Clueless new guy with an old Savage rimfire bolt action

[Crufflerdoug]

Hello everyone. I just picked up a "new to me" but old-to-the-world Savage .22 bolt-action rifle. It's nothing like what I usually collect (grimy old milsurps). I probably paid too much for it but I fell in love with it, and wanted to do my part for the economy..... :smug:

I would like to learn more about it, as I've had some difficulty figuring out info about it from the web.

It is marked:

MANUFACTURED BY SAVAGE ARMS CORP. UTICA, N.Y. U.S.A.
PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905, SEP. 7, 1915, SEP. 4, 1917, NOV. 20, 1917

on the top of the barrel. Also on the top of the barrel, over the chamber, is:

........Long
22--
........Rifle

(only with no periods)

The serial number is printed around the anti-muzzle, so to speak (the area surrounding where the bolt slides in), and is 21326.

The bolt cocks on closing like an Enfield, and it has a box magazine.

The rifle has a heavy barrel, and appears to be in excellent mechanical condition, with the exception that (a) the rear peep sight has an obviously wrong spring installed in it, impairing its function, and (b) the front sight, which apparently consisted of two wire loops protecting an inserted sight post, has had the loops crushed down and the sight post insert itself is missing.

The sling is old and appears to be in a 1907 configuration but it has some decorative work and doesn't look GI.

I'd love to know what I've got and, especially, where I can find some replacement sights (if not exactly like those installed on the gun, then along those lines, both for historical coolness and because I really like peep sights). Hoping to make this my kid's first gun.

Many thanks!
Doug
p.s. sorry for all the carpet fuzz in some of the pictures - didn't notice at the time I took them.....

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q97/Dugaru/IMG_0752.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q97/Dugaru/IMG_0749.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q97/Dugaru/IMG_0751.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q97/Dugaru/IMG_0750.jpg

[Sav22]

It's an early 1919 NRA. The rear sight is the original but they were prone to damage - there should not be a spring on the elevation screw and the screw appears to be a replacement. There should be a small curved leaf spring that would act on the elevation screw almost identical to the one on the windage adjustment and that looks like it might be missing, possibly the reason for the added spring.

The front sight is nothing I recognize, it is not anything I have ever seen offered by Savage. The standard original front sight would have been a tall, rather thick, blade.

The rear sights show up for sale occasionally, one with a broken windage screw just sold on eBay recently (listed as a possible Winchester sight). Front sights show up less often.

The magazine is after market, the originals were only 5 shot and fit flush to the bottom of the stock and had a small knurled knob on the bottom to grasp them for removal.

[Crufflerdoug]

Thank you VERY much. My knowledge of this rifle has just increased about a thousand percent. :)

Off to search for sights!

[Mad Dog]

Actually that spring is a great idea, I've got a sloppy sight on my 19-33 and I think that would do the trick.