I have the 20ga model 66RS (rifle sights). Great for hunting thick stuff in shotgun only areas.

 

When I was a kid, one of the sporting goods stores sold lots of Ithaca's. Many kids first gun were single shot Ithaca lever action .22's and shotguns. The really lucky kids got a model 37.

 

For my first shotgun I was given a Model 66 BuckBuster in 12 gauge from my oldest brother. Don't know how many rabbits, pheasants, and deer I got with that, never had a shotgun fit me or shoot so well for me as that single shot. My sons each got their first deer with the same shotgun. You just " pointed it in the general direction and it did the rest". Good Luck and Good Shooting Chris

 

I have a 20 gauge in minty fresh condition. It was the first shotgun momma bought daddy after they were married. Good guns. Very light, so recoil could be an issue. The frames are not steel, some kind of pot metal if that matters to you.

Here locally they bring REAL good money. Well used are $300 and up. Minty ones a little more.

 

The one that I have has a Steel [ or malleable iron] ? receiver, a magnet will stick to it. I thought the 12 gauges were Iron and all other were maybe Aluminum? But who knows for sure. I would still be using that for rabbit hunting but sometimes we can jump coyotes and I am not fast enough with a revolver, so I carry a side by side with one barrel loaded with buckshot. Good Luck and Good Shooting Chris

 

Nice for the collection, it's an interesting little bit of history from the Ithaca story.

 

At onetime back in the 1980s I had a set of model 66s I had a 12ga. 36in a 12ga buckbuster. A 20ga with a factory vent rib, and a 410ga. They matched the model 49 22lr and 22mag I had also. I still have the 49 22lr. But had a guy offer me the right amount back in the late 90s for all the others. They sold . I still run across them now an then. Last one in a gun show was a 12ga 28in I think and it was priced at 375.00.

 

I believe the early ones had the iron receivers, later ones where made of pot metal. We have a couple of the iron 12 gauges. They are neat but kick like hell. Elm I believe is the stock material, no gun stocks are made of oak because it would split under recoil.

 

I need to check mine and see what receiver it is. It’s from the 70’s, but that’s all I know.

 

Really neat guns. As a teenager and in college friends of mine were dairy armers and each had one. A 12 gauge and a 20 gauge. Lts of pigeons and small game fell to the both of them.

 

I believe the alloy receivers are "Zamak", a zinc alloy. I have a 12 ga "Buckbuster" and shot my first buck with it in Upstate NY. I worked with several former Ithaca employees at Redding Reloading Equipment. They said the Zamak receiver 12 gauges should not be fired. I believe them as my Dad's M66 receiver split in two when I fired it years ago.

 

I’ve never had a problem with my 12ga

 

Here’s my 20 gauge & 12 gauge……

 

I have one, will handle as deer gun shooting slugs