Working a classic lever action rimfire rifle.

by Mark R. Hollensen

I recently had a customer asking to have an old Ithaca Model 49 .22 lever-action single-shot rifle refurbished. It was in fair shape, very dirty with a few dings and dents, but all of the parts were accounted for. Although I had to order replacements for two parts beyond repair, the gun was a shooter. Research on this gun was hindered due to a lack of a serial number but seems to have been manufactured between 1961 and 1969, prior to the Gun Control Act of 1968. While thumbing through my collection of gun manuals and exploded views, I never ran across a disassembly and reassembly instructions for this particular rifle.

Completely refurbishing this old favorite meant everything had to come off of the gun. The barrel and other visible parts were sent out for bluing and the action and other aluminum parts received a new coat of finish. The wood needed to be stripped and finished as per the customer’s wishes. I decided to share my disassembly/reassembly information as I had to start from scratch and this will save you time should a Model 49 find your bench.

Videos with further information:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ctVwuj-t0

Read more in the July 2016 issue.

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