I've got a Model 24D, chambered in .22 Winmag over 20ga, which I inherited from my grandfather.

My best guess is that it was made between 1980 and 1982, because it has a case hardened receiver, the underlever (to open the breach) is located forward of the trigger guard, it has pressed checkering on the pistol grip only, and the serial number prefix.

I don't know if it was my grandfather, or a previous owner (I have no idea if he bought this new or not)... but someone slopped a thick liquor/varnish finish onto the stock and forend. It had a couple thick runs in it and didn't look that great. I could've just sanded the rounds down and polished the finish to make it look good, but I decided to strip and refinish it instead.

I managed to strip both the stock and forend down to bare wood without too much trouble. The wood is perfect; no cracks, chips, gouges... it is flawless. What shocked me, however, is that the stock is cut from a very nice piece of walnut (I believe)... whereas the forend is made from a different species of wood (I honestly don't know what species... the color is like maple, but it has much more grain, and does not seem very dense).

So, apparently, Savage stained the forend to look like the stock. Its impossible to know what any given stain will look like on a piece of wood until you apply it, so I've only got one chance to get this right. I'm also very hesitant to just go to Woodcraft and ask the guy at the desk to help me match the color. Does anyone know what stain Savage would have used on this rifle?