The Savage rifle and what they brought to the Golden age of classic firearms. That was the time from World War II until the mid-1960s, and the primary focus is the 1950s. This was the time in my opinion that the finest sporting firearms ever made would be produced, (IMHO).
Savage by this time had gained a good market with its high-powered rifles. This would include the Savage 99 lever action model and by the late 1950s the bolt action Savage 110 model was made available. In 1950 they introduced the model 340 bolt action rifle and the over/under model 24. The Savage rifle would become very popular in the 1950s.
I will speak more about the individual firearms in separate articles on them and will give much more detailed information on the particular gun in those articles.
The Savage firearms Company originally started in 1895 and were associated with the Marlin Gun Company. By 1899 they had opened their own gun manufacturing facility and started production of the 1899 lever action high-powered Savage rifle.
SAVAGE RIFLE
Of course, the most famous cartridge from the Savage line was the 300 Savage cartridge and is still very popular even to this day. The Savage 250-3000 cartridge would also become very popular and quit collectable today.
In the 1950s the Savage firearms company, like most of the gun companies from that time were producing firearms that were of high quality. The men that made them were very much considered craftsman. And although these lever action rifles were made on an assembly line like Winchester or Remington rifles. A lot of hands-on and attention to detail was associated with these firearms.
The Savage rifle also by the mid to late 60s started to cut back on its quality and detail in the guns that they produced. They did not have the quality and the overall appearance that they were making in the 1950s. By the late 1960s the savage 99 would begin to decline and would stop production for good by the late 1990s. 100 years of production. For those who loved the Savage 99 it was a big disappointment. But its collector value would benefit from it.
Savage did make shotguns and 22 rifles in the 1950’s and 60’s and I do not consider them to be classic firearms. They were made to be an inexpensive alternative to the Winchester line of 22 rifles and shotguns. Yes, they were cheaper to buy and they did work well but the styling was just not there. They are still great guns to have and I will give more attention to those particular firearms in other articles.
The only gun at this point that I consider a true classic firearm in the Savage Rifle line of the 1950s would be the Savage 99.
It has both history and style. It is one of my all-time favorite rifles. I will talk more of the gun in individual articles about it.
The Savage model 110 is a very good gun and was always noted for its shooting ability. Very accurate and reasonably priced but I again do not consider it a true classic of the Golden age of firearms. Some of you may disagree and that’s okay. Will get into more details about why I do not consider it a classic in other articles about the Savage 110.
We will not talk a whole lot about shotguns in these early articles, because they would be in a whole other area that we will eventually do in Firearmsthinker.com. Savage also made handguns and we will talk about that in more detail in later articles. I believe the Savage line of guns especially in the early part the 1900s, would become quit famous because of its name, “Savage”.
Can remember in the gun shops I worked in over the years and we would purchase several collections of the Savage 99 rifles. Some were quite old and some were of the more modern variations. But to me seeing 15 or 20 Savage 99’s all together at one time was to me a very special site. They are one of the nicest looking guns ever produced in my opinion.
The Savage rifle in the Savage 99 model just had a very distinct look and I always thought that it was a much better looking firearm than the Winchester levers (IMHO). (That would start a fight in some places). Bet I will get some responses about that statement.
This is one of those guns that I believe are under the radar for gun value. These guns are still out there in good numbers and would be a great firearm to start collecting. The early Savage rifle in the model 1899 or the 99 made before WWII are getting hard to find in great condition.
But good guns from the 1950s and 60s can still be found and still at reasonable prices. We will discuss what the collector should look at when considering the 99 Savage firearms for your collection in other articles.
