More Confusion Surrounding Savage 340

[WoodchuckAssassin]

I finally took the weaver side-mounted scope off my 340 30-30, and the receiver said that it was a 340C (“C” for Compact). The only problem with that is that the 340C only came with an 18 ½ inch barrel, and my barrel is 20 inches long. What’s even more confusing is that the 340C was only made between 1962-1965 (before the act in 1968 saying that all guns needed serial numbers) BUT my 340C DOES have a serial number, meaning its manufacture date had to have been AFTER 1968. WHAT’S GOING ON! Also, the butt plate on the 340C should have a white line spacer, and mine does not.

My theory is that at some point in my rifles history, someone used the stock and barrel from a 340, and put a 340C receiver on it. Since both the 340 and 340C came in 30-30, it makes sense that it would work. Am I losing my mind, or am I close to solving this riddle?

All the info I’ve found on this Savage came from “The Gun Digest Book of Modern Gun Values, 15th Edition,” so I consider this a reputable source. Thanks for any help TheHighRoad can provide.

 

[jmr40]

Even though SN's were not required prior to '68, very few did not have them. I don't know enough about the 340 to help with the rest of your questions. But it may well have been made before 1968.

Lots of guns came with white line spacers. I think they are UUUUgly and remove all of them. Others feel the same so I'm not surprised by that.

My gut feeling is that the gun is probably factory original except for the white spacer. Non-cataloged guns are not unusual. It is also not unusual for the factory to put a few guns together from various parts laying around with no special designation.

 

[WoodchuckAssassin]

I can understand that a company would grab a barrel from here, a receiver from there, and toss’em in a stock, but would they really not take the time to put a FULL length barrel on a COMPACT rifle? I know that the Savage 340 was an economy rifle, but it seems like they would have still made it to spec.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

A 340C with a full length barrel could be a mystery.

But presence of a serial does not make necessarily make it post-68. Most of the pre-1968 guns I have seen without serial numbers were low-end .22 rimfires and 12 ga single-shot shotguns, the "farmer's barn gun" types treated as tools like axes, shovels, and hoes.

I suspect the majority of centerfire rifles like 340 had serial numbers simply from the viewpoint of factory proofing and tracking quality control.

Lack of a factory serial will mark a gun as pre-1968, but presence of a factory serial number does not date a gun, unless it is known to be one of the makes and models that did not have serial numbers pre-1968.

But on topic: I think you are right to expect a 340 C to have a carbine length barrel

Digging around, the Savage 340 was the basis of a family of guns for Savage and its subdivisions Stevens Arms and Springfield. (Savage Models 340, B, C, D and V; Savage 340 Series E; Stevens 325, B, C and D and Springfield 840, and I have probably missed a few; my reference collection is modest).

R.L. Wilson "Price Guide to Gun Collecting" lists
Savage 340 rifle
Savage 340 C carbine
so if it is marked 340 C it is reasonable that you would expect a carbine length barrel.

Numrich Arms/Gun Parts Corp. (who have taken over spare parts for discontinued models) list only the .30-30 22" barrel as available as a replacement part.

This implies the carbine length barrel was a limited production item, and if a 340C barrel was replaced, it is likely the only barrel available for replacement would be the rifle barrel, 22" in 30-30.

On the other hand, if there were 340 C marked receivers left over at the end of a carbine production run, Savage might have been used up at the start of a production run of rifles. That was a common practice, to use up left over parts on similar models. (Mauser commonly mixed and matched parts when restarting production runs of the C96 and it drives collectors nuts.)

Look at it this way, you have a mystery gun, with a character of its own.

 

[stubbicatt]

Dang! You go Carl N. Brown. Above and beyond!

 

[lefteyedom]

Don't you hate it when people weld on a few extra inches to your gun barrel when you aren't looking'

 

[WoodchuckAssassin]

There’s also the possibility that as my gun ages, it’s growing and getting taller…but doesn’t it usually work the other way around? Haha! And I also agree with what lefteyedom said. I’m going to have to beef up my security so that jerk who snuck in and added an 1 ½ to my rifle doesn’t get ahold of my 10/22 and turn it into a bull barrel. That would be…awful

Thank Mr. Brown for all the information. Your reference materials might be modest, but they overshadow mine considerably. I’m glad that there’s a little mystery to my rifle. It was already an odd-ball (being a single lug, krag-style 30-30 BOLT action), so why not throw in a few more twists and turns?

It was interesting that the only replacement 30-30 barrel was 22 inches. When I measured the barrel on mine, I went from the muzzle to where the barrel MET the receiver. Am I measuring it correctly?

 

[tulsamal]

Measure it from the face of the closed bolt. Close the bolt, drop in a cleaning rod, measure how far in it goes.

Gregg

 

[natman]

I finally took the weaver side-mounted scope off my 340 30-30, and the receiver said that it was a 340C (“C” for Compact). The only problem with that is that the 340C only came with an 18 ½ inch barrel, and my barrel is 20 inches long. What’s even more confusing is that the 340C was only made between 1962-1965 (before the act in 1968 saying that all guns needed serial numbers) BUT my 340C DOES have a serial number, meaning its manufacture date had to have been AFTER 1968. WHAT’S GOING ON! Also, the butt plate on the 340C should have a white line spacer, and mine does not.

You've made a couple of questionable assumptions and jumped to some shaky conclusions. If Gun Digest says that Savage 340Cs came with 18.5" barrels, that means that Savage's marketing department told Gun Digest that they planned to make 340Cs with 18.5" barrels that year. It doesn't mean that they ONLY made them with 18.5" barrels for the entire life of the gun. The Book of Gun Values is a good reference, but it's not gospel.

Similarly, while serial numbers weren't required before 1968 millions of guns came with them nevertheless. Most centerfire rifles had them, although it was fairly common for 22s and inexpensive shotguns to come without. So if you have a gun sold in the US that doesn't have a serial number it's a pretty good indication that is was made before 1968. The reverse isn't necessarily true.

I suspect that your 340 was made in the early 60s and came from the factory with the barrel it has on it now. Other scenarios are possible, but not likely.

 

[WoodchuckAssassin]

After taking tulsamal’s advice on how to get the ACTUAL length of my barrel, I found it to be 22 inches long…not the 20 I originally thought. This makes what Carl Brown said (“This implies the carbine length barrel was a limited production item, and if a 340C barrel was replaced, it is likely the only barrel available for replacement would be the rifle barrel, 22" in 30-30”) make complete sense.

Thanks for all the help! I got a chance to shoot it with my dad this weekend, and man oh man was it fun!

 

[airedaleman]

Found Frank DeHaas's assessment of the 340 (from his book). Too late (2330 hrs my time) to get into it now, but more will come when I can keep my eyes open long enough to extract and post some of his comments and wisdom...

 

[lefteyedom]

Hand loaders have been loading 30-30 with spritzer bullets for over 100 years.

The Hornady Leverevolution 160 grain at 2400fps is pushing the 30-30 to nearly 300 savage performance.

If your rifle shoots them well, your 340 would be 300 plus yard deer rifle.