Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire My old Savage 24

Cool story ...I owned the 24's never had one where the barrels lined up shoot the rifle with sites then the shoot the shotgun.. ..same range but the spread was a good foot lower...sucked...

I got married quite young in a small town in Pa. While I was in Desert Shield/Desert Storm, my young wife decided to play the field and had moved several dudes into my house in my absence. I found out and cut off all of my money going to her. I also volunteered to stay for and extra 5 months clearing buildings in Kuwait so people could re-occupy them. I just really didn't want to come home and I really didn't want to see her her ever again. My OIC sat me down and explained to me that puzzy was no nothing to die over. I told him that it was not my intention, which was a lie.

By the time I got back state side, I spent the first week of my leave cruising around on my GSXR 750 in shorts, flip flops and a tank top. Was boozing it up pretty good too. About the 2nd week, I decided it was time to face the music and booked a plane home. I really just wanted my car, an 86 Cutlass Supreme that was just [bleep] awesome to me. Well, the car was just about all I had left. She either threw away or sold all my stuff, including my guns. One in particular I was quite fond of, a Savage 24 in .222/20ga. I used this up until I joined the Navy as my trapline gun. In Pa, there was nothing I couldn't kill with it while running my trapline aside from a bear and I had no interest in killing one of them anyways. I have spent many days looking for that gun for sale all over the place. For some reason, that combo seemed hard to find and when you did find it, it was around 1K.

I normally make a few treks to Pa yearly for some fishing, exploring and to visit my sisters family and stop by the local gun store in St Marys to make a donation. I was perusing the used racks and there was a 24 just like I had. I picked it up and noticed it had the same piece of schitt weaver 4x on it. I held it up to look through the scope and you had to jam your head way forward to get the full field of view. I put my scope way forward because the 20 ga 3" mags would pop you in the eye brow because the thing kicked like a mule. I started getting an electric buzzing going in my body and actually broke down in a sweat. I took it to the counter and asked the girl if she had a Phillips head screwdriver to take off the butt plate. She asked why and I told her I thought this was my gun from nearly 40 years ago and if it was, the receipt would be in the hole in the butt stock. I took off the butt plate and sure as schit, my receipt was in there untouched. I could not believe I had found the exact same gun after all the time. They were asking such a good price that I bought it and another 24 on the rack chambered in 22mag/20 gauge that was so old it had no serial number. I asked if they would make a deal on the two guns and they happily obliged.

I had the pleasure of shooting the old girl the day I got back to my hometown. Wow, the .222 really makes a crack out of that short barrel. I shot it 3 times and was quickly reminded how bad that 20 bucked. Brought back a lot of memories of shooting Grouse, fox, coons and deer on the trapline with it. Actually shot a fox that I "killed" in a trap and then came back to life while slung over my back on a power line. He was making pretty good time with that #2 and a stake on his paw but not good enough. He outranged me on the #6's(mostly because I was flipping around trying to shuck him off my back) but that .222 caught him in the back of the head at about 100 yds.

Fellas, sometimes schit works out, sometimes it don't. I am tempted to have my picture taken with that rifle and send it to my ex with some choice words but I haven't spoken to her in over 30 years and never will. I may have bought the same gun twice but it was my gun. I will probably tote it around and the new cabin and then pass it down to one of my boys so their son can tote it around at the cabin.

One day I was running my trapline and it was rain and sleet. Just miserable late season weather but I still had some fox sets out. Had one fox step on my pan on a trail set twice but the trap was froze and wouldn't fire. Seemed like no amount of antifreeze would keep a trap working. I saw a small hemlock and decided to hunker down underneath for a bit to get out of the misery. As I stepped under the hemlock, 2 grouse took off above me. I look up through the center of that tree and it was filled with grouse. I cocked the hammer back on the 24, popped the selector down to the bottom barrel, didn't aim, just wanted the barrel to clear my head and pulled the trigger. The tree absolutely exploded with grouse jetting out of there. Two of them played pinball through the limbs and landed in front of me. I was pretty damned happy and didn't have to go home empty handed. Never did catch that fox on that trail set but you have to let some go for the next year.

That’s a great story about finding a long lost old friend.

I recall reading a story years ago about a son that searched high and low for the M1 Garand that his dad carried in WWII. After years of looking for that specific rifle, which his dad still knew the serial number to, he located it and bought it. He proudly presented it to his dad who couldn’t believe his eyes….

Post a pic of the receipt and rifle.

Post a pic of the receipt and rifle.

Tried too many times to post a picture here since the change. Send me your number and I will send you a couple of pictures to post. Kind of curious if anyone has any info on the second rifle that doesn't have a serial number. It has the same fox and grouse scene on the receiver but it has a silver breach.