Chinese surprise

[osbornk]

My next door neighbor (sister-in-law's husband and Marine Vietnam Vet) has been telling me for years that he had a pump shotgun he bought 15+ years ago that he wanted to get out and have me check it out for him. He bought it for home protection but had never shot it. He had no idea what it was other than it was a pump. He didn't want to shoot it because the last time he shot a shotgun in the 70s, he was shooting at someone. He got it out and gave it to me to check out today.

It is a 12 gauge Chinese clone of an Ithica 37 with a defense length barrel and a full choke with a wooden stock. It says it was imported from China by CIA of St. Albans, VT. It holds 5 shells and the action is smoother and tighter than my new Mossberg (not a high standard). The fit and finish is very nice. I don't think the gun had ever been shot and the five rounds I shot through it worked perfectly. It seems like a lot of gun he bought for around $150 from a friend. This is the neighbor who traded me a nice 70s vintage Taurus 84 38 special revolver that he had not shot in 20 years for my C9 Hi-Point because he wanted a heavy semi-auto with a manual safety. We still don't know which one of us got cheated but his experience with handguns was his army issued 1911.

 

[Dfariswheel]

The first of the Chinese replicas of the Ithaca Model 37 were really horribly rough.
The first guns imported were selling at give away prices and a lot of people found out why.
Internally they looked like they'd been machined with a hammer and chisel.

Later, they apparently improved the workmanship, but by then the word was out so they didn't import them all that long.

 

[armoredman]

I watched a shooter at the indoor range during a two gun match with his new Chinese made pump, and after the fifth shot the magazine tube flew off down range. This was after getting the barrel lug repaired when he fired it and the barrel just tiled forward and fell right off, on the line. I do not remember what make or model the gun was.

 

[osbornk]

Like in most countries, there is and always have been a great variation in products from China. Since there is no name at all on the pump shotgun, I expected it to be a shoddy Chinese replica and a bunch of junk. I was shocked at the smoothness of the action and the fit and finish of the entire gun. Maybe they are going the same route that Japan did. We once automatically assumed anything from Japan was junk (and it was true) but over the years, many of the products from Japan are now the gold standard. On the other hand, we generally feel that German products are superior but Rohm handguns made there were known as a lousy Saturday night special. I have a later one in 38 special that is pretty much like my Taurus 38 special from the 70s.

 

[T. O'Heir]

Norinco or Poly-Tech. They've been around a long time. However, "CIA" is Century Arms. Anything from them is suspect at best.