Savage Foremost 30-30 Model 6400

[smithman 10]

I just picked up this nice old bolt gun, a Savage built 30-30 based on their 340 model. It's marked Foremost Model 6400 which I understand means it was sold way back by J.C. Penny.

Please excuse the lousy cell-phone photo. Just wondering if anyone else has such a rifle and what your experience with it has been. I haven't had a chance to fire it yet and may not for some time.

I find as I get older I like the old stuff more and more as opposed to the latest thing. I saw a Remington pump rifle in .30 Remington in the shop the other day, that one intrigued me also. I had to look it up to find out that the .30 Remington is basically a rimless 30-30! That was something new for me to learn.

Anyway, let me hear if you like your Savage 340 and if there is anything I need to know about these guns.

 

[denton]

They are an outstanding value. They were built to provide a $99 alternative to the $149 lever action 30-30s. Mine is about a 2 MOA device. I shoot 175 grain gas checked cast bullets at 1900 FPS most of the time. So I get mild recoil, good accuracy, and really cheap shooting. Switching to the Hornady rubber point bullet and LeverRevolution powder extends the useful range to about 250 yards.

They are a single lug bolt design, so you can't hot rod them as Ackley did.

The chamber on mine is tighter than SAAMI spec. It will chamber commercial ammo, or reloads made with new brass, but not reloads with range brass sized in a FL die. If you have the problem, PM me and I'll show you a cheap solution.

For my old eyes, a Williams peep sight made a big improvement in my shooting enjoyment.

 

[smithman 10]

I like aperture sights too, might look into putting one on it after I put a few rounds through it with the open sights.

 

[RPRNY]

I have a 340 B in 222 Remington. Even with a side mount scope it is very effective on Pdogs. I have shot the 340 in 30-30 several times and found them very accurate. 35 grs Leverevolution and a 150 gr Spitzer would be quite zippy. My guess is @ 2650 fps.

 

[Dr.Rob]

My uncle still hunts with a 340 with the finish worn to nothing. Neat rifles. Savage made quality inexpensive, not cheap rifles.

 

[tbob38]

I've had a Savage 340 for many years. Accuracy is fair at about 2". Rifle is very light and easy to carry. Magazine is a bit short.

 

[ECVMatt]

That's beautiful rifle! I would be all over that one. Congratulations!

 

[dieselchief]

I shoot two of them. one has a birch stock like yours, the other has walnut. side mount scopes on both. the objective and the front bell must be no bigger than 1.5 to fit. dieselchief

 

[Dog Soldier]

Way back in the days of a poor college student I wanted a varmint rifle. My want was a Mdl. 70 .220 Swift. My budget however was a 340 Savage .222 Remington. That little rifle and I spent many enjoyable days together. Somewhere along the way we went in different directions. I hope that old 340 is in the hands of some poor college kid.

 

[Scooter22]

Thats very nice! You'll like it. I have a Stevens 325 that started the line. Has a walnut stock with checkering similar to yours. You might want to check the "ear" of wood behind the bolt handle for a crack. Mine is missing and I've seen quite a few others like that.. As for reloading stay below max. It's only a one lug action but a bigger issue is the little spring steel extractor doesn't have much grab and will slip over the rim. I shoot the same cast bullet load in it I use in my lever action 30-30s. 150gr Lee cast from wheel weights at about 1800 fps. I get 1" groups at 50yds with the open sights. My early model isn't D&T,d for scope mount or receiver sight. I can hit clay pigeons on the 100yd back stop 8 of 10 times. Have fun!

 

[the Black Spot]

Stevens 325 here also.
A magazine labled "225 win" will also work in the 30-30

 

[smithman 10]

A buddy and I fired the gun Wednesday. We had to drift the rear sight a bunch to center it as the first group was about a foot to the left at 50 yards! Now it's centered with about a 2" group at 50 - best I can do anymore with open sights!

Looked around for an aperture sight but Williams sights for it were out of stock everywhere. Still, even with just the open sights it's a fine rifle. I'll try it at 100 yards as soon as I get a chance. Shooting Federal store-bought 150 grain soft points, what can I expect the drop to be at 100 yds?

 

[1187Shooter]

The 340 family of rifles are great little guns...
I've got an original 340 that has been mine for almost 35 years, and my dad had it for who knows how long before that. Grandpa bought it used, put a Williams peep on it and gave it to him on his 12th birthday, and I got it on mine. It took deer and pigs last weekend at the hands of my stepson, so it is still going strong! It's old enough to not have a serial number...
My current favorite load for it is a Hornady 130 grain SP over 34 grains of H4895. Sends it out at bout 2350-ish fps for a very mild recoiling, accurate deer round out to about 200 yards, maybe a little farther. The 130 SP fits the magazine like it was designed for it, and with H4895, the pressures stay well below max and still give you good velocity. No need to spend the extra money on LeverEvolution bullets or even their loaded ammo. For deer sized game and pigs, it is a deadly load.
I've never handled one with a scope, and mine is too old to even have the holes for the side mount. I'd imagine you'd get good results out to 250 plus with a scope and the right load.

 

[the Black Spot]

Forgot to mention mine has the "butter knife" bolt handle

 

[1187Shooter]

A buddy and I fired the gun Wednesday. We had to drift the rear sight a bunch to center it as the first group was about a foot to the left at 50 yards! Now it's centered with about a 2" group at 50 - best I can do anymore with open sights!

Might give the front sight a good look... when I pulled my rifle out of the case last season I discovered the dovetailed blade had loosened in the base and was sliding back and forth, not loose enough to fall out completely but enough to throw everything way off... any easy fix but a pain in the butt until you find it!

 

[smithman 10]

Front sight is fastened on with two screws on my rifle, no dovetail.

 

[entropy]

Hope you paid less than the LGS here wants for the 3 he has in his rack, (2 Savage, 1 Foremost). $299 for the Foremost, $399 for the Savages! They are good guns, though I have replaced many of the trigger guards over the years. They tend to crack in the middle by the magazine.

 

[smithman 10]

It was on consignment at a LGS for $300. They called the owner and he came down to $250.

 

[1187Shooter]

Not a bad price for a great little rifle that does what it was built for very well.
My front sight is a single screw ramp with a dovetail blade covering the screw hole. Not sure it this is a stock part or if it was put on when the aperture sight was installed.

 

[entropy]

It was on consignment at a LGS for $300. They called the owner and he came down to $250.

You did good. That one is in much better shape than I usually see them in.

 

[loose noose]

First deer rifle I owned in Southern California was a Savage bolt action 30-30 back in 1969, just got out of the Marine Corps and that was I all I could afford. Shot a small fork horn with it up in Devore, California with it that same year. I don't believe you can even hunt that area today. Those were the days though, not all those stupid ineffective gun laws. Unfortunately I sold it to a co-worker, about a year later. I put less than a box thru it, right after I bought it, about 5 or 6 rounds thru it getting it sighted in, and 1 round thru my deer. Nice little rifle.

 

[natman]

Hope you paid less than the LGS here wants for the 3 he has in his rack, (2 Savage, 1 Foremost). $299 for the Foremost, $399 for the Savages!

Let's see, $399 for a 60 year old well used Savage 340 30-30 bolt or a brand new Ruger American in 308 with full warranty. Not a hard choice IMO.

I had a couple of 340s (one was a Canadian model marked CIL) when I was starting out, but they left as soon as I could afford something better.

 

[dieselchief]

natman, you are correct from a financial perspective, however most gun purchases have little regard to that. nostalgia, prior ownership, long overdue wish list, etc. in my case one was my dads ($67.50) new, the other one I wanted 40 years ago. bob

 

[SARuger]

I love my 340! I load some 130g SP's and get sub MOA at 100, 3" at 250 on a sled. One damn accurate 30-30! Williams FP-TK rear and a taller Lyman front.

 

[smithman 10]

Yes. I'm with diselchief. I could buy a Ruger American but I'm just not interested. I've already got a nice 30-06 scoped hunting rifle so that need is already filled.

It will be a lot of fun working with my J.C. Penney Foremost 6400, IMHO. I ordered a Williams aperture sight and am now toying around with possibly scoping it as well (got an Amazon gift card from my son!) Anyone have recommendations about the best scope mount for these rifles?