Stan, thanks for that feedback. I know the Ithacas are good guns and worked well for Elmer Keith. That's a great endorsement.
I doubt most of us here are in the one gun camp...but we could do everything with a 12 gauge and find shells anywhere. For that matter, I could do everything with a 22 rimfire but that's illegal. Even in remote Alaska where I lived for 10 years, you could find a partial box of 12 gauge shells in the boat, or trapper's cabin or various coat pockets. No big deal and practical. I shot a Mossberg pump up there because if it fell out of the boat, I wouldn't mourn the loss.
These days, I like the classics more than the plastics. I'm not living in the Bush anymore and I enjoy older guns and I don't have to be practical all the time. I'm with you TM...I know I could do it all happily with a light, classic 10 gauge...and I would far rather hunt with a 3.5" 10 gauge than a 3.5" 12 gauge. That's just me and everyone gets to spend their $ the way they like to.
