savage-stevens model 30

[old semperfi]

i am curious if anybody has the model 30 and if they have figured a way to mount a scope on rifle.i enjoy shooting this little falling block but i think a long scope on it would be awsome.this is my truck gun.its one of two that lives in my 4x4.i am getting older and eye sight is not what it used to be.i know this may sound wierd but most everything i have is customized one way or another.guns,motor cycles,truck etc.if you have any ideas then give me a holler old semperfi

[William Harper]

Usually the Savage Stevens Favorite Model 30 is tapped for a Weaver scope base, only the Model 30G is not tapped. The Model 30 was manufactured by Savage from 1999 to the present with the barrel being shortened from 21" to 20" recently. This rifle's weight is only 4.25 Lbs according to the factory figures and its overall length is about 36.5-37". I shoot mine mostly with iron sights quite accurately, consistently fatal with headshots on squirrels with tree-side support offhand. And shooting into 1" from the bench at 100 yards and 2.5-4" at 200 meters, usually ca. 7" at 300 meters in quiet air. I have put a long Sweet Seventeen 18X telescopic sight on my 30R17 .17 HMR only to discover I shoot it equally well with iron sights, about as well as I shoot the 30G, which, remember, is not tapped fpr a scope mount. I usually hunt my squirrels with the 30G from close range to 50 yards with Aguila Golden Eagle Match Rifle or Federal Automatch. It is light and handy in the woods. I have replaced its elevation ramp with that from the R17 and filed off its front sight bead leaving a good square topped post, which makes it a much better shooter. The 30GM .22WMR is the express rifle of the lot; I filed off the front bead and cold blued as with the 30G with the result that it will group Fed. 50 gr HPs in an inch above 6:00 point of aim from notch 4 at 100 yards and in 2.5" at 200 meters from notch 8. As you can see, these little rifles will shoot! If you have the 30G, it will have no taps for a weaver scope mount and will have the round barrel from the stock to the muzzle. That won't stop it from being effective. The Model 30 should be tapped and easy to scope if you give the hammer adequate clearance. Trying to use a hammer extension will probably cause misfires with this delicately balanced little pivoting block action. Some people like to have a gunsmith mount a traditional Marble tang sight on these rifles with a Lyman 17a front sight, which is accurate, effective, and expensive. You can buy a lot of good ammo with the ca. $160.00 those sights will cost. Find the most accurate ammo for your Model 30, excluding Aguila Interceptor which will probably pop the breach-block. Shoot nothing stronger than CCI Velocitor. I like Favorites and they will do the job on anything from a squirrel to a coyote for a full 300 meters, but experience has left me with no illlusions about the strength of its little pivoting block action. I have only been shooting this type of rifle for 60 years, ever since Alvin York advised another old WWI relic, my father, to teach the little rascal to shoot. I hope some of the data in this post proves useful to you.