Rare Savage 1907 in .380 with a big twist

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  • mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    -For quite some time I have wanted a nice, early Savage 1907 in .380 to go with my 1917 and 1915 Savage .380s. Found a fantastic example right in my back yard at a local auction. And it has an amazing twist that got mawkie to do something he hates to do: chase the bid. Had to battle it out with another collector, going about $100 over my self-imposed limit, but took it home with me in the end. To be honest I have no idea what the value of this example is. A typical example would probably fetch around $750. But I was willing to pay more as someone who loves firearms and their place in history.
    -This is a Savage 1907 issue 1907-13, Modification No 4 in .380 or 9mm short. Normally pistols in this configuration would have a rounded burr hammer. But starting in 1914 Savage offered spur hammers as a no-cost option as found on this one. Very uncommon. Finish is a wonderful high polish charcoal blue. After the war the std factory finish was changed to a matte blue-black.
    -SN would have it near the end of the production run in 1915. No other commercial pistols were built until after the Great War as Savage tooled up for lucrative military contracts.
    -Savage 1907 .380s are very uncommon. Savage built 209,801 examples in .32 acp but only 9,849 in .380. Less than 5% of total production. What got me to open my wallet even wider is what's engraved on the grip strap: "S.O. CO N.J. No 14". A trip to page 148 of Bailey Brower's awesome reference book, Savage Pistols, found the answer in the chapter marked "Military, Prototype, and Other Rare Savage Pistols". This pistol was owned by Standard Oil of New Jersey. I contacted and spoke to Mr Brower and found that he owns a similar example and knows of just one more. I've sent off a letter to the historical section of Savage Arms, hoping to get additional information from factory archives.
    -How many more survived, who knows. The highest property number I've seen is the one in Mr Brower's book: 43. And that pistol is a later 1917 model bought in 1921. But we cannot assume that all pistols used by the Standard Oil security staff are Savages. So who knows how many were procured? Factory records might tell the tale.
     

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    Last edited:

    iH8DemLibz

    When All Else Fails.
    Apr 1, 2013
    25,396
    Libtardistan
    I'm offended by the screaming and scary looking Indian Chief on the grip.

    Can we please get a trigger warning next time?

    Beautiful pistol.
     

    tallen702

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 3, 2012
    5,102
    In the boonies of MoCo
    In my short time on these boards, I've been nothing but astounded by the stuff you find out there. She's gorgeous and to have that kind of provenance... Nice find man. Your posts always make me jealous.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    I'm offended by the screaming and scary looking Indian Chief on the grip.

    Can we please get a trigger warning next time?

    Beautiful pistol.

    Remarkably politically incorrect. Perhaps a wailing baby logo would be more appropriate for certain aggrieved groups. :rolleyes:
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,711
    Well, that's simply stunning :)

    The condition of this one is extremely nice!
    add in all the other factors and I'm guessing it's a keeper...
     

    Machodoc

    Old Guy
    Jun 27, 2012
    5,745
    Just South of Chuck County
    "Overpaid" by only $100? Nah. You didn't. Don't even care what the final hammer price was. At worst, you bought it a couple of months early.

    Another great addition to Mawkie's Magnificent Museum.
     

    MilsurpDan

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 1, 2012
    2,217
    Frederick County
    Awesome pistol. I saw a few Savage auto's at the last Gettysburg show but didn't look at them too close. I'll have to start looking for one now. My family has used Savage rifles/shotguns to hunt with for over the past 100 years.

    I got kinda pissed when they changed their logo from the Native American to that stupid stylized "S" though. That's part of the reason why I haven't bought a new one yet.
     

    mawkie

    C&R Whisperer
    Sep 28, 2007
    4,337
    Catonsville
    Awesome pistol. I saw a few Savage auto's at the last Gettysburg show but didn't look at them too close. I'll have to start looking for one now. My family has used Savage rifles/shotguns to hunt with for over the past 100 years.

    I got kinda pissed when they changed their logo from the Native American to that stupid stylized "S" though. That's part of the reason why I haven't bought a new one yet.

    Go up on Ebay, someone has a new copy of Bailey Brower's Savage Pistol reference book for only $45 with free shipping. It's a fantastic read and covers the early Savage autos in detail. Worth every penny and will guide you on your purchase as there are more slight variations than you'd realize.
     

    Melnic

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 27, 2012
    15,281
    HoCo
    Ok, I'm not saying Mawkie is the only one around here who only finds really nice stuff but i'm going to coin the phrase "Mawkie Condition".
    "you have a fine looking firearm there, its in Mawkie Condition".
    "Its not in Mawkie Condition, but it still looks nice".

    I have passed on a few in 32 cause there was something better next to them but that one looks like it is still at the range of "Mawkie Condition".
     

    tkd4life

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 10, 2010
    1,737
    Southern Maryland
    It's stuff like this is why I love firearms. Beautiful gun and awesome story to go behind it. There is a lot of history in this kind of stuff. Thanks for posting.
     

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