Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Missing 25-35 TD Barrel from 2 barrel set

The chances are slim to minute but there is a 25-35 barrel out there somewhere that I would love to locate. I own 1899 H TD 115873 shipped on May 11, 1911 to W. F. Sheard, Tacoma, Washington. It was engraved at the factory "From W.F. Sheard, Tacoma Wash.. Factory records indicate it was shipped with 303 and 25-35 barrels. I only have the 303 barrel and it is factory stamped on the bottom of the barrel at the groove 115873 in small/neat numerals. It is most likely that the 25-35 barrel is also stamped with 115873 in the same location. It would be great to put this set back together. I realize it may be sitting in someone's parts bin, or at the bottom of a swamp.

never say never bit that is a unfathamil [spelling]chance.

good luck
norm

Hey, it can happen! I know!

Bill, I have an engraved 1899H in 30-30 that lettered as leaving the factory as a 2 barrel set! the other barrel was 25-35 also!! somebody must be collecting up all those 25-35 barrels.
Don

This is the place I'd start the search as well. Good luck!

About 8 years ago on here I was able to find a serial # rifle for a fellow collector here in Canada. He had been looking for it for 25 years.

Wonder how many of these were actually sold.
I guess we know of at least two.

That kind of settles the question of whether 303 and 30-30 had different rotors, eh?

I'm surprised the cartridge guide doesn't need to be replaced when going from one of the 30's to the 25.

There is considerable variation in cartridge guides for the same cartridges over time. Maybe they came up with a 'one size fits all' style?

One thing that puzzles the hell out of me is how nearly identical the .303 and 22HP rotors are. I've looked and looked and don't see where they differ - except that some are stamped .303 and some 22...and most not at all.

Over the years, Mark Benenson listed several 25-35 barrels in the quarterly(?) "for sale and want to buy" letter that he sent out in the pre-internet days. I never saw anybody who came up with so many hard to find firearms, parts, and accessories.

I wonder where all those odds and ends went to after he passed away?

As you may recall, Mark's apartment was badly flooded not long before his death. I suspect many treasures were lost.

Mark was at the 1st Savage Fest, he had a few custom rifles but I didnt see or hear of any barrels or parts for sale at that time.

I've never been to a Savage Fest and I haven't seen Mark in person for at least a quarter century when we had dinner while attending an OGCA show in either Cleveland or Columbus.

Somewhere in my archives, I have several years worth of Mark's "Wants and For Sale" letters nicely preserved in document protectors and cataloged in chronological order in a pile of 3-ring binders. I bought from and sold to Mark for a dozen or more years before this site existed, back when people corresponded by USPS and talked on land-line telephones. Among other things, I bought several Savage 1899 take-down barrels, several dozen receiver and tang peep sights, and about 50 lbs. of Miller Kodiak and Stith mounts.

25-35 is just a necked down 30-30, so it doesn't surprise me.

Yeah, I noticed that too with rotors- they can be very forgiving.

After reading the ad above I would have gladly paid the $10 asking price. Maybe someday Savage will do a count and we will know how many two barrel rifle sets were produced. I have never seen an actual set which would letter.

Indeed, but remember what $10 amounted to back then. My great-grandfather was a skilled and highly sought after plasterer in the teens- 20's and his daily rate was $5 (I have his ledgers). Would you spend two day's pay for an extra barrel?

$10 was about half the cost of an 1899 when they were introduced. Probably 33%-40% when this ad was printed.

The lower barrel in the ad has a dovetailed front sight. Didn't happen on a lightweight (but with Savage never say never). Can't tell for sure about the front sight on the upper barrel. It was probably a mistake by the artist. David