Savage single shot Model 219 30-30 barrel misfires

[kjohn]

I have an old Savage single shot with Model 219 30-30 and Model 220 12 ga. barrels. It works fine with the 12 ga. barrel, but won't fire the 30-30 barrel unless I push forward a bit on the opener lever with my thumb. Although the screw holding the lever seems tight, the lever and screw are loose. When the rifle does fire, the lever kicks back onto my thumb - ouch!

Can anybody shed any light on this problem? Has anybody ever delved into the guts?

Thanks in advance.

 

[sgt.rock]

Was this a matched set, or was the .30-30 barrel picked up at a different time? I remember finding a 12 guage barrel to add to my .30-30 and I had trouble getting it to "fit right" and abandoned the thought. Then 2 years later, I was looking through my wife's Grandfather's gun cabinet and spied a 30-30/12 barrel set, and he said that it was a matched set bought at the same time , and when I mentioned what I had seen (a spare barrel for my own 219 that didn't fit) he said that some were "matched sets, and others were sold individually as either a 219 rifle, or 220 shotgun. If you wanted to pick up an "unmatched" barrel, a gunsmith would have to "fit it".
I gave up on trying to find a shotgun barrel to add to my rifle.

 

[Raton57]

Check the main spring for the hammer. Sometimes the rod inside the spring bends a bit and gives poor hammer strikes until you straighten it again. That was what my problem turned out to be.

 

[kjohn]

sgt. rock: I couldn't say if the barrels were a "set" or not. There seems to be a good fit with either, so I'm happy with that part.

Raton57: Thanks for the tip. I'll get my gun partner, Dean, to have a look at that. Seems odd that it will fire the 12 ga. with no problem, but offers only a weak dent in the primer with the rifle barrel, unless I hold the lever forward with my thumb. Something inside ain't right!

The old thing is a neat deal, and I would like to have it working with the rifle barrel so I can shoot light loads.

 

[kjohn]

Double post.

 

[sgt.rock]

I love the single shot .30-30's. I just picked up a H & R Handi-rifle in .30-30 to go with my guns
The solution about the bent bar may just work. Probably an easy solution if the "lock-up" is tight.