Just bought a great Savage 1895 in 303 and I would like to know if 303 is manufactured by any company today? I have priced some on the web and it is extremely high. Can anyone out there help? Is there any chance one of the big three will manufacture a limited run?
Thanks

You sure it's an 1895?

Whats the serial number?

There's a few small outfits that load and sell 303 Savage, or you can buy some off of the auction sites.. but in the end it's far cheapest to load your own.

Here's a recent thread on it. And, welcome to the campfire!

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=40&Number=2488767&Searchpage=3&Main=199596&Words=%26quot%3B303+savage%26quot%3B&topic=0&Search=true#Post2488767

Serial number 11.088-26 inch oct barrel-brass cart.counter-loaded indicator-two flip rear sights that fold flat-peep sight-front sight has a cover over it that has patent dates-sights manufactured by Marble-printed on top of barrel Savage Arms Company Utica NY USA -Pat. Feb 7 1893-July 25 1893 cal. 303-under the forearm barrel has proof mark. I don't know what it means-may be manufactured by Marlin. Thanks

not an 1895.... it's an 1899 model B

First of all WELCOME!

Are you able to post pics? It sounds like an interesting old rifle.

It's a very early 1899.. and very possibly the barrel was made by Marlin, some of the early 1899's got the Marlin barrels.

We're sure it's an 1899 because the 1895 serial numbers ranged from around 3000 to 8000, and the 1899's started at 10,000.


Congrats, very nice rifle you picked up!

What kind of proof mark is on the bottom of the barrel? I wonder if some barrels made it over to the Savage plant?

Since when? I've never seen an 1899 with an 1895 barrel on it before. Barrel address is nothing, a bottom proof mark would be what I'd be looking for.

Maybe my memory is going, but I thought we'd seen some very early 1899's with the proof mark on it? No?

This is one for Rick and Bill, sounds like the 1st octagon that has the transitional barrel address.

Blair

Serial number 15,xxx with an M stamp.. that'd be a Marlin barrel, no?

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=40&Number=2373353&Searchpage=1&Main=190674&Words=%2B1899+%2Bmarlin+%2Bbarrel&topic=0&Search=true#Post2373353

Nope, that'd be an assembly mark. Go look at your 1895, the M or JM stamps were in circles.

I've got one 1895 barrel here that isn't marked. The serial is 5903 and the barrel has no Marlin stamp but it is stamped 903 so I'm thinking it went back to Savage for a rebarreling at some time after 1899.

This would be the mark. (6427)



Blair

Stamped on the barrel under the forearm is what appears to be the number 1 and an A inside a circle.

When I go to the Savage 99 unofficial website and type in the serial number it says the rifle is an 1895. ??

You will find the barrel marking patented Feb.7.1893. July25.1893.Cal.303. also 38-55 & 30-30 maybe others .If they are 1895 Barrels they had to be bored after they left Marlin.This barrel marking rus throug serial #30,00+.

Just what I have seen.Those who have seen a lot more guns than I have may have more to say.

do not type in the period, just the numbers

It is typed just as it is on the Barrel periods and all.

I think romac is talking about entering the serial number into the web site for the DOM check.

Blair

Yeah, if you put in the period on the savage99.com website it ignores everything after the period. So it thinks your serial number is 11.

Thanks Joe and Blair, M with circle versus M without.. have to remember that.

Yeah, I was replying to Straightshooteryoubet. He's getting the wrong date because he is typing the serial number in on the web site and including the period.

I also see that ones wearing a mad dog mark about three inches in front of it. I'll have to jot that down beside the number as well.

Nice catch!!!


Mike...

Welcome to the site and if you can please post pictures of your rifle.

"You will find the barrel marking patented Feb.7.1893. July25.1893.Cal.303. also 38-55 & 30-30 maybe others .If they are 1895 Barrels they had to be bored after they left Marlin.This barrel marking rus throug serial #30,00+."

Doug, are you saying that there are barrels marked..."Patented Feb.7.1893. July25.1893.Cal.303" that are in .30-30 or .38-55? I know the early patent date line is on later production rifles but I thought it was only on round barrel .303's. Do you have one in the other calibers?

I typed it in without the period and DOM is 1900. On the Savage Website I cannot find a peep sight that looks like the one on mine. The front globe sight has a pin that will flip down and the globe has patent dates on it. When I look through the peep and put the pin in the middle of globe it is great. I like the sight picture. Thanks

Under the forearm it has an A inside a circle and the number 1. I will post some pics later. Thanks

SS, does it look like any of these? I think your rifle came with special order sights on it. Your front sight sounds like a Lyman #5.

Joe,

I have a nice 1895 in the safe with a little more condition that the ungodly sight wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb on it. I'll PM you my address so you can box it up and not make that rifle look so hideous.

Blair

Ungodly....yes. Lots of them out there.......wrong!!!!

My rifle is an 1889 B not an 1895. Under the forearm is stamped the letter A inside a circle and the number 1. Thanks

What about the tang sights I posted, are any of them what you've got on yours?

Those numbers and letters are nothing more than assembly markings from the factory. They have nothing to do with Marlin or the Savage plants.

From left to right mine is the fifth sight. It pivots up and down. The other rear sight is a two way flip sight, one is a buck horn the other is a white triangle and you can fold both down so you can use the peep. The front sight is a globe with a pin inside that flips up or down. The globe has patent dates Jan. 8 1889 Feb 13 1894. How can I tell who made the barrel? Did Marlin make any barrels for the early 99? Thanks for your help.

O.k., your tang sight is a Lyman #18 or a early Lyman 1A SA, same thing. Your rear sight is a Lyman #6 fold down rear sight and the globe front sight sure sounds like a Lyman #5 but the patent date is the one the #7 used. Does the front sight have a windage adjustment feature or does it just flip down?

No your barrel was not made by Marlin. It was made in the Savage plant. The only barrels Marlin made were for the model 1895's that had serial numbers under 10,000. The latest Marlin production 1895 was made in 1897, unless someone has a letter from J.C. stating an 1898 in which case I'd love to get a copy of it.

You mean like this This is the letter for the rifle that the picture of the barrel came from with the Marlin and Mad Dog marks.



Blair

Hmm.. "The first 8200 rifles.."???

Oops.

Exactly like that Blair. Did you send me that already? Apparently I never printed it off.

Thats the first letter I've seen so far with one accepted in 1898.

Edited: forget it Blair, I found it, I never wrote down the acceptance date. That was the one with the cut bbl correct?

Yes and I also have one 5 digits earlier that I have yet to letter.

O.k., that explains alot. I didn't know if that was the higher or lower of the two.

Hey, whats a 26" oct 1895 bbl worth to ya?

Forget it, I'm joking, it's got no wood but I'll have a set made maybe.

I think in my opinion that Savage did use some barrel's made by Marlin for the early 99's. My understanding is a barrel is not proofed until it is fired. They don't fire guns until the barrel is installed.So no M or JM would be on unproofed barrels. Take for example, one of the members has an 1899 that was shipped in early January 1899. Was Savage making thier own barrel's in 1898, and if so where were they made as the factory didn't start making Savage 1899 until the 1st of Jan,1899. Callahan told me in one of my letters, he suspects that Savage received a lot of spare parts from Marlin when the new Savage factory started up, and the contract with Marlin ended.There would have been no need for Marlin to keep any 1899 parts at their factory, as they had no need for them. I don't understand the thinking of the members here that Savage just threw away any spare parts of the 1895 rifle, because the came out with a "New" model 1899, when every part in a 1895 will fit on a 1899.

Are we sure they were proof marks though back then?

Kinda like the MP stamps, they're a mystery to me but none the less your theory does make sense. We just can't prove anything!

Blair, if you letter the other 1895 ask JTC to verify the first date on this rifle. Also ask if there are other 1898 dated rifles on that log sheet. As Sept 1898 is about a year later that any other received date I have seen I'm wondering if there were other, if it was a clean-up rifle...etc.

Chip, Mad Dog,

I don't think we have seen any M or JM marked 1899 barrels but that does not mean that they couldn't be Marlin made barrels that were not addressed or marked and shipped to Savage after the 1895 run was completed.

My early rifle has a small "S" in a circle stamped on the bottom flat of the barrel in front The proof marks we see on later rifles are in view and were not used till years later. Makes me wonder if it is a proof or just an inspecters stamp.

I have one that was accepted and shipped on same day. October 28, 1898. It has both M and JM marks. It is 26" oct. bbl. #815X...........Dick

Dick, I knew you were still around here, it just took a good 1895 thread to bring you out!

Well Rick, thats two of them now, first I've seen. At first I thought maybe Blairs was a typo but then Dick came up with one as well. Interesting why they would be accepted and sent the same day. I'm thinking like you and they were left over rifles.

There is a slotted screw head on each side of the globe that lines up with the pin. Does this mean it is adjustable for windage? Thanks

No, thats just the hinge screws so it can be folded up and down.

Can you take pictures of the gun?

Send them to me at [email protected]

Yea, Joe. I'm still here. Only 3 more to go .....Dick

My rifle turns out to be an 1899 B even though my post show 1895. Do all early 1899 rifles have the same stamping on top of the barrel? I really appreciate your help.

No they don't, yours is a very early stamping and close to the 1895 stamping but different.

You seem interested in the 1899's, a good book to get on them is Doug Murrays "The Ninety Nine". You can find how to order it at the top of the forum page in "Misc" info.

Who are Rick and Bill? Is the oct. barrel with the transitional address rare? Thanks for answering my questions.

No, the barrel address is not "rare", it's just what they used on earlier rifles.

Savage used 19 different barrel addresses on their lever action rifles up to 1977.

Rick,
I think you already have this info but to be sure: I have 1895 serial 5513 accepted 3/11/96 and shipped 12/14/98. Octagon barrel in cal 303, original consignee Col. A. Simm. No address given. Had to be one of the latest shipped rifles I would think. Any reason why they would hold this rifle in inventory so long ?

John, I was looking for 1895's accepted in 1898, I've got lots of data on rifles shipped in 98.

Yours is the latest shipped I've got on record now though, the previous highest I had was Nov 5, 1898.