So the story continues..... I bought a 7 rd magazine for the 23A - $40 total includes shipping - online from Bob's gun parts. tried to put it in my 23A but it wouldn't stay in. Then I realized the rifle is missing the magazine retainer/ejector and the magazine retainer spring. so now into this $79. So I went back to the pawn shop I had seen another Savage Sporter and looking at it It didn't have any serial numbers anywhere that I could instantly see, and no magazine and no front sight post. only the patent info and 22 long rifle are on the barrel. Not even Sporter. The guy said $40 cash and it's yours and he will throw in the background check fee, so I had to do it. brought it home and cleaned it up. Barrel looks pretty good, but the stock is a little scratched up and a crack around tang area. I thought maybe there may be serial number under the barrel hidden by stock, but nothing. So I figure it is one of the first 1922 Sporters. But then I remembered in earlier threads here that early model had the SN on the face of the receiver and there it was. Still falls within the 1922 rifle SNs. The butt plate and stock both have 4284 stamped on them too. I got pretty excited that the magazine I just bought for the 22A fit in the 1922. but that went away when after I loaded the mag and inserted it, it didn't chamber the rounds from it. I have to push on the magazine to make it sit higher and it somewhat would chamber the rounds. I figure if I put a washer or bushing underneath the magazine retainer where it sits on the stock it will raise the magazine up enough so I don’t have to hold it up. The magazine retainer spring from the 1922 fits the 23A but the retainer/ejector does not. So I plan on putting the front sight post from 23A on 1922 and I will have a more complete rifle and wait to find parts or wait till I find another cheap parts sporter for the 23A. The 23A has major stock damgage and looks like after factory knotch out flat space where the rear peep sight would go. I plan to rig up a rail and mount an old K4 scope to it and just use it as a play gun.
