Just got this new/old toy. What to do with it

That's a cool old Savage.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by D Humbarger:
Just got this new/old toy. What to do with it

[QUOTE]

cherish it and then go shoot it just as it is.

What Von Gruff said, unless of course you wanna restock it.

Nice, I've always had a hankerin for one of those.

I passed on one years ago been regretting it ever since. I load some rounds for it as shoot it.

Doug I just sold one of those M 1920 in 250-3000. Mine was in pretty good shape but it had a 1in 14 in twist barrel. It would shoot the 87 gr bullets well but the 100 spritzers opened up to about 4 in groups @ 100 yds. I was tempted to re-barrel it with a 1in 10 inch twist but decided to sell it and re-barrel something else. I suspect all early 250s were 1 in 14.

Cool rifle and cartridge!

Thanks for the responses. I will just shoot it as is I guess. Though I would like to restock it. The comb is set up for the open sights but has too much drop for me. Your shooting in pretty much a head up position. The stock has a fairly severe crack that was repaired years ago.
That 1 in 14 twist is dictating 87/90 grain pills. Nothing wrong with that. This variant has the peep sight that was mounted on the bolt shroud missing which is common on these little rifles.

Restock it, duplicate the barrel but in a 10" and have fun.

quote:

Just got this new/old toy. What to do with it

Go shoot a deer with it when the season opens. That's what I'd do with it.

I had a Model 20 in .300 Savage that needed restocking, but I did not complete the project. The original ultra-light bolt rifle.

I couldn't imagine a more fun gun to stalk Columbia Blacktails in the coast range of Oregon. Gawd, it just radiates coolness.

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
What Von Gruff said, unless of course you wanna restock it.

Nice, I've always had a hankerin for one of those.

If you fancy a project Mike, I have a complete Savage 1920 action that I'm thinking of parting with. I think you still have my email...

--Robert/Bear

Bear,

Email inbound!

Good to hear from you!

Maybe rebarrel it to a 6.5 creed or a 35 Rem.

Mine would be a 6.5x49 (6.5-250 savage).

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
Mine would be a 6.5x49 (6.5-250 savage).

Now there's an interesting idea.

I look forward to seeing what Mike will do...

Mike was the first exposure to classic bolt action rifles when I was in school. I love his guns!

Were it mine (and I own its twin, minus the white accents) I would beg borrow or steal a Lyman 54 bolt sleeve sight and have one of the best early lightweight bolt guns ever made. Lyman 54's are pricey, and don't show up often, but they work very well and, well, it's only money...

Marble's made a receiver sight, their Model#20, that attaches on the left rear of the receiver, straddling the ejector. They too are fairly rare but not as expensive as the Lyman 54.

These rifles were never intended for scope use. Heck, 90% of the guys alive in 1920 would've looked at you like you had two heads if you had suggested putting a scope on a hunting rifle. After mounting a scope, as low as you dared, the comb would probably still be too low for optimal use, plus you would have to alter the bolt handle. Mounting it high enough to clear the handle, and you would need a neck like a giraffe to use it. Altering the bolt handle on a 90+ year old un-molested collectible would be a shame IMO.

Thanks a ton for the ID on that peep sight. I had no knowledge of the model.
OFF TO THE HUNT!

Please don't mess with it, keep it original and sell it to me when you tire of it...

Try some 100 gr. flat base spritzers such as the Speer or Sierra..My 99 shots them into an inch at 100 off the bench for 3 shot groups. it won't shoot boattails or the longer ballistic tips..I have noted this with other 1x14 twist savages 99s..

For deer hunting the 85 gr. GS Customs HP is accurate as can be and a deadly killer of both Mule deer and Whitetail.

I would love to find a nice Savage mod. 20 at a decent price in the 250-3000 caliber...

Beautiful rifle. I would keep it as it is and shoot it with 75-85grain bullets it was meant to shoot. I have plenty of rifles that would shoot heavier bullets if needed. The .250Savage isn´t a .257Roberts, .25-06 or a 257Wea...it is a.250Savage and invented by Charles Newton.

Enjoy it.

Ive used the 250 as much or more than most I am sure..Got my first one at about 12 years old, always had one..

The beauty of the 250 is is does wonders on game without blast and recoil..I've shot probaboy half a dozen elk and many deer with it,My dad shot around 50 elk and no telling how many deer with his. I culled in Africa with it..Mostly with factory WW Silvertips, Rem. Corelokts and Peters ammo..Only in the last 40 or so years have I use handloads for it..In a 1x14 twist and mine are that, I use GS Customs 85 gr. monolithics at 3000 FPS, and it shoots the 100 gr. Speer and Sierra flat base bullets at 2800 FPS very well indeed. Most 1x14s will do well with the "flat base short 100 gr. bullets" contrary to popular belief..Most will not shoot boat tails or long Balistic tips has been my experience.

Love that little Sav. mod 20, Had a trapper that worked the Big Bend country in Texas for coyotes and bobcats and he had a beat up old mod 20 in 250 Savage..He let me borrow it for deer season one year..loved it..If one comes by me at a decent price I will snatch it up.

The Savage 1920 was far ahead of its time as a light, bolt-action hunting rifle. Your rifle seems to have the original stock, though whoever added the white diamond and white-line grip cap spacer didn't help collector value.

The Lyman 54 is an excellent sight, made specifically for this model, which is why there are fairly rare and expensive. The 54 sight was optional on the original 1920, standard on the slightly revised version of 1926.

It is quite likely your rifle was shipped from the factory without the 54 sight, since it does have the barrel-mounted open sight. My 1920, s/n 7xxx, was made in September 1920 according to the factory letter I have. It has the 54 sight on the bolt, and a filler (made by Marbles) in the barrel slot. It also has a higher front sight blade than does your rifle, at least from what I can see in your photo.

The Lyman 54 sight is quite a piece of work, very well made and precise. It even has a small-aperture insert built in, which can be folded forward to leave a larger aperture which some prefer for hunting.

A neat feature is the clip slot guide in the receiver bridge. I carry my .250-3000 cartridges in five-shot stripper clips, a handy way to carry them and permitting very fast loading. I also have two or three loose cartridges in a pocket, as realistically, it's more likely to top off with a round or two than to fire the magazine empty.

Two notable fans of the 1920 were Roy Chapman Andrews, who carried one on his last expedition to Mongolia, and Larry Koller, author of the fine book "Shots at Whitetails". I've been thinking of taking my little 1920 to hunt whitetails on Anticosti Island, where the terrain is fairly similar to Koller's beloved New England woods.

It's a fine little rifle and I hope you get much use and enjoyment out of yours!

quote:

These rifles were never intended for scope use. Heck, 90% of the guys alive in 1920 would've looked at you like you had two heads if you had suggested putting a scope on a hunting rifle. After mounting a scope, as low as you dared, the comb would probably still be too low for optimal use, plus you would have to alter the bolt handle. Mounting it high enough to clear the handle, and you would need a neck like a giraffe to use it. Altering the bolt handle on a 90+ year old un-molested collectible would be a shame IMO.

A few years after this rifle was introduced to the market Rudolph Noske offered his first hunting telescope. One of its features was an eye relief long enough to allow the scope to be mounted as low as possible without considering the bolt handle.

quote:

Originally posted by z1r:
Mine would be a 6.5x49 (6.5-250 savage).

The 6.5 creed moor is basically a 6.5-250 savage improved. John Barsness wrore an article where he made 6.5 creedmoor brass from 250 savage brass by simply fire forming 250 savage brass in a 6.5 creedmoor chamber using the Cream of wheat method. I don't know if the model 20 can handle 6.5 creedmoor OAL or pressures, but if so, it would make for a dandy lightweight light kicking big game rifle.

Ray's point is good. Evidently, the factories know (or knew) how to make 1:14 .250 bbls handle 100 gr heads. I still have some 100 gr PSPCLs and some 100 gr Win STs. Both have relatively low BCs, via not so aerodymanic tips, which increases length at full .257 diameter.

Sure enough, our 99A does not particularly like Hornady 100 gr SPs, but does fine with the older projos.

I would not waste a single round trying something with a boattail or monometal in that 100 gr weight.

Here are more pics. This is a very early gun the serial number is below 2200. you can see where the receiver sight fit on to the bolt shroud.

A target shot at 100 yds. 35.5 gr IMR 4320 with a 87 grain Remington core lok.
Not bad for a 96 year old rifle and a 69 year old pair of eye balls! I think this gun will kill.
I think that I will change out the front sight to a green fiber optic one so that I can see the front sight bead better.

Just use as is or sell it to Atkins. roger

Was the barrel cut when the front sight was installed?

The original, first style, Savage 1920 was NEVER cataloged with the Lyman #54 sight. The Lyman #54 wasn't cataloged until it became the factory installed rear sight on the modified "Improved" Model 20 starting around serial number 10,500 in 1925/26.

I have been buying Savage 1920s since the early 1970s and have a couple of neat examples, one that was owned by Larry Koller and one that was reworked by G&H.

Between the Model 20 and the version marked Model 1920 I owned no fewer than five of these rifles at one time. For a while I entertained copying the design and making the rifles in quantity. But I abandoned the idea for a few reasons. Nevertheless, these are some very nice rifles.

Good points are the light weight, tang safety, knob striker, and caliber choice. It was also an inexpensive design. Bad points were the light weight, tang safety, trigger guard setup, and caliber choice. What?

The tang safety was superb, as long as it was working as designed. But the design lacked a robust linkage and some of the rifles soon wore to the point the safety was unreliable.

The thin, lightweight stocks of the Model 20 were prone to cracking, especially in .300 Savage. For that reason, the Model 1920 (of 1926) was fitted with a slightly heavier stock. It helped, somewhat.

The trigger guard was cheaply attached with a wood screw. The front sight of the Model 20 is held on with a minute and finely threaded screw that often comes loose resulting in a lost blade. FWIW, a pre-1964 dime can be cut and sanded to make a nice silver replacement - if you replace the screw with a slightly larger one, re-threading as required.

The action is suitable for the .250 Savage and .300 Savage but is not robust enough for the pressures generated by the .22-250 nor for .308 based cartridges, assuming you could open it up for them.

All that said, if you can find one in very good condition, wood and metal, in caliber .250-3000 Savage you will have a nice little rifle, especially if it is the model 1920, and especially if you treat it tenderly. As Mr. Humbarger found out, such a rifle can give remarkable results if loaded with the original 87gr bullets. It was these bullets that allowed it to be called the .250-3000, referring to a claimed velocity of 3000fps.

quote:

Originally posted by 260remguy:
Was the barrel cut when the front sight was installed?

The original, first style, Savage 1920 was NEVER cataloged with the Lyman #54 sight. The Lyman #54 wasn't cataloged until it became the factory installed rear sight on the modified "Improved" Model 20 starting around serial number 10,500 in 1925/26.

I have been buying Savage 1920s since the early 1970s and have a couple of neat examples, one that was owned by Larry Koller and one that was reworked by G&H.

That band front sight and the barrel crown looks to be totally original. The barrel is 22" and the overall rifle length is 41 5/8" muzzle OD is .550. Same as stated in Bolt Action Rifles by de Haas. If his info is correct???

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Originally posted by bartsche:
Just use as is or sell it to Atkins. roger

Ray has plenty of toys to play with already.

DeHaas' book was full of error as pertains to the Savage 1920.

There are three (3) non-cataloged attributes on your rifle:

1. The front sight doesn't appear to be like anything Savage used during the short period of time that the 1920s were cataloged, 1920 thru 1927. All Savage 1920s and 20/26s were cataloged with integral barrel ramps and pinned blades. Some of the very last 20/26s, those with SNs over 12,500, had a dovetailed front sight in an integral ramp, but that would account for a very small subset of the total run of 12,000+/- rifles.

2. The white diamond inlay is non-cataloged.

3. The while spacer under the grip cap is non-cataloged.

I wrote to Frank DeHaas about 30 years ago to point out the errors. When he wrote back, he told me that he had only seen a couple of Savage 1920s and that he'd never seen any of the five Savage catalogs that featured the 1920.

Sadly, there is a fair amount of incorrect information in the public domain about the Savage 1920s.

I have over 30 of these rifles, all the way from SN 1015, the 15th production rifle, thru 12,872, among the final 150 made.

Thank you very much for that information 260remguy. I'm purely guessing
that a crossbow was installed and the heads covered up by the diamonds.

Or somebody post-WW2 liked the way that Weatherby and Winslow rifles looked with ivory inlays like that.

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Originally posted by D Humbarger:

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Just use as is or sell it to Atkins. roger

Ray has plenty of toys to play with already.

But when Ray finished with it would give higher velocity, shoot tighter groups and be worth twice as much.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Just use as is or sell it to Atkins. roger

Ray has plenty of toys to play with already.

But when Ray finished with it would give higher velocity, shoot tighter groups and be worth twice as much.

ROFLMAO!

Older bolt actioned American rifles have a class about them and this one shines. I never knew they existed and I can't find any on the internet. Did they come in .22 Hornet and can you give me an approximate value as if I see one for sale I will buy it, but I want to get a ballpark value?
Thanks and cheers,
Cal

Cal I think they were only made on 250/3000 and 300 Savage.
I hope 260remguy will post here again.
He is a long time collector of them
and very knowledgeable on the subject.