Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Early model EG question

The Redhead butt pad on my EG looks like the one in the add.
Do you think??
I removed the butt pad, stock (hollowed) has been cut, no s.n., new holes for butt pad. I'd guess user added.

I don't think we've ever seen a factory installed recoil pad on a Savage And by, "Savage" I am not referring post-mil models ("Savage snobbery appears a life-long affliction - just as Jed). Particularly for early models, this seems odd. Back then factories would do most anything a customer wanted and a recoil pad wouldn't be an unusual request. The same phenomenon has puzzled me when it comes to the special order short rifles. Winchester and Marlin had call to produce quite a few. Surely someone must have tried to special order a Savage short rifle or carbine? I would be intrigued to know how the factory responded to such a request Who knows, maybe that's why some customers chose a different manufacturer - they gave them what they wanted and Savage wouldn't. I do know that with Winchester, they progressively discouraged special orders (i.e. changes in configuration) over time.

Here is a blow-up of the 99 section. Note the rear hole configuration.

Grogel should be able to give us the lowdown on this since he did a lot of work to get that scope and mounting blocks corralled.

This subject is a real bag of worms! Rifles with the roll engraving were originally called Salesman's Samples but we have since found too many for them to be just "samples". Then the Spiegel ads were found by Gary which showed the roll engraving and scope mount holes. Since most of these rifles were produced after late 1937 when Savage stopped logging info there is no way to see who they were shipped to or if there were specials on them.

Within the subject of Salesman's/Spiegel we find rifle with/without roll engraving, with/without checkering, only the butt stock checkered, with/without sling studs (in different locations) and D&T'd/only D&T'd (most/all?) for mounts that we have not been able to verify.

The earliest data I have is on a 1934 "R" that was only D&T'd that I saw in Tulsa. When I say D&T'd in connection with this subject I will always be referring to the rear two holes on either side of the cocking indicator and two holes under the rear sight. We have good reason to think the holes were for the B&M mount (early 30's) but I don't think anyone has found a mount to verify that. The later Spiegel ads show a Mossberg scope could be purchased but Gary has been unable to find Mossberg blocks that were made to fit the holes. I know of no Spiegel rifle that has the front block holes out farther on the barrel and not under the rear sight. Gary and I have found Lyman blocks that do work with the holes. I mounted a Lyman 438 target scope on one of my rifles and had it at Savage Fest. Right/wrong...the holes are usable for target blocks installation. But, to date I don't think a rifle has turned up with anything mounted using the holes or showing indication of having had anything mounted. Before anything was known about these rifles they were passed over because of the two extra holes in the receiver (most never saw the two under the rear sight).

Most roll engraved rifles are EG's but there is one "T" known. Earlier rifle that are only D&T'd in my data include a "R" and three "H's". Note that these are all solid frame rifles.

So as you can see it takes more than just stating Spiegel or Special to describe a rifle in the family.

PS... this is not a closed subject so all comments and questions are good. We have more to learn on this subject.

Good post Rick.

Here's Rick's rifle from the Fest.

Well, we have one more data point for what it's worth.
99EG 3772xx/'37, 22", .303, D&T
Thanks for the summary.

Very cool - first I've ever seen of those holes in use.