Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Steel / pot metal rotor in early 1899's

mine with a bronze/copper rotor is right at 77,000.

As I look at the different examples the members have posted I think I see the flaw with the Pot Metal rotors. The long fin on the rotor extends over the steel hub that is cast into it, And the Pot Metal does not bond to the steel hub, leaving it cantilevered and unsupported. In the photos that Lightfoot posted you can see the end of the long fin is lifted away from the steel hub, on Dell's and mine you can see the end of the fin has broken off, in my photo the broken piece is sitting next to the rotor. On the brass rotor the long fin is part of the casting all the way to the end.

The 2nd earliest 1899 I have is 21xxx and the rotor is a non-magnetic steel colored metal. The earliest is 1001x (by one record it is one of 300 made in 1898) also has the steel colored non-magnetic rotor. Perhaps the very earliest were made of this metal?? Interestingly, all 6 of my 1895's are of brass. My 3rd earliest 1899 is 28xxx and is of brass. I do have what I originally thought was another 1895 (sn 692x)but now believe it to be a rebarreled 1895 action with an early 1899 1/2 round/ 1/2 oct. 303 sav. barrel. The latest barrel date is October 3, 1899 and it says 'model 1899' on the barrel. The rotor is brass, but the interesting thing is that the bolt is the early 1899 bolt with the rectangular cocking indicator. Rebarreled AND upgraded 1895??

I have a 99 in .250 made for me in the mid-80's and it has a rotor that is not brass. Silver color.

Here is a Parts diagram from the 1900 Savage catalog, it shows the pot metal style rotor with the carrier spindle integral with the spindle head. In latter parts diagrams it shows the latter design with a spindle shaft that is inserted through the rear of the carrier and the spindle head that is held to the spindle shaft with a nut.

The broken one appear to have porosity issues which may make it more brittle as well.

How/why would the rotors break like that do you think? Force? Obstructions? Both? Seems like it would require a lot of force to break even a pot metal rotor.

I bought the gun knowing the rotor was stuck and wouldn't turn, I couldn't see that the spindle head was broken until I took it apart. I assume that the back of the long fin on the rotor had broken off and jammed the rotor and someone tried to rotate it through the window in the receiver where the cartridge numbers are seen and broke the spindle head. I found the end of the rotor fin inside when I disassembled it.