Super Sporter Model 40 & 45
The Savage Super Sporter Models 40 and 45 are a littleconfusing because the model number never appears on the rifles. The onlydifference between the two models is their stock and what sights they arefitted with. The barreled action is identical in either model. The followingmay not be totally accurate but represents the best I have been able tovalidate on the two models.
The two models were made from 1928 to 1940 and were serialnumbered sequentially, with no deference to model. Basically the Model 40 hasan un-checkered stock with barrel mounted sight and the Model 45 has acheckered stock with receiver mounted Lyman #40 peep sight. There may have been some subtle modificationor variations in parts during their 12 years of manufacture. Below are excerptsfrom 1928 & 1929 magazine advertisements showing both models were availablebeginning in 1928. As the advertisement states the Model 45 came with acheckered stock and Lyman rear sight. It was simply a fancier Model 40.
The advertisement would not copy over and paste in.
Either stock will fit either gun in the same caliber so longas it has the receiver sight cut-out and correct magazine release. Some had aside of the stock release button and others had a bottom release. I think, butcannot confirm, that only the .300 Savage and .30-06 had the side releasebutton. But, there may have been a change in magazine releases during the yearsof production.
Identifying whether an example is a Model 40 or Model 45will be a matter of what stock is on it. You will find both checkered andun-checkered examples of the Schnabel tipped stock and round tip stock. Somereferences call the Model 40, with Schnabel stock the “Old Model” but sinceboth models were available from the start to finish, there is no old model. Ihave observed various checkering patterns on both stock types but cannotdiscern what may be factory applied checkering or not. The Schnabel tippedstock may have been phased out in lieu of the round tip stock somewhere in theproduction years but tend to see them in through a wide range of serialnumbers.
The barreled action will be exactly the same andinclude provisions for mounting either a Lyman #40 receiver sight or barrelsight, either of which could have been changed or added after market. Bothmodels were drilled and tapped behind the safety for a Lyman #40 receiversight. Of course they could be switched around later to add to the confusion inidentification but what stock it has is the key to its model identification.
