Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors savage 23-B 25/20

Any idea on the age of this 23? Serial number 544XX
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/18143701/savage-23

Rick or somebody might have better data, but 1926 is what I think. Nice one.

It's in really great shape and I have a Winchester 92 in 25/20 so I have some brass and dies.
Wondering about the stock. The angle of the wrist looks strange to me and if you look straight down at the wrist you can see dark brown dots in the stock. Looks like something you might do in a repair?? Don't see any cracks. 5th picture in the gallery post

Original one.

Thanks Calhoun. Same basic shape but mine has a different look to it through the wrist and into the comb. Maybe Savage Joe on the assembly line had a heavy hand with the stock shaping file back in 26.

That looks a clean rifle.

We see quite a few down under they must have been popular here back in the day as a roo rifle 25-20 & 32-20 can recall seeing any other calibers

Johno

The earlier one Calhoun shows is what I call a "Savage Sporter .25-20" because that's what Savage called it in the receiver markings, at least on the one I had. Different stock profiles, different "cheese grater" magazine and catch, and cocking knob from the later 23.

The one I have that's factory marked "23 B" has a fuller stock all over, a flush magazine with a bottom latch, a shorter cocking knob, and probably some internal changes that I've forgotten or never discovered.

I bought it in a gun shop in Middlebury VT many years ago and the proprietor told me it was a "post-WWII factory leftover." Somebody drilled and tapped it for Weaver mounts, for which I thank him or her--it's so near cherry that I wouldn't have dared. It now wears a Leupold 2.5x Compact and is one of my favorite rifles. Sits right next to my Model 45 .30-30--you can see that they are cousins!

Your forearm has been fixed, so they might have trimmed down more of the stock at the same time.

Yeah, the forearm and wrist are “custom.” And the scope may or may not have been a factory add on. However considering your 23B was made in the 20s and that the 330 post dates that decade I’d guess it was mounted by a gunsmith. Nice rifle. How’s it shoot?

I only have two data point to go on for these early 23 centerfires. I'm with Calhoun...1926 give or take a year or two.

I see some ruff areas to be concerned about. The stock has been modified as you note in the grip area and I don't know what those dots are all about. I would guess that one side of the forearm split so they worked both sides to match while removing the problem area before it got worse.

Photo 3 shows some tool marks in the back area of the receiver and bolt. Not sure what that is about.

It does have the magazine which are hard to find and pricy. The J2.5 (that's an early one) are good little scopes if the lens and cross hairs are good.

Yesterday I took the stock off of the 23 to try and figure out what had gone on. The but pad was different than the picture Calhoun put up so I figured maybe that was part of the "custom" work done on the stock.


The whole inside of the stock had a coat of clear something on it. I could see where there were darker spots in the forearm and towards the wrist that were probably epoxied over pins from repair.

Took the but pad off and the white line spacer was a piece of plastic I think maybe from a margarine tub. Looks pretty good for a bubba move.

So if she is from 1926 I guess she's really looking ok for a 97 year old. Bore looks good and I primed a piece of brass and fired it to test the firing pin. Looks good
I will get to shooting it sometime this coming week,