Hey guys,
I've been wanting to own a 1899 Savage in .22 HP for a while now, but I have been somewhat shocked buy the prices that .22 HP seem to bring. The brass, bullets and bore diameter hurdle would seem to me to make the .22HP the least desirable of any of the Savage cartridges (.300, .303. .250). Stuff off of Gun Broker seems to be in the $900 -$1200 range. I saw one a while back on GB that had a bulged barrel and asking price was $875...$875 for a rifle with a bulged barrel?
So why are .22HP so expensive? Did Savage really not make all that many?
Maybe after the initial marketing hype wore off and guys figured out that the .22HP was not so good for deer or elk hunting, did the public's reaction and need for the .22HP tank? Winchester had lack-luster sales of the .219 Zipper in the model 64 because the shooting public I think really didn't see the need for a .22 center fire in a lever gun and the accuracy wasn't what shooters had in mind either.
So any thoughts or comments are welcome.
Thanks!
