Met a new friend with a similar oddball rifle

Appalachiannative

Appalachiannative

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Joined
Dec 2, 2021
Messages
1,293
Location
The Beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains NC
So at my last N-SSA shoot. The first of the year for my region, I got some time to talk to the newest member of our team and it turns out he has a Savage model 340! This only cool to me because of Cathy, my Stevens model 325A which is one of the earlier versions of the same family of rifles. I've spoken about her in previous posts where I incorrectly dated her from 1951 but upon further research I realized my error more recently. Both are .30- 30 Winchester bolt actions with 3 round box magazines. The original Stevens 325 first appeared in 1947. Mine being the 325A it reflects the first design change so In guessing it was probably made in more like 48 since they had time to make a B and C model variant before they changed the name to Savage 340 in 1950. My gun has the "butter knife" style bolt handle and my new friends has the same which is funny because from what I've read one of the changes made with the name and model change was supposed to be the switch to a more common ball type bolt handle. First thought most would have is that someone swapped bolts but they are not interchangeable so my new friends rifle must surely be an early example with some transitional overlap. These were budget guns in their day but they're cool to me and now I've met someone in person who feels the same way!
 
My dad had a Savage 340 and a 94, both 30-30. After he died, I kept the 94, and gave the 340 to his youngest brother (who has 3 sons and a squad of grandkids) to keep it in the family.
 
I have two 340s. One, in 222Rem, is a D model as I recall. It has the side saddle scope mount, as all the 222 chambered rifles came drilled and tapped from the factory. But the other is one my favorite rifles. It’s mid-century magnificent, the affordable bolt gun that shot that old reliable, the 30-30. 1947, first year of production, no suffix. Pretty nice wood and honestly, the trigger is fine for a 30-30 deer rifle. It was effective on hogs the one time used. And it goes out as the trail rifle sometimes up in the Rockies.

IMG_1893.jpeg
 
I also have a Stevens 325 with the butterknife bolt handle. Mine is a .30-30. I used a borrowed one of these when I was 14 for my first deer hunt. When I came across one a few years ago it brought back memories and and it followed me home.
 
My first deer rifle was a 30-30 Savge 3 something or other. It's been so long ago I have forgotten exactly what the other 2 numbers were. It was a dinner plate sized group shooter at 100 yards and I pinched my pennies and bought another rifle the next year.
 
We had a savage 340 in the family in 30/ 30 wcf.
The steel magazine said 30/30 and .225 win. Only stamped on it
 
A friend of my son had Savage 340 in .30-30. We went to the range, mounted a scope on it in a side mount, and zeroed it at 100 yds.
We got groups under one and a half inch, from the bench off sandbags. I had always looked down on 340s as the "Western Auto Store" deer rifle.
I was impressed.
 
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