Savage rifles

monty

Well-Known Member
Hi folks
i'm currently looking for a .260 rem in left hand, savage do rifle 24 in barrel, but I know nothing about them, hoping some one can give me some advice from experience.

thanks in advance.
 
Not really a fair reply as mine is old but here goes, cheap but not nasty, strong and bloody acurate, damm good rifles.
 
They are solid, very good shooting out of the box, inexpensive.

Look also at the Marlin XS7 in .260 Rem ( hard to find chambering). The Marlin also comes in left hand and is owned by the same parent company as Savage. Its design employs some of the best features of proven rifles, like the Remington 700, Savage 110, and others. It uses the Savage barrels and the method of attaching them to the action with a barrel nut, which means you can buy inexpensive barrels and change the caliber yourself, from .260 to 7mm-08, to .308 Win, to .243.
 
I had a weather warrior in .7mm-08 only thing I didn't like was the rotating bit on the bolt. Otherwise well built and accurate, I would still get another one even though I didn't like the bolt. ( is there a perfect rifle ).
Overall you won't be disappointed .

Cheers Steve
 
They are solid, very good shooting out of the box, inexpensive.

Look also at the Marlin XS7 in .260 Rem ( hard to find chambering). The Marlin also comes in left hand and is owned by the same parent company as Savage. Its design employs some of the best features of proven rifles, like the Remington 700, Savage 110, and others. It uses the Savage barrels and the method of attaching them to the action with a barrel nut, which means you can buy inexpensive barrels and change the caliber yourself, from .260 to 7mm-08, to .308 Win, to .243.

Southern we all know that Marlin was taken over by Remington in 2007 resulting in the infamous "Remlins" but where does the link come in as regards Savage? All I can see on the Savage website is that they are part of the Vista Outdoor Corporation which doesn't list Remington as being one of their "partners".

I know four guys who own Savage rifles in various calibres from .17hmr through to .308win all are delighted with the results that they achieve with the rifles but one or two of them are not overly thrilled with the aesthetics of their rifles. There was a time in the mid eighties when Savage were seen as cheap and nasty in this country but they have certainly shook off that tag in recent years and built up quite a reputation in some shooting circles.

Incidentally I was just looking at the history of Savage (http://www.savagearms.com/history/ ) to see where the link between companies led when I come across this -

"The Savage Arms Company was organized in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. A native of Jamaica, Arthur led a romantic life, having been schooled in England and the United States. In his thirties, he explored the interior of Australia and was held captive for a year by Aborigines. Later, he became the owner of the largest cattle ranch in Australia."

I wonder what the story is there.
 
Seen 2 quite nice savage .17hmr laminate stock rifles lately & both you couldn't get a scope to zero ... Both of them had the holes for mounts drilled off from one another ... Bonny rifles to be honest but bloody poor workmanship to allow that out the factory
 
I have a model 16 left hand in .243, this is my first centre fire and I am more than happy with it. It will put 1/2" groups with factory ammunition at 100 yards with a novice behind the trigger.
My only complaints were the stock is a bit poor and the accu trigger a bit rough, both of these items have been made better with a bit of work.
I have recently been reading about the interchangeability of barrels with the minimal of tools. It looks like a good idea, unfortunately I don't think there is the availability of pre fit barrels that America has.
 
Nothing wrong with Savage. I had a 25-06 in a wooden stock with accu- trigger. It shot very very well.


Nutty
 
They appear to shoot and function just fine .....but...if you were to go and cycle the bolt on one next to say a Tikka...it will make you cringe as they are rough feeling....

regards,
Gixer
 
8x57- you are right. ATK now owns Savage Arms.

But many of the Savage barrels will fit the Marlin XL7 and XS7. ( Some older Savage barrels will not, as they have different, square threads).

Arthur Savage is an interesting character. He was an American, educated some in England, went to Australia with his wife and was a pioneer in a covered wagon, where he amassed a huge cattle ranch. He sold it and moved to Jamaica, where he built up a coffee plantation and sold that. Moved to Utica, New York, which was a center of shotgun and knife manufacturing.

He invented a lawn mower, as he saw the development of suburbs around Chicago, with lawns. He took a job in a gun magazine factory to learn more about firearms. He and his son designed the Model 1899 lever action, to submit it to trials for the US Army. They did not accept it, but he thought a removable clip was great idea, patented it, and later incorporated it into the civilian Model 99. He invented torpedoes, perhaps a bazooka type of shoulder fired rocket launcher, and other things.

There are a lot a connections to England. Savage Arms produced 70,000 Lewis machineguns during the 1920s. They were making the No.4 MkI Enfield in the 1930s and supplying England, who did not have a factory for them until 1941. IIRC, they built about 1,200,000 Enfields.

PS: A friend of mine owns one of the 1899 Savage rifles sold to the U.S. Army for trials. It is really beautiful, a big, hefty rifle with a crescent buttplate. It is in .30-40 Krag. The later .300 Savage was an obvious inspiration for the 7.62x51mm cartridge.
 
Last edited:
I own 2 Savage rifles, one is a Model 1899 Lever action from around 1950 and the other a mint No4Mk1 Lee Enfield. Both very good rifles.
 
Thanks for all the replies gents, it's a pain being a lefty as so little choice. Savage is only maker I have found that do .260 in anything longer than 22in barrel.
thanks again
 
Thanks for all the replies gents, it's a pain being a lefty as so little choice. Savage is only maker I have found that do .260 in anything longer than 22in barrel.
thanks again
What about looking for a 6.5 X 55 in left handed? Maybe more choice? Heard they are pretty similar calibres (though never seen or handled a 260 someone on here will no doubt confirm or rebut)
 
8x57- you are right. ATK now owns Savage Arms.

But many of the Savage barrels will fit the Marlin XL7 and XS7. ( Some older Savage barrels will not, as they have different, square threads).

Arthur Savage is an interesting character. He was an American, educated some in England, went to Australia with his wife and was a pioneer in a covered wagon, where he amassed a huge cattle ranch. He sold it and moved to Jamaica, where he built up a coffee plantation and sold that. Moved to Utica, New York, which was a center of shotgun and knife manufacturing.

He invented a lawn mower, as he saw the development of suburbs around Chicago, with lawns. He took a job in a gun magazine factory to learn more about firearms. He and his son designed the Model 1899 lever action, to submit it to trials for the US Army. They did not accept it, but he thought a removable clip was great idea, patented it, and later incorporated it into the civilian Model 99. He invented torpedoes, perhaps a bazooka type of shoulder fired rocket launcher, and other things.

There are a lot a connections to England. Savage Arms produced 70,000 Lewis machineguns during the 1920s. They were making the No.4 MkI Enfield in the 1930s and supplying England, who did not have a factory for them until 1941. IIRC, they built about 1,200,000 Enfields.

PS: A friend of mine owns one of the 1899 Savage rifles sold to the U.S. Army for trials. It is really beautiful, a big, hefty rifle with a crescent buttplate. It is in .30-40 Krag. The later .300 Savage was an obvious inspiration for the 7.62x51mm cartridge.

I always thought that Savage was one of the U.S. companies supplied Britain and not just England during the war years, I wonder who supplied the rest of the U.K. ? :lol:

Yes Arthur Savage was certainly a very interesting man but again I wonder if perhaps some of his exploits may have been slightly exagerated for purposes of publicising the company.
There's certainly no doubt whatsoever that the company have produced some excellant products over the years in particular the legendary model 99 that you mention which is a true classic.
 
I've a savage 110 made I believe late 90's and although its basic it is a good working rifle.

A friend has a savage axis in .223 and again its a good working rifle but its only fault is the trigger which to be fair is the heaviest trigger I've ever shot with. He's looking at his options of getting it adjusted and when he does it will be a decent rifle.
 
I always thought that Savage was one of the U.S. companies supplied Britain and not just England during the war years, I wonder who supplied the rest of the U.K. ? :lol:
.

I have never found any original records of Savage shipping to any country other than England, but a friend is a firearms dealer who specializes in military rifles, and is a collector of Enfields, with so rare pieces, like the Savage No. 6 left hand model. I will ask him.

Canada had its own Longbranch factory, and was producing rifles for England. The original orders were for a 5-groove barrel, but Longbranch and Savage independently tried 4, 3, and 2-groove barrels, and demonstrated no loss of accuracy, so permission was given to build them as 2-groove.

Australia had its own Lithgow factory, India was producing variations of the No. 1 at Ishapore, and Pakistan had POF. India and Pakistan shipped to England during the war.

Canada had come into WWI with the .280 Ross, but had abandoned them, as their soldiers picked up the No.1 MkIIIs left by killed and wounded British soldiers. So Canada took back with them Enfields made in England.

The US also supplied to Canada about 90,000 P-17s in .30-06, which were used in the Second World War.

A piece of history not taught in school is that Franklin Roosevelt in WWI was Undersecretary of the Navy. His counterpart in England was Winston Churchill, and they conspired for the US to secretly supply England with rifles and ammunition. The Lusitania and its sister ship, the Mauritania, carried munitions from Remington and DuPont along with passengers, to Ireland. That is why the Kaiser took out a full page ad in the New York Times warning passengers that those ships were considered fair game.

When I worked, on several occasions, as a consultant in ocean shipping, I had the benefit of access to the records of liner companies acquired by my clients, going back to Cunard, and even to the time of Elizabeth I.
 
Last edited:
I have never found any original records of Savage shipping to any country other than England, but a friend is a firearms dealer who specializes in military rifles, and is a collector of Enfields, with so rare pieces, like the Savage No. 6 left hand model. I will ask him.

Canada had its own Longbranch factory, and was producing rifles for England. The original orders were for a 5-groove barrel, but Longbranch and Savage independently tried 4, 3, and 2-groove barrels, and demonstrated no loss of accuracy, so permission was given to build them as 2-groove.

Australia had its own Lithgow factory, India was producing variations of the No. 1 at Ishapore, and Pakistan had POF. India and Pakistan shipped to England during the war.

Canada had come into WWI with the .280 Ross, but had abandoned them, as their soldiers picked up the No.1 MkIIIs left by killed and wounded British soldiers. So Canada took back with them Enfields made in England.

The US also supplied about 90,000 P-17s in .30-06, which were used in the Second World War.

A piece of history not taught in school is that Franklin Roosevelt in WWI was Undersecretary of the Navy. His counterpart in England was Winston Churchill, and they conspired for the US to secretly supply England with rifles and ammunition. The Lusitania and its sister ship, the Mauritania, carried munitions from Remington and DuPont along with passengers, to Ireland. That is why the Kaiser took out a full page ad in the New York Times warning passengers that those ships were considered fair game.

When I worked, on several occasions, as a consultant in ocean shipping, I had the benefit of access to the records of liner companies acquired by my clients, going back to Cunard, and even to the time of Elizabeth I.

Thanks for the history lesson regarding the rest of the commonwealth Southern but you stil haven't answered my question, if Savage only supplied England who supplied the rest of the U.K. :british: :rofl:
 
I did answer you: I don't know, but in my 25 years of looking into this, I have never found any official record or history of Savage supplying any .303 Enfields to part of the UK except England. ( Same for the Lewis Guns ). As I stated, they did supply Pattern 17 Enfields in .30-06 to Canada. If you know of any such records, please share. Since England only produced 25,000 No.4 Enfields the first year of production, and were getting them from Canada, India, and Pakistan, I doubt they had enough to share, and it would not make much sense to be sending rifles to the parts of the 'U.K. who were supplying them with those very same rifles.

The U.S. government asked American citizens to lend or give personal weapons to be shipped to England, and some of those were returned.
 
Last edited:
I think you have missed my rather pointed hints Sir, England is only a part of the U.K. You are insulting a lot of people by continually mentioning England when you actually mean Britain.
Hence the union flag :british:rather than the English flag.

:tiphat:
 
Back
Top