Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Tell me a little about 219's

Is it worth having one? We're they d/t? Some vintages better than others?
Thanks.

All I know is I like mine . The one I have isn't d/t, a 30/30, and trigger pull is, well, not the best.

Ya, they're worth it. I take my 219 with the 30-30 barrel on it into the bush with me all the time when I'm back there baiting. Also have a 410, 28 ga, 16 ga and a 25-20 for it.

The Utica 219's weren't D&T'd but if you can find one from Chicopee (didn't make a lot of them in Chicopee) they were factory grooved for scope mounts like rimfire rifles were.

I DO like them and have three: Utica-made 219 (.30-30 w/20 guage barrel fitted, Utica-made 220 .410 w/.25-20 barrel fitted, and Chicopee Falls made 220A w/.219 .22 Hornet barrel fitted).

For manufacturing quality, in general the earlier they are, the nicer, IMO. The Utica-made ones have nicer quality, better shaped, wood, steel trigger guards, triggers, and safety parts instead of "alloy" (vulgarly called "pot metal").

The general finish slowly deteriorates from about 1948 on until you get to the '60s 219/220L, of which I will not speak ("Say no ill of the dead.") The function stays excellent, except for triggers which are mostly all pretty rough from the factory ("shotgun triggers").

If you have to have a scope, you need to buy a 219 that is already tapped and drilled by somebody else, find one that was factory tapped and drilled for a side mount (those are pretty rare and then you have to find the right mount, sometimes not so easy), or buy a later one with the scope mount grooves in the barrel (like a .22 as mentioned above)--Models 219B, C, or D. I have never fired a .30-30 that was scoped using the scope grooves and have no idea how well that works; mine had Weaver top mounts already on it when I bought it.

CAN ANY 219 .30-30 OWNER TELL ME HOW WELL THE SCOPE GROOVES WORK FOR THEM? They work fine with the .22 Hornet, but I wonder if they'll hold the .30-30 recoil, especially with a big scope like we all HAVE to have nowadays.

Two things you need to know about 219/220ss before I shut up.

Check the firing pin if you can before you buy the gun to see if it is broken. They are hard to find and hard to replace when you find them. DON'T dry fire them, ever. The firing pins break very easily if you do, especially the rifles. DON'T ask me how I know this!

219/220 and 219/220A interchange barrels with all models except the "L." 219/220B,C, and D require 219/220B, C, or D barrels to work because they cock differently than the original two models and those lack the cocking stud needed to work in the later models. (Hope I got that right).

Neat little guns that take down easy, clean easy, and pack easy. Strong and accurate. Get one.

Mike Armstrong aka Mesa

P.S. See also www.savagesingleshots.com

I'm waiting for this one to come on the market again. Then I'll sell my house to buy it, Joe.

http://milpas.cc/rifles/ZFiles/Manu...ODEL%20219%20SINGLE%20SHOT%20RIFLE.2.jpg

Are they stamped with a date code like the LBC on a 99?
Thanks, Mike. Great info!

From '49 onwards they should have a stamp.

I've had 3 over the years. They're great little guns, but it seemed somebody with more $$ and more interest thought they were even greater, so they went as guns often do. If you have a chance at one at a decent price, jump on it.
yooper

I have a pretty nice 219 butstock id sell if someone needs one , bought it to replace a choped one but then sold the gun.