Ithaca model 72 .22 lever - Misfires

K

knzn

New member
My brother in-law has an Ithaca model 72 "Saddle Carbine" .22 lever action rifle. It's problem is that on the first trigger pull there is only a lite primer strike, then upon cocking the hammer and giving a second pull the round will fire. I am not expecting it's problem to be diagnosed site unseen, but was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem before.
I guess the fireing pin could be worn down, but don't know what it should measure. The main spring does feel pretty weak, but I don't know what a proper one should feel like. Just taking shots in the dark so to speak, mabe the bolt is no longer closing close enough to the rim of the cartridge. (Head space?)

I have heard (Read) lots of horror stories about taking apart other lever actions such as Brownings etc., but I am quite impressed on how simple this action is. He has owned and shot it many trouble free years. I think it has spent close to 30 years riding in his pick-ups.

Anyway, just looking for ideas.

Thanks.
 
clean it first, then change if necessary

Do like Mr O'heir suggested and clean it it very well and then retry. It sounds to me like you are on the right track with the spring. Good luck finding a new one for the rifle as Numrich and others have nothing available on this particular rifle. If the firing pin isn't broken or worn down, I would take the spring to a local hardware store and see if you can match it up to a spring of the same length that is a little bit stiffer and replace it. If this works, then you got it running, if not, then I would suggest letting a smith take a look at headspace on the rifle as this is possibly the reason you are getting light strikes if the firing pin turns out to be ok. Normal headspace on a lot of rifles is a bit too excessive for my taste right out of the box. I would suggest taking it down to as close to .043" on your bolt as you can get it. Good luck with it.
 
Thanks for the replys. Took it all apart, cleaned and lubed it right off the bat, and yes, it needed it, but didn't fix it.

cntryboy1289:

I was affraid of the parts being hard to find. Went to Numrich's web site and have their catalog. No luck as you said. Off to the hardware store. Luckily we still have a couple of old fashioned ones around here.
 
Good deal

I would try to replace every spring you have if you can find them. The mainspring may be giving you low powered strikes of the firing pin as well. Good luck with it. If the tip ends up being broken, a local smith should be able to help you.

We still have a local hardware store here where I live and they have saved my bacon many of times. They seem to relish the fact that they keep the little things like springs of all kinds as well as the little specialty items that Lowe's and Home Depot never seem to have when you look there. I give them all of my business that I can to do my best to help them stay in business. I wish everyone would do the same thing if you have a Mom & Pop business like this where you live. When they are gone, we will all be at a loss at times when you need a small screw or spring, or just the simple everyday hardware needs. Just look at what Walmart has done to your local economy. Almost every local grocer has gone by the way side when there is a Walmart within 20 miles. We have only one of the last standouts here where I live. They used to just be locally owned, but when wlamart started competeing, they brought in another local grocer and they combined their monies to compete. I buy everything I can from them as well just to stick my thumb in the eye of Wally World.

I guess this is bleeding over into another post and I do apologize for that, but if anyone wants to know what is happening to the businesses of America, this is a prime example. Big businesses like Walmart and the like import cheaply made items and sell them cheaper than a small business can afford to and run the small man out of business. Then when the small man is gone, Wally World raises the price of the imported goods and makes even more money without the competition. I know this for a fact simply because we have had 2 clothing plants here close their doors simply because Wally World and the like quit buying from them. They closed the doors here and moved south of the border and now you can find their name brand in Walmart again. They have deported the jobs to Mexico where it is a lot cheaper to make goods and then import them back to us. So please support your local businesses if you want to buy good American made products, otherwise, it won't be long before about the only thing you can buy that is made here will be tires and a few tools.
 
cntryboy1289:

Hey bud, you don't need to apologize for anything. Couldn't have said it better myself.
 
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