Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage model 220 in .22 shot

drakar, Date-wise, your 220 was made in Utica somewhere between 1937 and 1946/47. Savage moved their manuf facility to the Chicoppee Falls, Mass Stevens plant in 1947. From likely early 1942 to sometime in 1946 commercial production was curtailed because of the war. Some 220's could have been made under Govt wartime contract, but they would likely be martially marked.

Hope I'm half-way right on this info. That's the best I can do for you. The low-end Savage and Stevens rimfires and shotguns did not have serials until 1968 and the date stamp "Inspection codes" were used between 1949 and about 1970. There may be some configuration clues like trigger guard style or composition that can narrow the date, but I'm not smart enough to help. DonW

I also have a Savage 220 in .22-shot. My gun appears to be the same as drakar's. Yes, the bore is off center so the center fire position will allow the firing pin to hit the cartridge rim. Every thing I have read about the Savage 219 and 220 confirms that the Utica guns were made before and during WWII. They have no serial numbers but do have assembly numbers. The examples I have examined have these numbers (ex: 82Y5)on the barrel lug, inside the receiver, and on the stock under the butt plate. Most forearms I have examined have a single digit number stamped inside the bottom which I believe denotes the style of the forearm. I have seen one other .22-shot for sale other than mine. The "story" on that one was that while it was not "U.S.PROPERTY" marked, several were special ordered during WWII for shooting birds inside aircraft hangars. This sounds reasonable. Mine also is not "U.S." marked. Just an opinion, but it stands to reason they may have had an over run on the contract (if the story is true) and offered them for sale to the public. As to value, mine is in excellent condition but with straight grain walnut, not nearly as beautiful as drakar's wood, and I paid a little less than $600. There is very little written information on any of these rifles and shotguns.

One more item you may be interested in....go to the
"Guns and Game Forum" on the net. It has a special section on the 219/220 Savages with about 8 pages of information and pictures. My .22-shot is pictured along with other peoples.

thank you for the information. I knew I should have bought both of these guns at the sale! LOL!

Interesting thread! I learn something every day or so....lots of unexplored terrain in the Savage planet still!

Skeet of any sort was also used extensively to train gunnery troops to 'swing through' on moving targets. So was aerial shooting with BB guns, I've got an old F&S article here..somewhere:) from the mid-sixties on those efforts.

I am continuously amazed here on the historians of specialty that seem to keep crawling outts da woodwork here, day after day.

What a great Site here:)

ed