Superior find!

[Big Al1]

I'm on my annual trip to Wisconsin, on my search for old guns. I visit my oldest best friend for a few days in Washburn, way up Nort der hey on Lake Superior. Here's my report from today:

Sully and I went to Superior and the first stop, and the best stop, was Superior Shooters supply. They had a nice selection of old, used stuff to look through. Found a Savage 99 in .300 but is was D&T'd and kind of junky!! Then, in one of the out of the way racks I spy another Savage. Look at the tag and it says .38-55!! I did a double take, yes it was a .38-55,, one of my rail guns I figured I'd never own because they are rare, discontinued in 1914, and pricey! Talk about sticker shock, and yeah I was shocked, 'cause it was a four followed by two zeros. ONLY TWO ZEROS!! SOLD!!
I have been searching for one for years! Serial # dates at 1908!! I'm drinking a Leinies right now to celebrate!!













Oh yeah, and it's a take down!!

[Model24]

Score! What's the bore look like? Are you fixin' to shoot it?

[Big Al1]

Bore looks great and hell ya, I'm shootin' it. I have an 1893 Marlin in .38-55, I shoot 10 grains of Unique! Like to keep it mild for the old timers!

[Model24]

I just took a closer look at your photos. Is it a breakdown?

[Big Al1]

Yup, takedown. I've got three others in .25-35, .303, and .30-30.

[Model24]

I'm not collector savvy. Does the takedown feature make it more collectible? Of your takedowns, do you see any loss of accuracy, assuming they're all solid? I'm thinking about a takedown as a truck gun, mainly because my truck is a Prius C. Also, I see the .38-55 is the parent cartridge of the .30-30. Even with mild loads, I suspect it would be a great boar cartridge out to a reasonable open sight range.

[Big Al1]

I would assume the takedown is slightly more collectable,but they made a lot of them. The .38-55 at 1300fps would be good for boar! Although it's a takedown in name, they are not that easy to take apart. They screw together tight so the receiver may need to be clamped in a padded vise to unscrew the barrel. If taken down repeatedly, the threads tend to get loose, and the barrel will start to wobble a bit. You will see a lot of takedowns with cracked stocks, because they held onto the stock instead of the receiver and the twisting would crack it.

[Model24]

Thanks, Big Al1! That's just the kind of inside information I came here to find. I'm in the process of rehabilitating a .300 Savage EG. It's seen better days, but it's serviceable. It was only $350 out the door, and it came with a Redfield aperture sight (minus the aperture, replaced with a Merit adjustable.)

[Big Al1]

Good for you!! Old guns need love, too!! I love taking old and neglected classics, and reviving them back to usefulness. I don't mess with the outside much, because that's where all the character is, just make sure they work properly. There's a certain beauty in all the patina!

[Bigbuckdn]

Very nice

[J.Baker]

Yep, I'm jealous. Great find!

[Big Make]

My favorite caliber outside of 45-70.
Congrats!

[Big Al1]

My favorite caliber outside of 45-70.
Congrats!

Me too! Closely followed by the .32-40!!

[Fireball]

Hard to pass up. Too bad about the forearm, looks like they drifted the sight with a framing hammer.

[Big Al1]

Hard to pass up. Too bad about the forearm, looks like they drifted the sight with a framing hammer.

Actually, the forearm looks worse in the picture than it really is!!

[J.Baker]

I would assume the takedown is slightly more collectable,but they made a lot of them. The .38-55 at 1300fps would be good for boar! Although it's a takedown in name, they are not that easy to take apart. They screw together tight so the receiver may need to be clamped in a padded vise to unscrew the barrel. If taken down repeatedly, the threads tend to get loose, and the barrel will start to wobble a bit. You will see a lot of takedowns with cracked stocks, because they held onto the stock instead of the receiver and the twisting would crack it.

Must have skipped over this post before. A takedown shouldn't need to be clamped in a vise to unscrew the barrel - at least the one's I've handled never had to be. It should screw in/out freely and index properly when it bottoms out on the action. Some will have "loosened up" over the years and have some play in them which is something to lookout for when looking at takedown 99's.