Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 1920? Savage 250-3000

Inherited my grandfather's Savage 250-3000 Serial 63## Along with about 5 more guns. Really didn't know what I had. It was cleaned and locked up in a gun safe. Looking more into it this year I'm guessing it's a 1920 model? Below are pictures.
And would greatly appreciate any info this forum can provide. Is this a model 1920? (Before I order papers)

I have learned a lot about the inner workings off this forum. The safety has always been stuck in the fire position.. LOL
Disassembling it, it appears my grandfather had placed a small nail piece so it would stay in fire mode. Guess he had a deer in sight and lost it.
It appears it slides down with vibrations and gravity into just enough of safe mode to stop the trigger and rubbing.
Id guess one of 3 things is happening part 20-2048 is compressed and/or dirty, part 20-2047 is worn down and or 20-198 bar is worn.

I have gone as far as separating the stock and the barrel. And wanted to take my time working on the safety.

Glad to have found this thread and look forward for your feedback. Trying to add more pics once I make them smaller

More Pics

I am envious. Those little .250-3000 bolt action rifles are great guns!!

I remember ammo being harder to find. I got it in 2002 and its been in a gun safe. I found ammo that I have stock piled. I will say I'm hooked and having fun with it now. Shooting it, researching it, old catalogs, parts lists and finding diagrams.

The Model 1920s are my favourite Savage rifle. YMMV

Accurate, storied, an American sporting rifle clearly ahead of its time and the 250s are particularly fun to shoot and easy to reload.

A few more to keep your attention:










A later M1920/26 from my meager few shooters.

That’s a very desirable gun. Congratulations on your inheritance.

Those are great nostalgic photos. I appreciate the picture of a man sitting on an Indian motorcycle while shooting a Savage rifle.

The Savage Model 20s are a wonderful rabbit hole to go down, pursue and research. Enjoy the ride, Olefashn!

The younger man astride that Indian bike was W.C. "Mike" Cottar, the son of Charles Cottar the American safari guide who relocated to Africa. At Mike's untimely passing at 36 years of age he was one of the most sought after hunting guides on the continent. He passed from blackwater fever back in 1941, in what was then called Tanganyika.

His father who passed the year before after being gored by a rhino is picture here with the more familiar Savage lever rifle.





And lastly my old BC ranch rifle with the broken stock, also a 250-3000 on the man cave wall:

Any one else notice the blood running down his calf and the little polka dot kitty?

Oh yeah! I've seen that pic before. Is that the deadly 22HP tiger killer or another cartridge??

Photo says 250-3000 Hi-power

It appears the text was photo shopped/added later. Resolution is perfect compared to the pic.

It's a Savage 1899 Model 250-3000... so it's probably chambered in 250-3000.

Cottar (above) was a big fan of the 250-3000. It was Harry Caldwell that was the tiger hunter with the 22HP, tho he'd hunted earlier with the 303 Savage as well.

I added the text to the other image of Mike and the Model 20 as well and had both enlarged to about 16 x24





To my eye the pair of images work well as decor depicting that golden age of adventure in Africa.

Now I'm craving a 1920 with peep in .250-3000!

Is this a young Townsend Whelen?

No not Whelen's son. Best that I recall, it was the son of a prominent hunter named Fawcett and the image taken in South America in the 1925.





I do have an image of Col. T. Whelen shooting a Model 99 "K" - give me a minute to locate it... there it is!