At $8.98, the Model 37 retailed for about a fifth the cost of Winchester’s pump-action Model 12 shotgun, a price that put it in line with similar products offered by its competitors.

While eclipsed by the far-better-known Winchester Model 97 and Model 12 “trench” and “riot” shotguns, the Ithaca Model 37 served from World War II all the way through Vietnam.

A few custom Model 12s were built into the 1980s, and Miroku trickled out the Browning Model 12, a replica of the Winchester platform, from 1993 to 2006. Those variants are stamped “Made in Japan.” ...