This nice little Savage model 29 pump 22 called my name today🤣 and I just had to bring it home with me! I really liked the wood on both the stock and fore grip, I personally think they were very well done and it has the octagon barrel! I know these early Savage’s can be tricky to nail down a manufacture date but if anyone knows an approximate date I would greatly appreciate any information on it? I believe it’s a pre WWII since it’s a model 29 not a 29A or 29B and has the checkered wood, please correct me if I’m wrong. It has matching serial numbers on the receiver and on the inside of the trigger group, plus the gentleman who sold it too me pulled the butt plate off and the same serial is stamped in the wood on the stock also. I had no idea that they did this so I learned a great piece of information today. Here’s a couple pictures, I will try to get a few nicer ones tomorrow with better light. The lighting I have now just doesn’t do it justice in my opinion.
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Lumberjack
Joined
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86 Posts
It's a Model 29, the large screw head showing above the trigger guard on the right side is the major detail to identify it. My guess with that serial number it would be after 1933. Cody has records for these for serial numbers 1000-113380 and from other sources this is supposed to be up to 1933. Ignore the first 1 in the number, the numbers were jumped by 100,000 when a design change was made, so the production is not what the numbers would suggest. These started at 1000. All should originally had octagon barrels.
The L was added after the number when three different serial number sequences were combined using the highest number of the three as a starting point - L for Savage 29's, M for Stevens 75's and K for house brands, so again, the serial numbers do not reflect the production numbers even if you subtract the 100,000.
Yours has the early style checkering with three-point on the wrist and the bottom of the forearm checkered. The checkering on the bottom of the forearm was dropped before they went to two-point on the wrist.
Some of my checkered 29's & 29-A's -
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Checkering was standard until at least 1949, these were not cataloged for a couple years starting in 1947 when Savage was moving production from Utica to Chicopee Falls. The Chicopee Falls guns are not serial numbered.
The L was added after the number when three different serial number sequences were combined using the highest number of the three as a starting point - L for Savage 29's, M for Stevens 75's and K for house brands, so again, the serial numbers do not reflect the production numbers even if you subtract the 100,000.
Yours has the early style checkering with three-point on the wrist and the bottom of the forearm checkered. The checkering on the bottom of the forearm was dropped before they went to two-point on the wrist.
Some of my checkered 29's & 29-A's -
Checkering was standard until at least 1949, these were not cataloged for a couple years starting in 1947 when Savage was moving production from Utica to Chicopee Falls. The Chicopee Falls guns are not serial numbered.
Joined
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86 Posts
I would not use Hi-Speed in any Savage pump, the early ones were not designed strong enough for it. Some might work OK but you cannot count on the metal of all being the same strength.
The Model 29's seem to be the worst, I've seen a number of these with distorted locking surfaces in the receiver and a few with the locking lugs snapped off the bolt. The Model 29 was a poor design when it came to the way they lockup.
The 29-A & 29-B internally are completely different than the Model 29 and were designed for Hi-Speed, but you will find an occasional one with distorted locking surfaces, this is possibly due to differences in the metal since the receivers appear to be made by casting, or there might be differences in the heat treating leaving some softer, if they did heat treat them. It might also be from using newer hyper velocity loads, many guns might handle it, but that doesn't mean they all will. One gun I have with damage I got quite a few years ago before these hot loads started coming out.
Here's what Savage Arms thought about it, if you returned a gun for repair around 1931 or later after Hi-Speed became available, you might get it back with this stamped on its side or barrel -
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The Stevens Model 75 had the upper receiver replaced; the locking surface was probably damaged.
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I am still looking for a Model 1909 with that stamp to complete my collection of repaired Savage pumps with that stamp. The very late Savage Model 1904 single shots and the last Stevens Visible Loaders made 1931 & later were shipped stamped with "REGULAR CARTRIDGES". When Hi-Speed first came out they did not yet use the term 'STANDARD VELOCITY'
I have another Model 1903 with that stamp that had the barrel replaced with a round one and refinished - not original, but all factory work. This is an early gun that would have had a high luster blue, but it has the duller finish that was used post WWI. The round barrel has a generic Savage Arms barrel stamp that I've seen on later guns and on a couple that have what looks like replacement barrels.
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The Model 29's seem to be the worst, I've seen a number of these with distorted locking surfaces in the receiver and a few with the locking lugs snapped off the bolt. The Model 29 was a poor design when it came to the way they lockup.
The 29-A & 29-B internally are completely different than the Model 29 and were designed for Hi-Speed, but you will find an occasional one with distorted locking surfaces, this is possibly due to differences in the metal since the receivers appear to be made by casting, or there might be differences in the heat treating leaving some softer, if they did heat treat them. It might also be from using newer hyper velocity loads, many guns might handle it, but that doesn't mean they all will. One gun I have with damage I got quite a few years ago before these hot loads started coming out.
Here's what Savage Arms thought about it, if you returned a gun for repair around 1931 or later after Hi-Speed became available, you might get it back with this stamped on its side or barrel -
The Stevens Model 75 had the upper receiver replaced; the locking surface was probably damaged.
I am still looking for a Model 1909 with that stamp to complete my collection of repaired Savage pumps with that stamp. The very late Savage Model 1904 single shots and the last Stevens Visible Loaders made 1931 & later were shipped stamped with "REGULAR CARTRIDGES". When Hi-Speed first came out they did not yet use the term 'STANDARD VELOCITY'
I have another Model 1903 with that stamp that had the barrel replaced with a round one and refinished - not original, but all factory work. This is an early gun that would have had a high luster blue, but it has the duller finish that was used post WWI. The round barrel has a generic Savage Arms barrel stamp that I've seen on later guns and on a couple that have what looks like replacement barrels.
Joined
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86 Posts
I cannot recommend any books, I got interested in the Savage & Stevens 22, mainly the pump actions, when I found there wasn't any good information on them. I've tried to accumulate books and magazine with articles on them and found few with good information, and many with totally wrong information. Over the years I put together an extensive collection of Savage & Stevens catalogs and they have become one of my main sources of information, the other is a very large collection of the guns, I've tried to get examples of every variation I can find. I try to look at as many guns as I can and record information on them, I constantly check auctions and other sites looking for them. I also found a person who was keeping serial number date on the early Savage pumps and another who had kept track of Model 29 serial numbers starting way before I started collecting them, they both have been a great help with 100's of serial numbers logged.
I also was lucky enough to get some information from the Savage Historian a few years ago on the Model 29's, that's how I found out about the serial numbers jumping by 100,000, the combination of three serial number sequences into one and some other very useful information, none of which I'd ever seen in print.
There is a recent book out on Slide Action Rifles that has a large section on Savage & Stevens, but it has some serious errors. I am in contact with the author, and it seems like he is looking at the information I've shared with him and is in agreement with most, or all, and will be editing the book. It looks like he referenced some of the old, flawed information that's been out there for a long time.
I try to only post accurate information, but question it if something looks wrong, I cannot guarantee the sources I use are without error or that all my interpretations of good information is correct.
I also was lucky enough to get some information from the Savage Historian a few years ago on the Model 29's, that's how I found out about the serial numbers jumping by 100,000, the combination of three serial number sequences into one and some other very useful information, none of which I'd ever seen in print.
There is a recent book out on Slide Action Rifles that has a large section on Savage & Stevens, but it has some serious errors. I am in contact with the author, and it seems like he is looking at the information I've shared with him and is in agreement with most, or all, and will be editing the book. It looks like he referenced some of the old, flawed information that's been out there for a long time.
I try to only post accurate information, but question it if something looks wrong, I cannot guarantee the sources I use are without error or that all my interpretations of good information is correct.
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