It is somewhat less than pristine


.

I just saw the same photo on FB. What's the history?

Looks like it may be a lucky rifle.

Seems to shoot good!

I saw it there as well. I don't know any more about it other than it certainly drives home two things. They used their "gun" as a tool. And secondly never gave a second thought to the man 3/4 of a century down the road looking at the gun and saying what kind of an idiot would do that.

Not only that, but it has a tang sight.

I think a guy could do worse than to amass a collection of 100 year old rifles that got worn to sh*t in their "young" working lives and exist today as neglected icons. There's a lot of honesty wrapped up in old gems like that.

gnoahhh, did you look in my safe?

He looks like a very happy camper if you enlarge the picture.

Mike

I don't know where the rifle went but could the deers genes be from Oregon?

Why not? Everyone else is leaving the People's Republic.

I've got worse.

I like guns with character.

Sounds like it's time to get a new sticky to share PICTURES of our guilty pleasures, called "rat Savages"

I don't and I wouldn't. I have my limits and I don't exceed them.

We've already done this.

But here are pics of my favorite rat. Serial #107xx, Bought from the Sweetwater County, Wy., Sheriff's department a number of years ago.
overall

sticker from the sheriff's department. Note the curled under toe of the buttplate.

right side of receiver showing a little patina

left side of receiver also showing a little patina

forearm, note how cleanly the rear sight dovetail was filled.

very professional stock repair and peep sight

enjoy

I think that gun rode around in the back of his pickup under the spare tire, tire iron and logging chains for a good many year.

Then again...maybe he lost the tire iron and used the gun in the jack instead?

Jeez...

I would NEVER admit to owning a rifle with that much baggage.

Gray rats for the gray beards!

I'd hunt it.

Thankfully, there are "less than pristine" rifles out there so that the less well heeled of us can enjoy the Savage repeating rifle!

No safe queens here.

Yikes! That poor rifle takes patina to a new level. Have you shot it?

I think I have its mate. It came to me as a action with barrel attached and a box of parts. It was found in a barn on a ranch in eastern MT. that some relatives bought.

I think it had the metal all together when found but one of the kids liked to take things apart. It was a 303 with the short barrel. I put it back together thinking I would find a butstock

at a gun show. The years passed quickly. The bore was not shootable and still no butstock. I started fooling with some mausers and putting new barrels on and restocking and

such. After getting a Lathe I found a Savage barrel with the square threads but not for that lever action. I recut the threads so the site was on top and rechambered it to 30-30.

I found a ratty old but stock to use on it to test fire it. I am in the process of making a new walnut stock for it but with the ratty stock it is a mate to this one.

It does shoot very well. I shoot mostly cast and the grand kids have a ball going thru 50 or a 100 rounds. I would post a picture but have not figured that out..

ipopum, love the fact you brought it back! Good job.

But nobody will beat my 1895.

Calhoun for the win!

I still wish I could have talked the gun store in Montana into selling me this one.

It would win any rat contest.

Rory, that's definitely the top rat. I wonder if the shooter survived to shoot another day?
I haven't shot my rat but there probably isn't any reason not to. Except so many guns, so little time.

No Mine would be pristine compared to those 2

I'll bet the shooter walked away with no more than a sore shoulder and seriously ringing ears, though a view at tthe bolt would tell if anything catastrophic happened there. Would love to know what caused it.. barrel obstruction, or seriously overloaded cartridge? If that's an 1895, smokeless powder was really new and it wasn't that uncommon for idiots to reload without measuring. Even if it's just an early 1899 (based off of lever shape, it's early), there were lots of bubba's.

Dang! Any backstory on that? I don't remember seeing it here before. I think I have the bolt for it!

Story I was told is that it was dredged out of a Texas river as they were building a bridge. Just a story?

Bolt and other internals missing, barrel partially unscrewed.

It’s a consecutive serial number to a really nice 1895 owned by cmhjohn. Doesn’t add much value as a set though.

I daresay a little oil and steel wool and you'll be shooting it, Rory.

Bead blast and a new high-tech finish would fix it right up.

I like the patina. Leave it alone. There is a museum in Cody dedicated to dug up firearms.

Guns weren't for looking at way back when. They were tools, just like a hammer and were treated appropriately

I like some of my older rifles that are in good shape, but also really like seeing beat up rifles with a history. Even the bubba'd rifles, assuming bubba did his work years ago, interest me.