Bill-Oh;
Bill, the Marlin Model 49 was never a cataloged item. It was made as a stock promotion gun, whereas if someone purchased 4 shares of Marlin common stock at $25.00 per share (for a total of $100.00) they received a free firearm. There were several different firearms offered in this deal. The Model 49 was actually made up of left over parts from earlier shotgun models. The magazine takedown style was of the earlier style where you had to push a button and twist and pull the magazine tube to clear the receiver. The "hang fire safety release" was of the later style where it is located down by the trigger guard.
One thing different about the Model 49 is that little "hump" on the top of the receiver. It is the only exposed hammer model to have that.
Brophy lists the manufacturing dates between 1928 and 1930.
There is a list of safety checks you can perform on your gun yourself to see if it is safe to shoot at:
www.100megspop3.com/oldvalkyry/marlin.html
Be advised, the Marlin Firearms Company has issued a service bulletin advising owners of these old pump action shotguns NOT to shoot them EVERYTHING must be in correct working order for them to be safe. Run the checks listed above then decide if you want it fixed or not if it does not pass. Good luck....
