Guns Illustrated 2011. Dan ShidelerЧитать онлайн книгу.
go two cases.
As shotguns go, the Ithaca M66 is an example of a type that isn’t exactly fl ourishing anymore: the single-barrel break-open beginner’s gun. Yes, I know that H&R, Baikal and Rossi still make such shotguns, God bless ‘em, but part of me still longs for the day when the local K-Mart stocked Savage 94s and Winchester 37As and Ithaca Model 66s. Those were the days.
The Ithaca M66 is about as simple as you could get: it has a lock, a stock, and a barrel, and that’s about it. With its painted aluminum receiver and matte barrel, it’s a utility gun and not a showpiece. In fact, I can literally strike an Ohio Blue Tip match on the barrel of my .410 M66. Its finish is that raw.
The M66 has no positive safety, just a rebounding hammer. To load it, you fl ip the lever downward and the barrel drops, exposing the chamber. You insert the shell, snap the barrel shut and keep your thumb on the hammer in case something runs out or fl ies up in front of you. If it does, you cock the hammer and squeeze ‘er off. If you can’t make the shot, you very carefully lower the hammer and hope for better luck next time.
The stock on the M66 has what’s called “impressed checkering.” Note: That’s “impressed,” not “impressive.” But it does the job and keeps the gun from squirming out of your hands on rainy days. And the M66 is one gun you don’t mind taking out on a rainy day.
The M66 was offered in .410, 20-gauge, and 12-gauge, all with 3-inch chambers. Most of the M66s I find floating around out there are choked full, but a good number of the 12s and 20s have modifi ed chokes.
Ithaca’s “ugly gun” was manufactured from around 1963 to 1978. Interestingly, there’s a possibility that the venerable Winchester Repeating Arms Company dallied with the idea of producing a Model 66 knockoff.
Wildwood, Inc., a gunshop in China Village, Maine, once posted on the Gun-sAmerica website a prototype shotgun described thus:
“AGAWAM ARMS 12GA SINGLE LEVER ACTION SINGLE SHOT 12GA PROTOTYPE TESTED BY WINCHESTER FOR POSSIBLE PRODUCTION, STAMPED X-2 BY WINCHESTER, LETTER OF AUTHENTICITY FROM ED ULRICH, RETIRED WINCHESTER CUSTOM SHOP.”
The photo accompanying the listing shows a gun that looks suspiciously like an Ithaca M66. Ultimately Winchester opted not to produce the prototype gun, choosing instead to procure a simplifi ed version of their old Model 37 single-shot shotgun from Cooey Arms of Coburg, Ontario, later a division of Winchester. The Cooey gun would later be marketed in the USA as the Winchester Model 37A or the Model 840.
The Ithaca Model 66 came in four basic fl avors: the 12- or 20-gauge or .410 Standard Model, with plain stock and 24” bead-sighted barrel; the Youth Model, which was offered in 20 gauge and .410 only and sported a shortened stock with recoil pad; the Vent Rib Model, which was similar to the Standard Model but had a vent rib on its barrel; and the 20-gauge Model 66 Buck Buster, which featured a 22” smoothbore barrel with rifled sights.
I’ve had two Buck Busters, and each was very accurate with Foster and Bren-neke slugs. I theorize that Ithaca gave Buck Buster barrels the same treatment they gave to their Model 37 Deerslayer barrels, which is to say a very thorough polishing. At any rate, M66 Buck Busters are not to be trifled with, especially if you’re brown and hairy and have antlers growing out of your head.
Values for all of the M66 family run from about $150 to as high as $300 for examples in excellent condition. I know I’d pay that much for a really nice Buck Buster, and I’d kinda like to have a Vent Rib model, too. If Ithaca can supply the kid’s gun, I can still supply the kid!
GUNS AND GEAR FOR WOMEN BY GILA HAYES
Jennie Van Tuyl’s short, light DPMS Panther Arms AR15 is outfitted with an LE Entry Tactical Stock from Brownell’s.
When savvy shooting women shop for guns and gear, they ask two simple questions:
1. Does it work?
2. Does it fit?
Feminized packaging may add eye appeal as illustrated by colored pistol frames, pink or pearl grips, color-laminated long-gun stocks, pink-o-fl age clothing, brightly colored hearing protection and safety glasses and more. While female-oriented marketing campaigns may catch women’s attention initially, ultimately how well guns and shooting equipment fit and function is the determining factor in a woman’s long and successful experience with the gear.
Stag Arms left-handed AR puts the controls under the lefty’s thumb where they belong.
How well are gun and shooting gear manufacturers meeting the less glamorous requirement of reliability and functionality? Products displayed at the 2010 SHOT Show, the industry’s premier convention where manufacturers show their wares to media and retailers, reveal a continued availability of woman-friendly designs, ranging from hunting and tactical clothing for ladies, to shotguns and rifles that fit smaller shooters, pistols that fit small hands and accommodate women’s more challenging concealment needs as well as a few holsters, and a lot of holster handbags.
Gone, we fervently hope, are the days when the woman braving the local gun shop was automatically pointed toward the fake pearl-gripped .25 caliber semiauto or, if its operation seemed too daunting, a double action revolver! Still, beginners of either gender are well served by a quality .22LR handgun or rifle, simply because it provides lots of trigger time with little recoil and does so with minimal expense. For years, Ruger’s Mark II pistols ruled the market in .22 semiautos, while a great variety of kit guns from Smith & Wesson, Taurus and other revolver manufacturers, some of whom have come and gone and come back again, made choosing a beginner’s revolver not an issue of availability, but one of deciding between all the options! HKS even makes speed loaders for .22s, making an introduction to speed loading drills possible!
Not all women are fond of the stiff, long trigger pull characteristic of the double action revolver, however. For these beginners, the plethora of .22LR caliber semiautomatic pistols provides the ability to practice all the steps to operate a full-sized self-defense pistol, again with the lighter recoil and cheaper ammunition. Options include traditional favorites like the Ruger Mark II, Browning Buck Mark, Smith & Wesson’s .22 pistols, Beretta’s pocket models as well as their Neos plus a variety of high-end competition pistols. With operations closer to those of full-sized handguns, Sig Sauer’s Mosquito, full-sized CZs and EAAs in .22, Walther’s P22 and conversion kits for 1911s and Glocks are also good choices for beginners for whom shooting skills will eventually address self-defense concerns.
While beginning shooters of either gender may prefer to start with a small caliber gun and its easy operating characteristics, with good training, both men and women graduate quickly to guns in reasonable defense calibers, if that is their reason for taking up shooting. These advancing shooters may still cherish their .22LR Rifles and handguns for plinking, practicing, and pleasure, but with a bit of diligence, the pursuit of highly suitable revolvers, pistols, rifles and shotguns in more effective calibers yields a variety of choices.
HANDGUNS “FIT” FOR A QUEEN
Walther’s pistol options include the .22LR P22, the .380 PK380, and for concealed carry the very minimalist PPS in 9mm.
The trend toward adjustable backstrap inserts makes fitting a pistol to small-handed shooters far easier than it was even five years ago, though sometimes the backstrap inserts seem merely a way to increase a medium-sized grip to sizes large and extra large! The latest and possibly most celebrated manufacturer to offer the adjustable grip option is Glock. In the smallest variation, Glock’s fourth generation pistol’s grip is about 1/8 inch smaller in circumference. It is currently available in Models 17 and 22, and Glock insiders predict the 4th Generation Model 19s and 23s should be out around May of 2010.