Breech reface - Ithaca 49

[Rex B]

I just bought a really nice Ithaca 49 like I had as a kid.
In fact, this one is nicer, having been carefully refinished by the original owner.
However, it has a breechface that is peened from dryfiring, and has other marks like someone has used a tool to dig a cartridge out. It just looks like a mess, though it seems to work OK.

This being the only defect on the entire gun, I'd like to clean it up.
So what are the options - pull the barrel, reface the breech, re-cut the firing pin recess and the ejector slot?
Build up with weld and recut?
New barrel?

 

[rcmodel]

My first reaction is, if it works O.K., don't fix it.

The Itheca 49 barrel is a press fit (and pinned) into the sentered metal receiver. I don't know how much pressure it would take to get one out.
Or how much pressure the sentered metal would take before breaking or cracking.

Setting the barrel back and re-cutting the chamber, extractor cut, barrel retaining pin slot, etc. is another possibility. But then the barrel would be shorter then factory.

I think I would just try to clean it up as best you can with stones & paper, hit it with some Brownell's Oxpho-blue, and call it good.

rcmodel