doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Winchester 37 (half a double gun)

Wow, thanks for all your replies. I think it's worth spending some time on, I've not had a proper look at it yet but small bore singles and folders still seem popular over here. I tend to steer away from H&R and Cooeys etc as they have usually had a hard life and there's few people really interested in them , the Winchester, although a little plain seems solid and practical, the ejector still works and from what was said above, seems to be an early model. There's some pitting in the bore so will have a good look at it and make a decision.
Thanks again for your posts.
Nick.

They, and other .410 break-open singles, are still fairly popular up here for ground-swatting partridge off the gravel roads. Constrictions are usually tight, and empty 3" #4 and #6 can be found on the roads. My 37 .410 has 0.020" constriction, more than any other nominally full .410 bbl I have.

A nicer, better scaled, Winchester .410 single is the Model 20.

The first powder-burning gun I ever shot was a Winchester Model 37 in 16 ga. I remember it had one heck of a kick. This could have been because:
A) I was about 10 years old;
B) The geometry of the gun itself;
C) It was loaded with a high-brass Imperial brand shell (ask a Canadian, he'll know); or
D) all of the above.

Now, Bob, you are just showing off. Gil

I would suggest old Stevens. Similar quality as Model 20 w/o big premium. That is analogous to gallery .22 pumps Model 29 about $250 Winchester version 3x or more in cost w/o superior fit or finish.

A Model 37 was my first gun and I still have mine, a .410 with a 28" full choke barrel. They DO hold up well; I got mine in 1951 and it's been shot and hunted with almost every small game season since then, mostly with the AWESOME 3" magnum shells. Great bunny buster and good for "things that go bump in the night" like coons and possums.

The stock fit and barrel patterning is as good as any field grade Winchester. The finish, especially inside, isn't.

I disabled the ejector on my .410 early on, since it would loft a pricey loaded .410 shell into the mud every time. Or into a cow pie.

I used a 16 guage 37 with a 28" barrel for several bird seasons for lack of anything better and it killed flying birds quite well, (I shot a lot of spreaders!).

Winchester made more 37s over the years than any other shotgun model. Most weren't .410s--small bore ones are harder to find than 12s and 16s, with the latter most common in Latin America where some have 36" barrels.

I've never seen one with a serial number, although the post-1968 ones are supposed to have them.

I've never warmed up to the model 37s. That model 20 Mr. Cash posted the pic of above looks nice. I do like single shots, but my favorite is the "hammerless" Savage model 220...Geo

M37s are a Solid Working utility gun. They are reliable. Potentially a good starter gun as others have pointed out.

I actually purchased a M37 in 16ga one a short time back for a test gun to use with a pressure trace measurement device. Not a thing of beauty, but solid

I was in the market for a "Red Letter" 37 and then stumbled upon the Model 20.
I found several things appealing about the Model 20.
To my eye, sleeker than the 37. With production numbers at about 24,000, it is certainly more scarce than the 37.
Finally, let's not forget the coolest part of a 20 (and the 37), the exposed hammer.