Savage Arms Company innovations.

[RicinYakima]

Thought I would start a new thread, since folks here speak highly of Savage.

1. From 1919 through 1940 were the largest, made the most, firearms in the US between all of their brands.

2. Made the first successful commercial bolt rifle (Model 1920) with over 14,500 made. Used a round receiver made from stock and used a multi-piece bottom magazine/trigger guard. The rifle in 250/3000 held 5 rounds and weighted 5 pounds 10 ounces with a 24 inch barrel.

3. Made the first non-corrosive centerfire ammo in the US (imported Swiss primers) in 1923.

4. Made the first 22 LR bolt action target rifle specifically designed for target shooting (Model 1919 NRA Match).

Feel free to add any other innovations you like!

 

[Maven]

I think Pistolero's earlier post on the Savage 340 is a nice addition to the thread:

Thanks, Bret. I tend to agree, although I have limited experience. My engineering mind is mightily
impressed when I see a solution which is both cheaper to make and BETTER. I have seen a number
of these features on Savage rifles. For example, the pinned bolt head. It costs less, and eliminates
the need to lap bolt lugs for perfect match. With a rigid bolt, if only one lug touches, at the point of
60,000 psi applied to the bolt face, the bolt WILL flex until the second lug touches and carries load.
This bends the bolt body, putting a hammerblow to the rear of the receiver, ringing the whole action
and barrel, upsetting accuracy.

The Savage bolt head floats in a pin set perpendicular to a line between the two lugs, with
a wavy washer to center. As the pressure rises at firing, at some VERY low pressure, the bolt head
smoothly moves to contact, and is evenly in contact by the time full pressure is applied, avoiding
the hammer blow.....which can't happen anyway because of the bolt pivot point. Cheaper AND
better. Same thing with using the nut on the barrel. Perfect headspace on every single rifle. Likely
more uniform stresses on the threads during firing, too. Better AND cheaper. Look at their
Accutrigger, too. Great solution. A perfectly safe, very light and crisp, and AFFORDABLE trigger.

I love good innovative engineering.

Bill

 

[Ian]

Savage brought the concept of the European combination rifle to the US mass-market in an affordable package. The Model 24 and variants, 42, and my personal favorite, the 219 switch barrel combo were useful, practical, affordable kits. I have two 219s from the 1930s and shoot them both, fine old rifles.

Savage made the Accu-Trigger before it was "cool". They did the barrel nut before it was mainstream. And the floating bolt head, and the $200 bolt action rifle at a time when the competition was three times the price.

 

[Brad]

Khornet has a good friend who buys Savage rifles largely because they make them in a left handed model.

 

[RBHarter]

Oh yeah the lefty models !

Being a primary lefty I learned to shoot with the over the scope 3 finger shuffle . I never bought a lefty because of the $70-100 premium for the same model and grade ...I don't remember ever seeing a slick stock base ADL ......
As a grown up I got my 1st lefty , a 110LH . At that time LH meant left hand High grade , I swapped my used 110E and $35 for the used slightly older rifle . New the left hand guns were $25-35 more but there weren't any Economy grades and the bump was the same as the grade step .

 

[Pistolero]

Wife shoots lefty with long guns, has a Savage .270 which she used to take
a really nice gemsbok in SA. Good accurate rifle, available left handed with no
big deal.

Bill

 

[9.3X62AL]

Only 2 Savage rifles during my lifetime--one I just sold off a few months ago (1930 Model 99 x 250 Savage), the other I still have--a Model Super X-1 22 LR autoloader. It needs a bit of work, but still fires OK. I recall it being the first firearm I ever shot, assisted by Dad at age 7. Its engineering is pretty unique.....take a look at how the bolt is put together on the Numrich website.

This status may change. I've spent a lot of time in the reloading garret of late, and noticed just how bloomin' much componentry I have laying around in 6mm flavor. I swore off the 243 about a year ago, though still kept the dies after gifting the Rem 788 x 243 to a friend for his ENORMOUS assistance during our most recent move. He promised to shoot it and justify my retention of the die set, but apparently lost his mind and returned to work (!) at the D.A.'s Office from which he supposedly retired. A long-handled way of saying that a Savage bolter of some sort is likely to show up hereabouts in the near term. It would be (I think) the 5th 243 I've owned and sold or gifted out. It's an illness.......

 

[Pistolero]

You will likely find that the new Savage bolt gun will be an accurate rifle......well, unless
Rem has managed to "improve them" to the point where they aren't.

Bill

 

[Ian]

If not, $200 buys an off-the-shelf target-grade barrel and you can install it and headspace it yourself in half an hour.