Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Who'd Buy or Promote a better Savage 24 or other combo?

My first gun was a Savage M24 DL, chambered for 22LR/20 ga shotgun. I was 16, and got it for Christmas. I still have the
gun and it is a regular with me whenever I'm hunting. I loved,
and still love this firearm! I'm 62 yo these days, and the only
thing I'd change is I'd prefer to have the top barrel a 30-30 or
7-30, and the bottom barrel still a 20-ga shotgun. That would be
the ultimate combo gun when hiking/exploring/scouting, or just plain hunting.

I remember on one hunting adventure, during the early hours of the morning walking up on a jackrabbit, firing several 22lr cartriges the rabbit never moved. Out of frustration, I walked up on the rabbit only to find it's intestines laying in front of it (it was already dead but didn't know it). Another time I ran into a covey of quail, I banged away with the 20-ga. When my brother who was with me finally caught up, suggested it was another hunter. He got an education as I picked up my quail.

I've never understood why Savage never understood the concept
of a combination gun. They didn't really have to offer a 12 ga
shotgun, nor the 357 Mag for the rifle barrel. Nor many of the
other variants they offered. This was a hunting firearm! Capable
of collecting anything from rabbits, squirrels, quail, pheasants,
chukar, foxes, coyotes, deer, and on a good day, black bears.
This was/is a gun that puts food on the table. Too bad Savage
didn't seem to understand that.

No one can build a nice combination gun for $500 retail.
That is why the Savage 24 is such a rough gun now.
They need to offer a nice version, with
* deep bluing
* case-colored receiver

* quality, adjustable iron sights

* Integral Warne (Weaver) type bases machined into the top barrel. Make them flat top like the Warne or Leupold, not the Weaver style with ears.

* Or, cut a deal with Ruger to use their integral base format.

* Nice walnut with good checkering
* Stock well-fitted to the metal
* Cut checkering
* Good recoil pad like R3, Simms, Pachmayr, Limbsaver

* Useful rimmed cartridges
.30-30
.22 Savage HP should be a no-brainer
.22 Hornet
.303 Brit
* 20 gauge with screw-in chokes

Retail it for $900.00 to $1,000.00, like the CZ double barrel shotguns.

I had the same idea but am 18 inch in 22LR 12 gauge.

BMT

Why 22 HP? Hard to find factory ammo, S&B only.

Why 303 British? Hard to find factory ammo in the U.S.

Don't you think that Savage would still be making 24s if they thought that they could earn a profit by doing so?

I think that Savage's selection of cartridge combinations offered in the 24V fit the market niche pretty well:

22LR/20, 22MRF/20, 22H/20, 222/20, 223/20, 30-30/20, 357/20, and 357Max/20.

Perhaps if Savage redesigned the 24 into a shotgun over rifle combination gun, they could strengthen it enough to run 243, 308, and maybe 338 Federal and 358 barrels under a 20 gauge shotgun. However, I doubt that Savage, or any other U.S. manufacturer, is going to spend any $$ to design, build, and launch a combination gun in 2009.

Jeff