Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors How to determine factory nickel finish on 1907 pistol?

I've put this question in other locations so I apologize if you've seen it before.

Is there a trick to identifying a factory nickel finish on a Savage pistol? I know about looking at the markings to see if they look unpolished and checking to see if the mag is also nickel. Are there other things to keep an eye out for? Should the trigger, saftey and hammer also be nickel? Thanks!

John

Most of the ones in Browers book all have nickel hammers. One has a case colored trigger, the others have nickel triggers. There is one factory gun in there that has a nickel slide and the rest is blued.

Thanks Mad Dog. Have you ever heard of looking in the ejector port at the curved underside of the slide (where the serial number is also punched) and if it is not nickel inside than the nickel finish on the outside was probably factory?

John

No never have but I imagine that would work.

Based on observation & discussion with other collectors, factory plated pistols had to be machined with additional tolerance for the plating thickness. It is believed that the critical parts were numbered to keep them together. The serial number was stamped on the bottom of the breechbolt and inside the slide. Other non-plated pistols recieved similar stampings if they occured during a design transition that created the possibility of incompatible parts on the production line at the same time. A factory letter is still the best way to identify a special factory finish.

Jim

Jim,

Maybe that was it? Factory nickel guns will have the serial number stamped inside the slide? Is Mr. Callahan still providing factory letters? Thanks!

John

yeah you can stil get a letter... takes 4-8 weeks depending...I have a few requests outstanding right now...