Hi all, I am hoping to get some insight into what I have here (or what I don't have, if that's the case).
In a multi item purchase, the almost "freebie" in the deal was this quite tired old 1942 Savage No4 MKI. The bore was so dark, it sucked all the lumens out of my bore light. At first, getting a patch down her was a chore, but several one hour sessions with various potions that reeked and foamed, and copper wool wrapped around an old bore brush, etc... The bore looks "better", but the amazing thing is it shoots okay with her battle peep and 150 gr S&B SPs.
Now here is where it gets unusual; this one is marked on the buttstock "S51" and has cheek piece screw holes in her comb, but the cheek piece is gone (Bubba don't need no cheek piece?), and on the left side of the receiver as S No4 MKI , (over) -1942-. It has No32 type scope pads screwed to the left receiver wall and no stampings on the wrist, no "T" or "R" visible, just the S/N, which is "13C68XX", both on the wrist and stamped on the back of the bolt handle, visible from the rear. The word "ENGLAND" is stamped into the front receiver ring.
When I got it, Bubba had already been kind enough to have removed the rear sight and installed a "no gunsmithing, no zero-holding" scope mount with a Redfield 6-18 target scope on her!
So after cleaning, and reading, and cleaning some more, I purchased a milled rear sight (marked "F" with a Broad Arrow next to it, in the white and with a battle peep), a magazine marked "SMC" on the follower, a front sling swivel, ejector screw and a replacement trap door for the butt (original was broken). None of the replacement parts cost me an arm or a leg, so I'm not going to cry over those small expenditures, they were needed to give it some semblance of completeness.
When I did shoot her, we only had about 75 yards, and I had a 25yd pistol target, but between two shooters, she grouped center in the black with the battle peep.
So, my question is, after reading about the earlier in the war Savage efforts, could this be a rifle selected for sniper conversion, but never had a scope mated to her beyond fitting the mounting pads? Or mis-matched surplus junk, good as a curio and occasional range blaster? I guess an idea of value in present condition would be appreciated as well.
In a multi item purchase, the almost "freebie" in the deal was this quite tired old 1942 Savage No4 MKI. The bore was so dark, it sucked all the lumens out of my bore light. At first, getting a patch down her was a chore, but several one hour sessions with various potions that reeked and foamed, and copper wool wrapped around an old bore brush, etc... The bore looks "better", but the amazing thing is it shoots okay with her battle peep and 150 gr S&B SPs.
Now here is where it gets unusual; this one is marked on the buttstock "S51" and has cheek piece screw holes in her comb, but the cheek piece is gone (Bubba don't need no cheek piece?), and on the left side of the receiver as S No4 MKI , (over) -1942-. It has No32 type scope pads screwed to the left receiver wall and no stampings on the wrist, no "T" or "R" visible, just the S/N, which is "13C68XX", both on the wrist and stamped on the back of the bolt handle, visible from the rear. The word "ENGLAND" is stamped into the front receiver ring.
When I got it, Bubba had already been kind enough to have removed the rear sight and installed a "no gunsmithing, no zero-holding" scope mount with a Redfield 6-18 target scope on her!
So after cleaning, and reading, and cleaning some more, I purchased a milled rear sight (marked "F" with a Broad Arrow next to it, in the white and with a battle peep), a magazine marked "SMC" on the follower, a front sling swivel, ejector screw and a replacement trap door for the butt (original was broken). None of the replacement parts cost me an arm or a leg, so I'm not going to cry over those small expenditures, they were needed to give it some semblance of completeness.
When I did shoot her, we only had about 75 yards, and I had a 25yd pistol target, but between two shooters, she grouped center in the black with the battle peep.
So, my question is, after reading about the earlier in the war Savage efforts, could this be a rifle selected for sniper conversion, but never had a scope mated to her beyond fitting the mounting pads? Or mis-matched surplus junk, good as a curio and occasional range blaster? I guess an idea of value in present condition would be appreciated as well.
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