Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 219 question

Is it possible to change the ejector feature of a 219 to be simply an extractor? Chasing my .22 Hornet brass into the next zip code if I don't catch it is the worst feature of the rifle, I love it except for that.

I wonder if you could weaken the ejector spring.

Take a coil out at a time till it just drops at your feet?

If any manufacturer were to revive this gem (I know, fat chance...), that would be the one feature I'd change except for a more durable firing pin. It is a great feature on the shotgun version, but not on the rifle.

I never even knew Southern California had chiggers, until I started bird doggin' "tiny brass in the tall grass"!

That would work right up until the moment you got a tight case in the chamber. My pals and I when shooting trap/skeet/sporting clays with shotguns that feature automatic ejectors have all learned the trick of pushing the top lever with the RH thumb while at the same time placing the palm of the left hand behind the breech to capture the ejected empty, letting the gun fall open by gravity. No real need to clutch the fore arm with a death grip when opening it.

I hear what your saying but I know a few of my 220/219's are a bugger to open with just one hand. Even worse is my 430 in 20 ga. You need 2 hands because the top lever needs to be pushed over as far as it will go before it will open. Actually had my smith have a look at it thinking it was broken but he played with it for a bit and handed it back to me saying that's just the way it was fitted.

may be an oversized hole in the top snap arm.

I'm dealing with that myself right now.

The various models of 219/220 work differently regarding the opening lever. Earlier models use it to cock the gun and open only to the right.

Later ones can be opened either way, and cock differently, using a stud on the barrel lug. Since I don't have one of those, I'm not entirely sure how it works. I do know that an early barrel without the stud may "fit" a later gun (lock up tight), but won't cock it.

So even if you are lucky enough to find an extra barrel and fit it to your gun, the gun won't fire unless it is the RIGHT barrel.

Must have got lucky with my set, they all fire fine.

Mine, too, but they are all early Utica or real early Chicopee Falls mfr. No A, B, C, or D models.

Same here, not one Chicopee in the fleet.

I think anyways. 100% sure the 25-20 barrel is Utica.

Wish I had one in .25-20.

I have learned how to get my left thumb behind it to block the spent case when opening, but have been working with a CVA break open lately that is set up to extract only and it sure has me spoiled.

I really like that 219, got one in .30-30 recently I want to have sleeved to .32 S&W as a counterpart for small game/varmints.

I'd just buy a chamber adapter to .32 Long or .32 ACP, unless it's got a bum bore. Cheaper and keeps the gun original. My .30-30 shoots accurately enough with .32 ACP adapter at +-50 yards with the 2.5X "Savage" (Japanese) scope it came with.