Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Model 1895 with checkered wood

This is what happens when a 22 collector runs out of spots to fill in his 22 collection, I've been branching out....

I got this Model 1895 two weeks ago. I has a modern Chicopee Falls address barrel on it. This is one I need to get some opinions on, the number on the stock does not match the receiver and when fitting the new barrel the numbers were removed from the forearm (I think on these the number would have been on the bottom of the channel and not on the end?) The pattern on the stock matches the one pictured on page 20 of David's book but his has small pointed cheeks. That pattern didn't make much sense just looking at his rifle, but seeing it on one with full 1895 cheeks explains the design.

The tang sight is the early type with the elevation nut held on by a cross pin and not a crimped in ring.

The cheek edge looks soft in this picture but it's the angle of the light, look at the top view above.


The forearm has a Marlin No. B checkering pattern (call Grade "B" on the other page - check out the description of the No. G too) and the stock looks similar to the Marlin No. D, but without the inner diamond and made for a straight grip. The Marlin catalogs do not have any pictures of a checkered straight grip. There are several patterns that include curved fronts and rears but with added features in the middle - on the stocks, look at the Grade No 2 and No 5(2) rifles, they have a curved front and a pointed rear.





I did find a picture of a straight grip Marlin from an auction, it has the No. B checkering on the forearm. There were no top & bottom pictures -


They added a second mount hole for the barrel swap and removed a lot of wood in the rear, I need to unplug the original hole.

I have an early 1899 octagon barrel I thought I could put on it, which would be much better than the one on it! but found it much was to wide to fit the forearm, so I called a friend of mine and talked him out of an original 1895 barrel he's had laying around for years, you can see in the two pictures above that is fits, but it is a bit tight. The 'new' barrel was on a gun at one time, you can see marks from the rear sight and some wear at the muzzle. I was surprised to see that none of the dovetails are blued, has anyone found this on other barrels? The JM stamp is not on the bottom flat, I do not know what the stamps on the bottom might be for.


I measured some barrels at the rear and they all seem very close, 0.924" to 0.939", but when I tired to fit the forearm on them it made a lot of difference, I should have also measured at the rear sight dovetail and the front of the forearm, they must all taper different. The forearm gets tight on the 1899 half octagon about 2 3/8" to far forward.


This is from an reproduction 1895 catalog showing the costs of extra's, including checkering -

(I wonder if anyone ever ordered a 32" barrel on one?)