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Remington introduced the 1915 Browning design as the Model 17 pump action shotgun. Remington sold a total of 72,644 Model 17s before discontinuing it in 1933. When the Browning patent expired, the Ithaca Gun Co. was free to copy the basic Model 17 Remington. They promoted it as the Ithaca Model 37; it was designed in 1933 and put in production in 1937. This fabulous pump shotgun is still manufactured today and it has been the cornerstone of Ithaca’s production since its inception.

The great market potential for the pump action shotgun was recognized by both manufacturing giants Remington and Winchester. The popular Winchester Model 12 pump was designed by T.C. Johnson, a Winchester engineer who spent many years designing a pump action that did not infringe on the Browning patent. This highly successful shotgun was accepted as one of America’s premier shotgun designs. Nearly two million were sold from 1912 to 1963, when production was discontinued.

Remington also recognized the tremendous sales and market appeal potential for a reliable, top-quality pump gun that could be competitive in cost with the Winchester Model 12. They designed the famous Remington Model 870, which was first sold in 1950. The 870 was exceptionally successful and it turned out to be the world’s highest-volume shotgun ever produced. Sales of the 870 had reached two million by 1973 and over seven million by 1996! It is still being manufactured today by the Remington Arms Co. in Ilion, New York, using the very latest technology in materials and methods.