24c limitations

Hi all, new to the forum, and to the 24c, feel lucky to have got one at online auction. I have two concerns, one of which I believe I know the answer to the other not so sure.
1) can the 24c fire slugs (not sabots !) I have read that they can with no problem but am a little concerned with the pressure on the older barrel material (mine is E model which I understand was made in 53' )
2) The 24c has no choke, right?? so is it possible to machine for a screw in IC or even a mod ??
I don't plan on killing zombies or fighting off hoards of desperate radicals after TSHTF, just want a gun I can camp/backpack with and scare off the occasional over-curious bear of take a couple squirrels/rabbits should the need arise, in other words I intend on using gun for what it was designed for..........crazy huh?
The slugs would be a last option type of thing, probably never even need them, but I would love to be able to get a little more down range accuracy with a choke.

All thoughts welcome.

I'm a little confused by your post. The Model 24C "Campers Companion" was introduced in 1973 and was only offered in .22LR over 20ga, so you couldn't possibly have one that was made in 1953.

I only have catalogs back through 1961 so I can't reference any further back than that, but the original Stevens 22-410 (predecessor to the Model 24) was made from 1938-1950 and as the name implies it was only offered in 22LR over .410ga. The Savage Model 24 replaced it in 1950, basically the same design just rebranded. The 22WMR chambering for the rifle barrel was added in 1960 best I can gather.

You don't specify what your barrels are chambered for so it's a little hard to answer your questions. All .410 barrels were always full choke from the factory.

The 20ga option was added in 1962 with the Model 24DL and 24MDL "Deluxe" models (M signifying 22 Magnum). All 20-gauge barrels were Full choke from the factory, except on the Model 24C - they came with a Cylinder Choke.

12ga wasn't available on a Model 24 until 1989 when Savage released the new synthetic stocked Model 24F models. 12-gauge models were the only ones ever offered with choke tubes. From 1989-1990 the Model 24F-12 came with a modified tube and the Model 24F-12T came with an Full choke tube. Starting in 1991 both models came with three choke tubes (IC, Mod & Full).

Shooter Foster-type rifled lead slugs (aka pumpkin balls) through a full choke isn't going to hurt anything.

As for whether you could add a screw-in choke tube, you would need to call Briley Choke Tubes (www.brikey.com) and talk with them. They will likely want to know the outside diameter of the barrel at the muzzle as well as the inside (bore) diameter, so have those measurements ready when you call. They have some thin wall choke tubes they use to retrofit older fixed-choke guns, so they would be your best bet.

OK.........so whatever I've been reading is mistaken, as I said I'm new to the 24c, mine is the 22LR over 20 gauge, when I search for the model numbers mine came up with the E = 53', I'm glad to hear that it's not that old, was also where I was informed that it was open cyl, if it is indeed full choke that would be great as well, I have yet to put my hands on the gun as it's in transit to my FFL dealer so I'm working blind here.
The only manuals I've been able to find online are very general and mostly seem to cover every other model except the C, if anyone knows where to find the Campers Companion manual it would be appreciated, also would be great if someone knows where can I go to find the true reading for my serial number?

Thanks for the helpful reply

Looks like I goofed in my previous post. All the 20ga Model 24's were Full Choke EXCEPT the Model 24C, which was indeed Cylinder.

Where are you getting the "E" from? Is it a "Series E" marking? If so that's totally different than the date code letter stamping that was used up through 1969. The "Series" basically identifies small changes to parts over the years so that if it ever comes back to the factory for repair they would know which revision of the part to use.

What's the Serial number on the rifle? If it has a letter prefix (which it should if it's a 24C) you can look it up at the following link and determine what year it was made.

http://www.savageshooters.com/showth...-Letter-Prefix

My serial number is E315794...............this is where I got the E=53', I now see (I think) that this was referring to ALL Model 24's, not the C model, so based on this great chart you sent me it appears that mine was built in 84', 30 years younger than I thought..............wish I could do that !
I have also run across some postings (on another site) that tell me mine is the S series, although this was a "diagnostic" flow chart with little explanation into how the determination was made.
Again, I have not put my hands on the gun as of yet, and the pictures from the auction site do not show a series designation so I'll have to wait another week or so to get the whole story.
I certainly appreciate all the effort you've put in to helping me out..............I'll get up to speed soon !!

No, the letter prefix on the serial number has nothing to do with the year it was made. Savage added the letter prefix to serial numbers starting in Nov. 1968 to denote all firearms made after the Gun Control Act of 1968 went into effect. The GCA of 1968 mandated that all new firearm be marked with a unique serial number, whereas before that serial numbers were optional.

Where you are getting the E = 1953 thing is from this link, which is in reference to the below document:

Attachment 3532

The letters referenced in this document were a separate stamp (along with a number) on the barrel or receiver of the firearm and had nothing to do with the serial number. As you can see, "W" was the last one they used in 1969, then the system was dropped from 1970 onward as they switched over to tracking by sequential serial number.

The "Series" letter is all but useless to us as owners/collectors. Savage doesn't even have records of what small parts changes were made to justify each new series letter anymore.