Ithaca 49 Saddlegun disassembly

[moewadle]

I have an Ithaca 49 .22 lever-action, single-shot saddle gun. I bought it at a pawn shop and cannot return it. It does not eject. I could afford to take it to a gunsmith but I love this gun model and thought perhaps I would like to learn to disassemble and assemble it. Now I know these 49s can be damaged if they are disassembled incorrectly. I know there is a fairly current reference book on the disassembly of .22 caliber rifles of about 30 models and this is one of them in the book with disassembly instructions. So, I would buy the book to guide. However, I am not generally a mechanical person and have never disassembled a rifle or handgun in my life. I would like to find shooters who know about this gun and can give me advice. Also, what is the mostly likely reason this gun will not eject? The condition of this gun is very nice, well above average for these Ithacas in my opinion. Thank you in advance for any help, advice you can give.

 

[dbarale]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=189332

It's all in there, I followed the instructions to take mine apart and it worked.
The ejector spring could be broken or really gummed up.
I would try removing the wiood and flushing it with brake cleaner before taking it apart.
Good luck...

 

[Jim K]

The biggest reason for ejection failure on those guns was that the ejector was badly made and missed the case rim. The next most common problem was that the ejector sears tend to break.

The ejector is supposed to remain in place until the breech block drops, then fly back and kick out the empty case. The part that holds the ejector forward is called the ejector sear (or trip). If it breaks, the ejector just pushes out as soon as the breechblock moves out of the way, resulting in poor ejection or having to pick the case out with the fingers.

The error most folks make in trying to disassemble that gun is to try to drive out the large breech block pin at the top rear. It is held by a plunger in the lever fitting into a groove and if an attempt is made to drive the large pin out, the frame can be ruined. The lever has to be removed first.

Quite honestly, if you are unfamiliar with firearms in general and that gun in particular, it is very tricky and not a good gun to learn on. If you are not comfortable with working on it, I suggest you take it to a gunsmith.

Jim