Ithaca Model 66 Super Single: a budget classic still worth a look

A collector's piece this week: American Rifleman's "I Have This Old Gun" column looks back at the Ithaca Model 66 Super Single, a lever-action 12-gauge from the heyday of TV Westerns, and traces what one still fetches today.

Snapshot

Ithaca built the Model 66 Super Single from 1963 to 1978, offering a single-shot, lever-opened 12-, 20-gauge or .410-bore built on the same concept as its popular Model 49 rimfire rifle. American Rifleman's column walks through the gun's design, variants and current collector values, with the author recalling it as a first shotgun from his own youth.

Key points

• Design: the lever simply unlocks the barrel from the receiver, which then pivots on a hinge pin like a standard break-action single-shot, with a hammer that must be manually cocked.
• Specs: standard guns shipped with a blued 28-inch barrel (26-, 30- and 36-inch options existed), 3-inch chambers and a fixed choke, usually marked modified.
• Handling: at around 6 pounds with a hard-plastic buttplate, the gun earned a reputation for stout felt recoil, per American Rifleman.
• Variants: the lineup included Youth, Long Tom (36-inch barrel), Buckbuster slug gun and Vent Rib models, introduced first in 12 gauge, then 20 gauge in 1964 and .410-bore in 1966.
• Value: a Standard Grade example in good condition runs $150 to $250, with rarer variants reaching up to $580 depending on condition; American Rifleman notes new-in-box .410-bores are the most sought after.

Quick take

This isn't a gun anyone needs for serious hunting duty today, but American Rifleman's column frames it as a piece of mid-century shooting culture with genuine field history, something a budget-minded hunter or collector could still pick up and put to work on small game or birds.

Read the full story: americanrifleman.org