Another old gun story. Sorry, not a lever.

[jnyork]

This is a Savage Model 23d, .22 Hornet. From the factory letter, it was manufactured at the Utica plant and shipped on Feb 13, 1934 to Shapleigh Hardware Company of St. Louis Missouri. Sold at the time for about $20.00 or so.

I got the rifle at the Yuma Arizona gunshow about 5 years ago. While there, I chatted up an old fellow who had a table, he being a retired minister from South Gate, California. He said he got the gun from his neighbor, who was stockmaker at the Weatherby plant there, and had kept in unfired and in the closet for about 30 years. Now, gunshow BS is gunshow BS, but the story might even be true!! The gun did not come with the very nice checkering on the stock and the ivory diamond shaped inlays and grip cap, it was done aftermarket and the diamond inlays were, and still are, a Weatherby trademark. The rifle was in excellent condition, I just went ahead and gave him his $250.00 and went home. If the story aint true, it oughta be anyway!!

While in Yuma I met a snowbird lady who was an antique dealer from Seattle who claimed to know ivory and she said it looked real to her. That's all I know about that.

It came with a very nifty little Lyman receiver sight and gold bead front in the manner of 1930's varmint rifles but with my eyes being 65 years old (along with the rest of me ) I couldnt use them very well so I hung the 1960 era Weaver K-10 on it.

It has accounted for hundreds of prairie dogs and I really get a kick out of shooting it. I also have a CZ 527 .22 Hornet and the old Savage will shoot right along with it, it is no slouch for accuracy.

The photo shows the rifle in its natural habitat, somewhere in Wyoming in a large prairie dog town.

[Hobie]

NEAT! You're right, the story SHOULD be true. Cool beans if it is...

[Sixgun]

Neato! The story sounds like it could, and probably is real. At the time, ivory was a lot cheaper and more plentiful. You can test to see if it is ivory by heating up a needle red hot and touching a hidden spot on it. If it melts, its plastic. If it don't it could be ivory. Look with a magnifying glass and see if you see see any grain in it. ---------Sixgun Good to see your using it what it was meant for.

[2ndovc]

That's a classic. Those old Savage rifles are real tack drivers. knew a kid w/ one in .25-20 that could bag a woodchuck over a hundred yards away with open sights.

I have the same Weaver on my 60s vintage Sako .222 Rem. My Favorite varmint rifle.

[LeverBob]

Great post...Savage has been making first rate rifles for over 100 yrs. No doubt they'll be making them for another 100. Goodos!

LeverBob
Nice pic too

[Jaguarundi]

Nice Rifle !A friend of mine also has a Savage Model 23d, .22 Hornet.It shoots accuracy wise just like his high dollar Anchultz in 22 Hornet.

[jlchucker]

Too bad Savage still didn't make these. My dad won one in a raffle once, when we were kids. When Dad passed, my brother Bob the Buzzard grabbed it for his own before the grave was even filled in. Later, I bought a Marlin in 25-20, and found it to be a pleasant cartridge to load and shoot--whether with jacketed bullets or cast. A pound of powder goes a long way reloading these guns.