When I took my training, one of the disabled test rifles was a Savage 24. It was old of course (they wouldn't waste a new gun for this purpose) and I liked it though I might prefer a larger gauge.

The ammo aspect is important which is why I'm leaning towards 12 gauge and .22LR (even if that means having to ultimately buy 2). They're common and cheap by comparison.

When I'm at the shop tonight I'll ask about Ithacas...sounds interesting.

I'm in no rush. I'm going to check out as many as possible and fire as many as possible before I buy. It's going to take me nearly 3 months to get my actual license anyhow.