Question on Newly Acquired Savage 29B

[BobD]

I am looking to date this rifle. It has a strange 4 digit serial number.

The first digit is the letter l.
The second digit is the letter V.
The third digit looks like a flaming bomb U.S. Ordinance Marking pointing to the right.
The fourth digit looks like a pointed pellet pointing to the right.

These 4 digits are on the front of the receiver body, inside the trigger area, and under
the plastic butt plate in the stock. I would appreciate any and all info concerning this.

BobD

[LoneWolf]

Sir, Most likely everyone is going to start asking for pictures in order to help you out. If you are unsure how to do so, please read this thread.

http://www.savageshooters.com/showthread.php?20418-The-ultimate-guide-to-posting-pictures-so-easy-a-caveman-can-do-it

There may be some experts that can work from the info provided, but pictures will confirm what they are looking at. Welcome!

[Indigo22]

Sounds like they may more likely be proof marks.

[BobD]

A pic of serial number as requested. Anyone care to input idea on weird number???

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/hotlantabob/Savage29B_zps7aee3020.jpg

[JCalhoun]

Not a serial number. Probably proof marks or identification (owner) marks.

[BobD]

These stampings are in the 3 locations the serial number is supposed to be located. Might this be a military 'proofed' rifle as it does have that flaming bomb symbol, along with Roman Numeral 4 on the left and the pellet symbol on the right.

[Sav22]

Bob,

The markings are typical of late 29-A's and 29-B's so I do not think they are owner marks or military but are strictly factory; Savage stopped serializing the pumps toward the end of 29-A production (probably post WWII and about the time of the move to the Steven's facilities in Chicopee Falls). I have not been able to find much out about the symbols but they seem to have been used for assembly since the butt stocks are marked the same as the receivers (earlier guns had the serial number on the stocks for assembly); I do not think they were proof marks as there always seems to be some other smaller marks present in other areas that I think are proof or inspection marks, like a number in a circle on the lower tang.

The symbols seem to be simpler on the earlier the 29-B's with some having just a couple letters.

The 29-B's are supposed to have a date code stamped on the barrels near the reciever - what I have seen consists of a number & a letter in a circle with the letter representing the year, I do not know what the number is for and often these stamps are so small and poorly applied that I sometimes find them hard, if not impossible, to read.

Does your gun have a grooved receiver? From what I can find the 29-B's seen to have been introduced about 1950 and the grooved receiver added about 1955 but this is not definate and is based on very limited information.

edited in - I found an old picture I had available of a 29-B, it's a bit out of focus but shows a couple different symbols -
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa105/GeneBB/Savage%20pumps/29B13groove003.jpg
(no, I don't think this gun was made for Chevrolet)

[JCalhoun]

There is no US Ordnance "flaming bomb" in that picture. Do you have another? Anything that was US military will have US on it somewhere.

Some gun makers used a letter to denote the decade and a number to denote the year.

[stangfish]

Inspection stamps.

[BobD]

Thanks everyone for your responses. That 4 digits may not be a serial number, but it probably is unique to the rifle and could be used to ID the rifle if necessary.