LSP Angola Prison Ithaca 37 Riot Gun (pics)

[Destro]

Ithaca Model 37 Featherlight - Riot Gun, LSP "Angola"


Louisiana State Penitentiary; "Angola", "The Farm", "Hell on Earth".


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Louisiana's supermax prison has a notorious history from it's official opening in 1901. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 6,300 offenders and 1,800 staff. Housed on the 18,000 acre Angola Plantation (the name of the African country where most of it's original slaves hailed from) on the end of Highway 66 , it has a long history of abuse, corruption, and harsh conditions.



Featured in movie and film ("True Detective" first superb season, "Dead Man Walking") it's notoriety still resonates in modern times as New Orleans mayor Ray Nagan warned potential Hurricane looters during a press conference on August, 31 in 2008:


"Anybody who is caught looting in the city of New Orleans will go directly to Angola. Directly to Angola. You will not have a temporary stay in the city. You go directly to the big house, in general population. All right? So, I want to make sure that every looter, potential looter, understands that. You will go directly to Angola Prison. And God bless you when you go there."

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I have an affinity for Ithaca 37s, owning several (including Vietnam war riot guns, and 70s/80s Police Specials). They have a great no-nonsense design, will fan-fire (many use the misnomer "slam-fire'), bottom eject, and are a dependable scatter-gun dating to use back in WW2.

This particular 20" extended magazine, Ithaca 37 is a handsome straight-forward guard gun, with a great patina and use marks that give it a gritty character. It has many scuffs and minor wear but in an overall and uniform fashion and it's brown patina is developed nicely. The stock is cracked but was repaired well using old school brass stock repair pins, and this just adds to the overall character of the gun. It also bears several "rack" numbers or catalog ids, stamped on the stock, as well as etched (well, scratched on the bottom of the receiver) and has a metal stamped LSP on the receiver. It is kept in it's original survivor state and I prefer it this way. I love all of my prison and duty guns in the collection to have some wear and "character" and would actually prefer it this way than if it looked like it rolled fresh out of the factory.
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LE Duty and prison riot guns have had a resurgence in collecting, and I have many in my Trench/Riot gun collection. It's an ambitious thread and a lot gets lost in the mix so I occasionally feature a shotgun from there like this one with some backstory. The 500 pics promised in that thread title isn't "click-bait" either, I've photographed about 100 shotguns from the collection and have a few dozen to go, so it will hit that picture limit eventually. Do check out that thread if you get a chance, and keep an eye out for constant forthcoming updates.


Trench gun & Riot gun - Destro collection - 500+ pics
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https://www.longislandgunclub.com/fo...ction-500-pics

[spider]

What we have here is a failure to communicate.

[vmtcmt]

Very cool gun. Would love to see the "after" of the stock repair.

I'd love to get a higher cap 37, as my 1973 example is only 4+1, but Dad bought it new from Edelman's, and I ain't changing it.

Definitely a fan of the BTDT look. as long as it's real and original. The fake "battle worn" is just posing. By the same token, pristine "jewelry" can be pretty boring.

[Destro]

Well, that is the after of the repair. You can see the brass pins under the crack, it’s the old school armory way of doing it, the military even used brass screws, so I’m keeping it that way. The crack will be still visible but the brass pins keep it all tight.

I’ve passed on guns that were too perfect in this genre, to me the real wear, repairs etc on prison, duty and combat guns tell a story.

[vmtcmt]

Ah, now I see it.

[dougfxdl]

i wonder how many teef that buttstock knocked out..

[Banzai]

Hey Destro, do you refinish/restain a lot of your stocks? There seems to be a consistent look to a lot of them, love the darker stain, looks like a Dark Walnut.

[Mrprovy]

Nicey nice!

[Pat M]

I grew up with my uncle's 37 in the end hall closet. He lived in Queens and didn't want to register it. Interesting thing about that gun was that he bought it mail order, and the post mark on the box is the day before I was born. The first shotgun I ever fired. Quite a thrill for a 12-year-old to be hitting Coleman cans filled with water with 00 buck. I gave the gun to my brother because the length-of-pull was too much for me. Still in mint condition.

[Killian]

Absolutely amazing, from the gun to the brief history lesson. These are definitely the best posts here. Keep them coming!

[COAST GUARD MIKE]

Nice post. Keep up the good work. In 1967 I was attached to a Coast Guard gunboat in Vietnam. One of my occasional jobs, was to walk prisoners down a long dock to the base. I always chose our Ithaca 37 for the intimidation factor. The prisoners never tried to escape after seeing the size of that barrel.

[Destro]

Hey Destro, do you refinish/restain a lot of your stocks? There seems to be a consistent look to a lot of them, love the darker stain, looks like a Dark Walnut.

Not really. Most of the guns you see are vintage and some are investment quality pieces so don't touch them. One thing is on the older guns the finish can oxidize and give it a nice redish hue.

Now I have finished a lot of project guns to look vintage or like old combat guns and I picked up a few pointers from the CMP. I'll start a whole 'nother thread on that but a CMP armorer made a great detail sheet on the different finishes, strippers etc. to use on Milsurp stocks. I use Birchwood Casey Red walnut for the stain (sometimes on cheaper guns--like turned in police mossberg 500, rem 870s etc.--- regular minwax dark walnut or a mix of that and red maghogony works great), but the trick is using real pure Tung oil cut down with a little pine turpentine for saturation. The CMP and military used BLO, but that's cause Tung Oil was not available during the war (came from China). There's also a difference between pure Tung oil and store brought stuff with preservatives added (just like BLO isn't just linseed oil) but I digress....


@the other posts above, great personal stories with the Ithaca 37. It was a widely used duty gun in the 60s-80s and used in the Vietnam war quite a bit. Of course, made in upstate NY.

Might as well drop some others:

1960s Ithaca 37 Vietnam Trench Gun
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A pair of Ithaca 37 DS Police Specials, the one with the green parkerization on top is from a Miami Dade agency from the early 80s.
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Used in the classic movie "They Live" with the great quote: "I have come to kick ass and chew bubble gun. And I'm all out of bubble gum!" Also featured in "Terminator" as the LAPD at the time used them in patrol cars.
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Ithaca 37 Trench Gun in "Apocalypse Now"
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Late 60s Ithaca 37 20" original pistol grip , beautiful green parkerization
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BTW I'm always buying vintage Ithaca 37s in any condition (must be 20" or shorter factory barrel). Thanks!

[Banzai]

Not really. Most of the guns you see are vintage and some are investment quality pieces so don't touch them. One thing is on the older guns the finish can oxidize and give it a nice redish hue.

Now I have finished a lot of project guns to look vintage or like old combat guns and I picked up a few pointers from the CMP. I'll start a whole 'nother thread on that but a CMP armorer made a great detail sheet on the different finishes, strippers etc. to use on Milsurp stocks. I use Birchwood Casey Red walnut for the stain (sometimes on cheaper guns--like turned in police mossberg 500, rem 870s etc.--- regular minwax dark walnut or a mix of that and red maghogony works great), but the trick is using real pure Tung oil cut down with a little pine turpentine for saturation. The CMP and military used BLO, but that's cause Tung Oil was not available during the war (came from China). There's also a difference between pure Tung oil and store brought stuff with preservatives added (just like BLO isn't just linseed oil) but I digress....


@the other posts above, great personal stories with the Ithaca 37. It was a widely used duty gun in the 60s-80s and used in the Vietnam war quite a bit. Of course, made in upstate NY.

Awesome info, I got a replacement stock for a .22 so I might try some of the stain combos, very helpful, thank you!

[Destro]

There is what looks like an Angola Ithaca 37 on GB now...
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/889318782


I got mine from Kings Firearms a few years back--they are known for buying large lots from departments (LE, Prison, Gov) and liquidating them. Sure enough, not long after there was a thread on AR-15.com confirming they were Angola guns and many posted theirs (reminds me of when the Ohio National Guard Rem870s with USGI bayo lugs were liquidated by Sportsman Outdoors --which also does police gun auctions--not long ago for peanuts and instantly selling for 1,500+ in auciton. There is a mint ONG gun in my trench guard thread.) This is a great way to get police trade-in/vintage duty guns which sometimes turn out collectible in the long run...

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[bigbore44]

See ya scored a PC4 as well, nice.

[Destro]

Yeah, that was Jan 2018. The 7615 police rifles are now selling for $1,200 + in the condition I have on gunbroker and the PC4 -also a police turn-in--a bit more than I paid for it as well. Had I known I would have bought several. Especially the Ithacas which were sold as "gunsmith specials" for $234 but arrived in good historic condition. Those sell for over a grand today as well. I mean we're only taking 3 years ago!

[class3]

Hey Destro

I'm going to jump into your thread with the attached photos of my own Ithacas that we originally discussed by PMs.

The shotguns pictured below were part of a set of 8 that I bought from the Mississippi State Penitentiary, aka Parchman Farm, nearly 20 years ago. The other 5 Ithacas were either Stakeouts or SBSs and were NFA guns, long since sold (sadly). These were used by the prison guards for security and transport.




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Parchman Farm is a notorious prison in its own right. Described by a historian, "Throughout the American South, Parchman Farm is synonymous with punishment and brutality ..."

It was the setting for the John Grisham novel/movie The Chamber, and other movies like the Coen brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou and Life with Eddie Murphy. It's been the inspiration for a number of blues songs, including Mose Allison's song Parchman Farm, about 0:54 in he talks about "putting that cotton in an 11 foot sack having a 12 gauge shotgun at his back" -- maybe one of my Ithacas, given Mose Allison wrote the song in the 60's.

The best part of the guns is the provenance. I have paperwork tying the guns directly back to Parchman Farm, which makes this all more than a great story. Truly a nice set of three to be the caretaker for until they reach their next caretaker.

[Destro]

Gorgeous! Great stuff. Wish you still had that stakeout. Every time I watch Miami Vice re-runs I think of that! Thank you for sharing!

[class3]

I sense you mock me knowing me and Miami Vice and stakeouts

[Destro]

Not at all. That stakeout is iconic. Ever since I got into vintage shotguns and Ithacas I notice it--when I do actually watch re-runs of MIami Vice on Starz. Lots of cool guns on that show.

[NRATC53]

Another great piece. I really like the 37, can shoot from either shoulder as hulls are bottom ejected. My Mom had one in 20 ga, she sold it soon after she and my Dad married so my Dad could buy a Parker GHE that came into the shop. Years later, when I learned of this, I bought her a 37 in 20 and gave it to her for Mother's Day.

[Dan 0351]

You can find old 37's in the back of most police armories - they're old, and their actions are like "butta". Love them.