Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Yesterday I got a Savage 1904 at the gunstore for $50 and shot it

The bore looks bad and the extractor spring is weak, but it shoots.
At 3# 7 oz, this is a little boy's gun.

Anyone know when it was made?

stop thief!

nice!

dave

That was a steal!
Have fun with it.

...looks like they made them from 1904 thru 1917 according to my blue book.

dave

"Anyone know when it was made?"

After 1905 and before 1924. Sorry, not many have been lettered so have little data. The 1904 and 1905 are in the same serial range with over 180,000 made. I don't think a lot of the 1904's have survived.

Rick, I think the name change made in 1924 to the Model 04 was just 'on paper' and the guns were still stamped Model 1904, I would be interested in knowing if anyone has seen a gun stamped just Model 04. The the 1904's, listed as the Model 04, were cataloged until Jan 15, 1931 based on a price list from a catalog #66. I also have another catalog #66 with a price listed dated the same, Jan 15, 1931, that does not list the Model 04, but it still is in the catalog. I have another #66 (no price list with it) that does not have the Model 04 in it. These three all have a green background cover.

Hi-Speed 22 ammunition was introduced about 1931 and the Model 1904/04 was not a strong enough action to handle it, I have seen one Model 1904 that was stamped "REGULAR CARTRIDGES" under the caliber stamp- it had a very high serial number. (I think it was still stamped 1904, but I am not 100% sure now). Many of cheaper Stevens models of 22's at that time had the same, or similar, stamp added (and were soon discontinued), even guns that were sent in for repair after that time often would get some type of warning stamp added about the use of Hi-Speed cartridges.

I also have a catalog #66 from about a year later with a brown background cover, price list dated Jan 25, 1932, it does not have the Model 04 but what may be of interest to many is that it adds the Models 99-R & 99-RS which were not in the other three.

Nice little single shot!

I ordered a new extractor spring, but it was like the old spring. The extractor was peened over a few thousands wider in front of the bolt and would not go into the bolt slot.

After much fooling around, I just put the extractor in the smooth jaw vise and squeezed it back to original width. Now the extractor works.

That'll bring back the boy in you!

I'd stick with CB Short, CB Longs or CCI Quiets if you are going to shoot it. Just my $.02.

How many barrel markings have you seen??

I have shown all of them now.
It must have been that barrel marker's first day on the job:)

Doug, I've only seen two. The one pictured and an earlier one without the patent info and the balance centered in the bottom line.

I think JTC said the the 1904 and 1905 were serialized together. My 1905's have the same addresses as above.

The early address ran till at least 14xxx. Don't have enough samples to say more. Anyone else with info?

Doug & Rick, Several years ago I saw one with a low serial number that was not not marked at all except for the caliber - 22 SHORT, it was very rough but did not appear to have been polished to remove markings. I also have seen two examples, very late production, that had "REGULAR CARTRIDGES" stamped under the caliber markings.

I have picked up a few of these & 1905's over the years but have never had them all out together to make comparisons. I know they moved the serial number location at some point. I have serial numbers ranging from just over 5000 to just under 183000 in 1904's and 93xx to 237xx in 1905's plus one 1905 serial number 135 - which seems to low to have been in with the 1904's. I also recently got a 1905 parts gun with Swiss butt plate, serial 433xx, it's rough and has the No 25 rear sight instead of the No 21, I have to think it's possible they switched to that sight for these after the windage adjustable version of it was introduced around 1914, I think by then they were getting away from the No 21, it's not shown in catalog No 60 from ~1916~ and the description of the 1905 in catalog No 55 is vague about sights.

Gene, my 1905 with the English stock has a higher serial number than your highest, it's 3185X.

It's wearing a 21S rear sight.

Edit: oops, just saw your highest was in the 40's, thought it was the 23XXX, my bad.

I have a 1904,and a 1905 with swiss sytle buttplate,i'll check out today.

It's been a while since we sent you out of the house to do some checking. How's the cider supply holding up?

My Model 1905 s.n.28513 is barrel stamped like the one above.
Has a No. 21B rear sight and No. 3B? front.
Nice setup back in the day.

...and it appears the 1904's & 1905's were accurate too -



Here's the typical reaction when someone got a 1905, 'back in the day' -



... and when they didn't!!

"My brother gets a Savage 1905!! and they just give me his old Hamilton No 27 that he got free for selling salve... and they want me to say 'CHEESE'... they're lucky I don't say something else!"

I found an old Hamilton up here in Canada that was a pump action, never knew they made them till I saw that one. It's long gone now but I think I sent Gene some pics of it.

This is my 1905 with the English stock. I got rid of my 1905 with the swedish stock because I just figured everyone that has a 1905 has one with the swedish so I had to be different and kept the more uncommon model. Still think the Swede has more of a look to it but you don't trip over the model 1905 style B every day. The forearm on the style B extends further than the Swede as well.

Mad Dog's 1905-B has a full sized stock, here is a picture that compares the 1904, 1911, 1905-B & 1905 with Swiss butt plate, so you can see the 1905-B is not just a 1905 action in a 1904 stock, it has an adult sized stock -



Here are a couple 1904 Junior Specials that have wood with some figure and checkered stocks, the lower one is very early with a fixed rear peep sight and no provision for a regular sight, it also has the early trigger guard that is all the same narrow width, later trigger guards are much wider and contoured -



The action used on the 1904, 1905 & 1911 was Arthur W. Savage's last design for Savage Arms.

I checked out my 1904,and 1905 last night,there was nothing odd about the barrel addresses! Rick, there is still some pretty awesome cider up to the camp,but i dont drink it anymore!!! that stuff will get you into trouble.!!!

Gene, I see one of your Jr Spl's has the early rear peep. What is the serial range and do you have a feel for when that changed? I have one 1904, 1048x, with the peep.

Have any of you guys ever seen a 1904 stamped "Sport" on the receiver?

Guy was posting pics of one at SS, I've never seen anything like it before. Has the dovetail for the early peep sight but has a sporting rear in it now.

None of mine have it.

I'm right confused by it.

Right now to me it looks like a 1904 stock with a Savage buttplate but the bolt looks like a model 3 or something.

Actually now that I look at it closer, it's not a 1904 it's a totally other brand that somebody has modified a 1904 stock to fit, isn't it?

I just put a post on the SS site about that gun... it's a COOEY single shot with a Savage butt plate and possible a Savage stock... made in Canada, where ever that is...

ADDED - here's one of the links I posted at SS, a different version but same action -
-cooey-82-training-rifle/

Rick, I will get some better information on these later this week. Joe, the early peep sight on these was just pressed into a small round hole and the later leaf sight was held on by a screw, so no dovetails.

Ahh, never knew they were pressed in, always thought they were in a dovetail. Never owned one with the peep, mine all have the 29B rear sight on the, I believe my model 1922's have the same sight. For the life of me without opening the safe I can't remember if my 1911 wears a 29B or the same rear sight as my 1909 and 1912.

A COOEY? How did a Cooey get down into the U.S., haha.

Cooeys are like 99 EG's in 300 Sav up here, everybody has one.

I still want you to find me a COOEY 35.

For the peep sight there is a milled channel to keep it aligned but it is held in by a round pin on the bottom.

Rick, that one with the peep sight in the picture is serial number 16551, it's gone (actually just sold the stock, the receiver was cracked at the locking lug - probably from shooting modern Hi-Speed ammo), I replaced it with a another Junior Special, serial number 18479, that also has the peep sight. There is something in one of the catalogs about the peep sights still being available after the 29-B sight was introduced and I think the Special versions were still cataloged as having the peep sights for a time after the change to the 29-B sight on the standard version - I have to look through the catalogs again.

The 29B sights that were used on the 1904 & 1922 Sporter were a little different, this is an old picture I made of them a few years ago. The sights on the 1904 are held on by a #5-48 screw and the 1922 Sporters used a #10-36 and because it was larger it needed a flattened area around the hole to help it seat, they also made some of them from thicker metal which allowed for better seating of the screw -



The 1911's did use the same sight as the 1909 & 1912.

I missed one of them Cooey 35's by about an hour last year, tougher to find than a 99T up here.

Checked on my 1904's #1 11xxx dovetail sight just ahead of the bolt special butt plate--#2 207xx small lettering big 1904 -- special butt plate very small dovetail and sight behind bolt #3 363xx sight on barrel 2 screws -- #4 367xx sight behind bolt dovetail with very small peep sight special butt plate --#5 1502xx small lettering big 1904 -- #6 1690xx small lettering small 1904 --#71828xx small lettering small1904 --#8
1842xx small 1904 .

S/N 78052

Doug, I am thinking that's a typo & it should not have the 7?

I have not dug mine out of the safe yet but I had these parts guns at hand, other than the repaired weld these are as I got them and were just thrown into the 'project & reference pile'.

Very early 1904 and a very late 1905 -



This is from a Junior Special and I sold the stock, the buyer did not want this action/barrel because of the condition and the repair.

Early and late trigger guards -


Early peep sight -


Late 1905 sights, the windage locking screw is missing and from the patina on the parts it apparently was missing for a long time, there are two brass shims in the sight probably put there to put tension on the sight so it would better hold the windage setting. I see nothing to suggest that these sights were not original to the gun, the front sight in the low version which would be correct for that rear -

Gene #7 gun serial 1828xx

Gene, thanks for all the pictures!

I wonder if the switch in rear sights is in the area of the 364xx to 367xx that Doug posted? That would be around 1906?

Sorry for the long delay since the previous posts, these rifles were in the back of a safe & I just kept putting off getting them out, they were behind my Model 4's among others. Comparing these was a 'when I get time' project and I finally got a little time.

I also looked through the catalogs because I had remembered seeing something about the peep sight being an option for a time -

- #15 first with the Junior Special and the description mentions 'ivory bead front sight', mine have Lyman's
- #16 ~1907~ still only has the peep sight
- #17 shows barrels sight in the picture of the standard 1904, peep on the Special
- #24 says "can be supplied with either peep- or open sights"
- #35 the same as #24
- #40 ~1911~ no more mention of the peep sight.

I do not have pictures of a really late production 1904 (by then cataloged as the 04) that had "REGULAR CARTRIDGES" stamped under the 22 S, L & LR and the serial number on the side of the receiver, I had worked on one for a friend and I must not have taken pictures.

I do have pictures of the peep sight and both an early and late barrel sight and some variations of the barrel stamp -







Both of the 1904 Junior Specials appear to have had the original finish removed (unless it were some kind of oil), they are not sanded down much but do show some coarse sanding marks and some dents show signs of being sanded over, but the checkering is still quite good.

My inventory showed one more 1904 than I could find, when I went to put them away I thought I could sneak a 1904 sideways behind some other guns in the safe... NOT - there was already one there.

Late gun, bluing is more of a matte look than the others, different butt plate, different model stamp -


1905's - found the model stamp was the same on all, two different barrel stamps, on the early gun the special extra tall front sight is not stamped Savage, later ones are and they can be found with the Savage Stamp on either side - see the pictures Southern Wi Savage posted of his, it has a sharp stamp on the left side and a partial on the right, the one pictured here is only stamped on the right -





This example suggests that at least when introduced the 1905's started with a separate serial number sequence and were not included with the 1904's, I have another 93xx. The highest I have is 433xx and I don't think there could have been that many 1905's made, so later they may have been included with the 1904's.

Thats what sucks about modern day safes, the racks are to high for the gun barrels to touch so you can't seperate them.

My 1904's, 1909, 1911, and 1912's are all leaning against each other till I mod a safe for them.

Stick dowels in the barrels to make them longer.