Two Tone Model 12?

[Cholla]

I bought a used Model 12 in .223 Remington a few years ago. The serial number appears to be from around 1999. The receiver is blued, but the bull barrel is stainless. Someone mentioned a few years ago that was common with Savage at the time. I wonder if this is true or if someone made a "custom" rifle. The stock is greenish pillar-mounted plastic with the Indian head logo on the stock cap and fits perfectly, so I assume it is original.
Any information on this?

[pdog06]

Yes, Savage did do that with their early BVSS models and a couple others. You should be able to tell if it’s a factory barrel by the Savage ID stamping along the side.

Since yours has a victory Tupperware stock it isn’t a BVSS model(they were laminate wood) unless the stock has been changed. I believe, if all original that is, that yours would be a FVSS model? Think that’s what it as anyway.

[Cholla]

Here are some images that may help with identification.

[Cholla]

In searching for the FVSS, I do find older identical models, so I think it was a thing to have a blued receiver. Prairie dog season closed last weekend otherwise I would have been out today.

[Robinhood]

Trigger spring is missing

[NF1E]

Have enjoyed my model 12 FVSS in .223 for years. Whatta Hobby!

[Blue Avenger]

Trigger spring is missing

They must have removed there aftermarket trigger. The screws on that one are no where near adj right to say just the spring is lost.

[J.Baker]

Hard to say if the barrel is original to the action given how easily they are swapped, but the barrel stamp aligning would lead one to think it's original but that may not be the case. The recoil lug looks like it may be an aftermarket piece as well which could also indicate that it's not original to the action. Stock sounds like a standard synthetic Hog Hunter stock, but I can't recall off-hand if they offered those in the older 4.275" screw spacing or only the newer 4.40" screw spacing.

Gut feeling is that this is a rifle that was piecemealed together from take-off or left-over parts some one had laying around. I would highly recommend checking/verifying the headspace on the barrel given the condition of the trigger as it wouldn't be the first time I saw someone slap something like this together to sell and set the headspace so the roll stamp was correctly oriented rather than being the proper headspace. Never hurts to double check and be sure.

[sharpshooter]

Looks pretty original to me. Easy way to check is to look for the "M" stamped on the under side of the receiver. That is the caliber code and it will match the same stamp on the barrel.