Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage model 24 "problem"

Hi, You may remember the Savage 24 22/410 with the claw mounts/scope I got a few weeks ago.
I quickly noticed that the 22 lr cases were slightly bulged when the came out and the rims would drop past the extractor sometimes.
Also it wouldn't group better than about 2 1/2" at 50 yards.
On close inspection the cause became obvious, it has been rechambered to .22 magnum - cartridge fits perfectly including the rim - fits extractor also.
The question is; is it safe to shoot?
The conversion seems to have been done some time ago and looks like a good job - rim recess etc. and Savage chambered the 24 for 22 mag in 1960 with no apparent changes.
But .22 mag used .224 jacketed bullets not .223 lead.
I assume it's been shot and with no damage but I'm a little unsure.
Your opinions please.

Jay

Give it to one of your buddies to shoot. If he survives then you know it's good to go!

Are you sure it hasn't been re-barreled? Or are the 22LR markings still on the barrel?

I have a 24J-DL in 22 mag/20 ga.

It's still stamped .22 LONG RIFLE.
I can't imagine you would go to the trouble of rechambering it and then not fire it - it seems fine but...
Can it be sleeved back to .22LR?
I guess it's possible although you would have no rifling for the first 3/8" (approx.) - not sure what effect that would have.

I think that it would be safe to shoot, mine is.

Ace Dube sells 22 LR in 22 MRF chamber adapters that work well in Savage 24s.

www.mcace.com

JEff

I wonder if it is indeed re-chambered for the .22RF Magnum and not the old .22WRF. Same case diameter (but a little tiny bit shorter as I recall?), lead bullet.

gnoahhh,
Pretty sure it's 22 mag, I measured the chamber length at (very)
roughly 1/8" longer than an empty 22 mag case, which I guess would be about right for the bullet to just reach the rifling?
In any case, this must have been done after 1959 and WRF wasn't available here by then so it seems unlikely.
I think WRF is about 0.1" shorter.
Jay

Jeff,
A chamber adapter would be an easy answer but US companies generally won't ship gun parts abroad.
Importing parts (other than barrels & receivers) isn't a problem,
it's getting them shipped.

PM me and we'll see if we can't get something worked out.

JEff

An old gunsmith here has done hundreds and never had any problems, I wouldent worry about it

I know I'm not a Savage expert, but since this is a conversion question I thought I'd just add my 2 cents to the discussion.

I would rather have the 22 Mag capability myself, even though it's not original cause you can still squirrel hunt/rabbit hunt with the magnums and it's also a great fox and coyote round. I doubt you would hurt anything by popping a few magnums through it and see how it goes. It sounds like you've already established that is what the barrel has been rechambered for and as far as having an extra thousandth of a bullet diameter even if that is the case, it would only obturate deeper into the rifling or simply sheer off the excess lead because it's such a tiny amount. I doubt you would get any pressure spikes that would cause much problem at all. If you start finding tiny slivers of lead inside the chamber after firing a handfull of rounds, you'll have your answer to that question.

I have done the same thing with my 24. 22LR reamed to 22 mag
It shoots great,Have over 200 rounds thru it since doing it. Realy likes Fed.40 HPs but not real happy with CCI and the new btip rounds though.

Thanks for the advice guys.
Given the early 60's Hensoldt scope/claw mounts/leaf sights etc. fitted (which must have been quite expensive).The 1959 german proof stamp and .22 mag coming out in '59 and as such being "fashionable" at the time, I suspect the conversion may have been done at the same time - say 1961, which would explain why it's not re-stamped.
Anyway, I'm going to give it a try (carefully) and see how it goes.

Jay

Well I tried it out last night, a little nervous but everything is still intact!
Works fine with no issues but it is (compared to .22 subsonics) suprisingly loud.
22 magnum is pretty uncommon here so I've never heard one before,
but then it's no louder than the 3" .410 in the other barrel so it's not an issue.

I am curious (not yellow), how much does a box of .22RFMs cost over there?

Hey gnoahhh,
Like most things here, we pay at least pounds for dollars.
Seems to be about $10-$13 a box in US and about �11-�14 here - �12 is about $19 so it's not cheap.
But then compared to the price of powder at �30-�36 for 500g - that's about $54/lb when the same stuff cost you guys $15.....

Jay