Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors early TD

I just picked up a 38-55 Mod A TD ,I would like to know from Rick99 if he has any number any lower than 70721.

thanks and all numbers match.

norm99

It's somewhere in the ~67.000 range I believe.
We've talked about it here before.

Yes. The first ones show up around 67.000, as Rick says - whether those were the earliest takedown rifles, or earlier rifles that went out late and got it, we don't know.

The mass production of takedown's seem to have started around 70.000 So 70.721 is a very early one, probably dating to August, 1906 give or take normal delays.

Norm, 70.512 here 1899A 303!! the 38-55 has a bit more desire. good find. Don

A bit more desire in that you old bucks won’t sell them to us young roosters. The heart wants what it can’t have.

Have pics of 65.498 , 1899A 303 Sav takedown

Well,....whataya wait'in for?! Let's see them.

Oddly enough, lowest serial numbers don't always indicate the "start" of something. They are often just rifles that were finished late, and so the accepted from factory date is later than higher serial numbered rifles.

This happened on almost everything. So, these few takedown rifles we've seen under 70.xxx might represent early examples - or they might represent rifles that were made 6 months after the 70.xxx's rifles. Without seeing dates in the ledgers, it's almost impossible to tell.

The earliest public announcement of the takedown option that I've ever found was June, 1906 - which would be right at the 70.000 number. Obviously they'd have made some earlier, so those lower ones may be early ones. But.. maybe not. It's so often about dates rather than just serial numbers.

Dates:

By serial number, 65.498 would have been accepted from the factory in August, 1905 if it was finished on time. That's 10 months earlier than the public announcement of takedowns. Not impossible.. but is it likely?

Could've been also that they made a few the year before to "test the waters", so to speak. Or salesman samples made up ahead of time for the sales guys to schlep around in 1906.

Agree.


But after looking into the introduction of the 22HP, the introduction of the 250-3000, the first full threaded barrels, and the start of the 99H carbine... every one of them have lower serial number rifles that were accepted from the factory after those things went into production. So.. never say never.

Frank Chadwick's patent for the takedown rifle was filed May 3, 1906 and looks to differ only slightly from the final production design, one thing I notice is the alignment slot looks different. There is a 1 year time frame to file for a patent after a design is first made public, if not the design cannot be patented, I think this rule was the same in 1906. Are the low serial number takedowns exactly the same as later ones?

ADDED - link to high resolution patent pictures - uspto.gov/00865357

Is it Romac that has one of the 67.xxx takedowns? Not sure anybody else has one under 70.000, and 70.000 and above should be "mass" production.

Are you familiar with the rifle? Matching numbers, originality, etc.?
Is that what an early takedown fore looks like?
Savage elegance...

i kind of fell into this one , stopped into a GS in Vernon B.C. where i had been before ,asked if they had any 99s and the guy pics this one up from a shelf onthe back of the counter , no price , had to wait for almost 2 hours for the shop owner to show up, took 10 minutes to buy it. as soon as i knew it was a 38-55 the wait was worth it , Called trix and talked to him about it as well.

Good day for you Norm!!

Congratulations, Norm. It has a great home.

Still haven't found the right 38-55 to add to the safe. I'd wait 2 hours.

I forgot to mention that it has a shotgun butt plate...

and for the young guys looking m for good buys , keep looking they do show up , us old guys don't get them all.

was at a gun show , had a table , talked to a guy that was looking for an EG in 300, found out later that some one overheard the conversation and sold the guy an almost pristeen one from the 50s real cheep figured it was going to a good home, i wish it came to mine,

nor