacker. The gun was an improved version of the John Browning-designed Model 17 that had been a popular seller for the Remington Arms Co.

The design differed from most other slide-action shotguns as the shells were loaded and ejected from the bottom of the receiver rather than the bottom-loading and side-port ejection configuration found on most of the competing designs. This feature appealed to many buyers, and the Model 37 soon became known for its craftsmanship and reliability. From the time of its introduction until the eve of America’s entrance into World War II, Ithaca focused on commercial sales of the Model 37, and the company made little effort to attract law enforcement or military customers. Nonetheless, with the ever-increasing likelihood that the United States would be drawn into the war raging in Europe, the U.S.