Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage Model 220 12 Gauge

Just acquired one of the above with a Utica barrel address. It is stamped U.S. with the flaming bomb. Two questions: What did the military use these for and how do I date it? Thank you! Larry

One of the things that they used them for was teaching aerial gunnery. Mostly with repeaters but sometimes with single shots. I'm sure that there were other uses.

Interesting...thank you!

I read that they used them to teach gunners how to lead a target.

Not the first 220 twelve I've heard of with that marking.

Old thread on a 219 that was stamped.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/5028600/all/Savage_219_US_Property

I've never heard of any purchase by the Army for a number of 220's. For 520's and 720's, yes. Doesn't mean it's not stamped, just that it probably wasn't used formally as a "trainer" gun.

At a certain point in 1942, the US Army depot in Syracuse NY bought just about any 12 guage shotgun that they could get new from the manufacturers.

Among single shots I've only seen 220s and Winchester Model 37s (several of each), but that doesn't mean there weren't others. The ones I saw were so long ago that I don't think they were fakes. I SUSPECT that Uncle Sugar just bought shotguns and figured out what to do with them later (what a surprise!).

I have seen many WWII period photos of soldiers/airmen being trained for aircraft/antiaircraft duty with shotguns and clay birds and NEVER seen a double or single shot gun being used for that purpose (Has anybody?). All autos and pumps, which makes sense to me.

And the shotgun purchases weren't limited to 12s. I had for many years (until it got turned into a house payment....) an L.C. Smith "Featherweight Field" 16 guage SxS with raised rib and choked IC/Full. It was marked with the Ordnance acceptance bomb and "U.S. Army Depot, Syracuse N.Y." I found it in a garage sale in North Idaho.

There are also ".22 shot" 220s marked with "da Bomb." It is believed they were used for ridding hangars of pigeons, etc. I never saw any proof of that, but have seen the guns.

@Mesa: I had a thought they might have been used for rodent control on post/base, so you may be right on regarding pigeons!

Not to mention lots of various shotguns acquired by the gov't for use as loaners/rentals through post PX's for serviceman recreational use.

Savage made a total of 1873 Fox model B's for the war from 1942-1943.

Back in the day before the PC hacks pretty much put the military Rod and Gun Clubs out of the firearms business you could rent guns from them and order guns and reloading supplies directly from the distributors using their FFLs. So sad those days are gone. I can very vividly remember back in '73 when I was stationed at Ft Carson, CO one of our SSGs showing off his new Ruger Bearcat that he'd just bought at the Rod and Gun for $55. These days if someone did that SWAT would probably show up.

And lots of very nice European guns got imported into the US by servicemen returning from Cold War duty in Europe after buying them at European base PXs. Especially Beretta shotguns and handguns.

My brother brought back a beautiful Sako .30-06 from Germany in the 1960s which he still shoots, and brought me a neat Beretta .22 auto rifle, which I still shoot, the same gun which Weatherby later imported under their own name.

Am enjoying the informative comments! Thanks for sharing!

Any way to date this thing with these characters?

My father used a single shot 16 ga. with a really short barrel to guard german POWs and American stockade prisoners in 1944. He was a medic in a MASH unit and not normally armed, and that's what the sarge handed him. No idea what make it was - probably german or french, considering where he was located.

Levergunfan, the stamps were probably put on in the 1940s, but the gun could be substantially older. Remember the Winchester 97s used in VietNam? Even then they had been out of production for a generation.

From what I find, production on these started in 1938. Your Father's service is appreciated!

The birth of the Savage model 220 hit Savage in 1937 with a total of 4,867 made. The model 219 was not offered till the year after, in 1938 with 2,735 of them made. Although they were being made and sold in these late years they weren't cataloged till later on in their production and were produced right from Utica and followed into Chicopee in the 1947 move of the factory. They were produced till 1973 when the model 220 was dropped from production and the Stevens 94 took its place.

It's not plagiarism if I wrote it, haha.

Good info! Where did you find that? A couple of the price guides say 1938 to 1965. Not the first time I've heard of a mistake in those.