Dug rifle ID?

etex

Bronze Member
Feb 20, 2013
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Longview, Texas
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Had the day off for the Holiday yesterday (Texas Independence Day) and dug this rifle, don't think it is too old, serial # 801622, can't see any maker ID. Barrel is 16.5 inches gun 001.JPGgun 004.JPGgun 005.JPG
 

Upvote 9
What does the business end of the barrel look like?
 

Maybe a quality toy?? The barrel is shorter than a normal rifle would have and I see no magazine tube. How about a pic of the other side to see if it has a real loading gate. Also the "receiver" looks like pot metal or aluminum, is it magnetic??
 

Maybe a quality toy?? The barrel is shorter than a normal rifle would have and I see no magazine tube. How about a pic of the other side to see if it has a real loading gate. Also the "receiver" looks like pot metal or aluminum, is it magnetic??


I am thinking along those lines, too.
 

Maybe a quality toy?? The barrel is shorter than a normal rifle would have and I see no magazine tube. How about a pic of the other side to see if it has a real loading gate. Also the "receiver" looks like pot metal or aluminum, is it magnetic??

I was thinking the same thing. I think the 1'st picture is of the right side where a loading gate would be on a larger caliber lever action... and I'm not seeing one. Without the loading gate in the side of the receiver, I'd guess its a .22 caliber and loaded from the tube... which I'd guess has rusted away. The receiver metal does look odd and if it didn't have a serial number stamped in it I'd think its a toy too.

Can we see pictures of the top and bottom of the receiver? Awesome find :icon_thumright:
 

I will also have to say it's of toy. But still fun to find.
 

It probably could be zapped to clean it up, then I bet all the markings on it would be visable. A real gun normally has markings on the barrel, receiver and maybe stock. The ones I have seen use push pins to hold receivers together, these look like slotted screws or bolts. I'm thinking a toy gun but maybe a BB or pellet gun? Cool find any gun toy or real is cool in my book. Congrats
 

I also want to say toy. It looks like rivets holding it together and holding the leaver action on it.
 

Found it! Its an Ithaca Model 49 .22 lever action.

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I was hung up on the Stevens Model 89 which has a little different receiver. But every last pin and curve, including serial number location, match the Ithaca Model 49.

Great find!
 

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I was interested in what that receiver was made of, so I just read some more on the Ithaca M49. This one was most likely made in the 60's or 70's. The receiver is aluminum. It had a mag tube, but it was NOT functional. It was a single shot lever. Lever opened action, a single round hand fed into the top of the receiver. So is was a $20 (new in the 70's) cheap kids gun... a boarder line toy, but it would actually shoot.
 

I was interested in what that receiver was made of, so I just read some more on the Ithaca M49. This one was most likely made in the 60's or 70's. The receiver is aluminum. It had a mag tube, but it was NOT functional. It was a single shot lever. Lever opened action, a single round hand fed into the top of the receiver. So is was a $20 (new in the 70's) cheap kids gun... a boarder line toy, but it would actually shoot.

Awesome job!! I sure thought toy. Glad you were able to solve it and that it is a real shooting gun. Thanks for your research.
 

If it was a 22 cal. It wouldn't be considered a cheap kids gun. Actually in the 60's to now most of the rifle manufacturers built and sold carbine model .22's and they aren't cheap. I bought a winchester xtr in 82. Price: $350. A beautiful and accurate rifle. In 1964 Daisy sold a BB gun that looked just like this. If the barrel is solid I would say .22 if not it was a bb gun. The caliber would be easy to tell if looking at the barrel end. It would also be heavier.
Happy md'ing
 

Awesome job!! I sure thought toy. Glad you were able to solve it and that it is a real shooting gun. Thanks for your research.

Thanks man. If it wasnt for the receiver having a serial number stamped on the side, I would have thought a well made toy as well. But since it had a serial number I decided to take a crack at it and with no side loading gate in the receiver I was pretty certain it was a lever .22... so that narrowed it down some.
 

If it was a 22 cal. It wouldn't be considered a cheap kids gun. Actually in the 60's to now most of the rifle manufacturers built and sold carbine model .22's and they aren't cheap. I bought a winchester xtr in 82. Price: $350. A beautiful and accurate rifle. In 1964 Daisy sold a BB gun that looked just like this. If the barrel is solid I would say .22 if not it was a bb gun. The caliber would be easy to tell if looking at the barrel end. It would also be heavier.
Happy md'ing

Not all rifles made were high quality. Many manufacturers produced .22 plinker rifles (and other calibers) in the price point the younger generation could afford. This Ithaca Model 49 was one of them. It was a single shot, had a non-functional magazine tube (only on there for looks) and an aluminum receiver, with a profile and lever that looks very similar to the extremely popular Winchester Model 94. This one was a cheap 1970s $20 single shot plinker rifle. As a kid I had a similar .22 that I would take shooting on our property. However, many were well made and not aimed at a lower price point. I have many early Winchester and Marlin .22 rifles that were used as "Gallery Guns" at carnivals in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Those are very well made, have stood the test of time and are quite valuable. It was not only smaller calibers that were made for lower price points, I have whats called a "Hardware Store" SxS 12gauge, that was used at an Alaskan Gold mine in the 1930's. Those were no-name cheaply made shotguns that you could pick up for a couple bucks at any hardware store... its a perfectly fire-able shotgun, however the quality is low and you can see file marks and machine marks on much of the action.
 

Maybe a quality toy?? The barrel is shorter than a normal rifle would have and I see no magazine tube. How about a pic of the other side to see if it has a real loading gate. Also the "receiver" looks like pot metal or aluminum, is it magnetic??
Rivets instead of screws is a give away.
 

Congrats on an interesting find.
 

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