Savage 1907? 1917?

[justdino]

A friend handed me this .32 ACP Savage yesterday. Has a really nice blue to it, so I'd guess it was reblued at some time in its life. He said it belonged to his uncle who passed away 30+ years ago and has been collecting dust since.

Serial # is 219XXX which places it 1919 according to the one source I looked at. I disassembled and cleaned it. It really looks good. Gotta love that heavy trigger. Based on slide serrations, I think it's a 1907.

As soon as I can round up some .32, I'll head to the range and see if it still goes bang.

 

[dh1633pm]

Funny. I am watching one on a web site.

 

[dbmjr1]

Great pistols.

 

[Col. Harrumph]

So he handed it to you, and you didn't hand it back?

 

[tightgroup tiger]

That is a nice looking Savage. Hope it shoots as good as it looks.

 

[Coyote3855]

Had one, I think you are correct that it is a 1907.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Its either original or a great refinish, and if original, its the cleanest Ive ever seen!

Mine was a horrible jam-o-matic, but it could well have been due to the crappy Triple-K magazine it came with and I didn't want to spend $150 for a factory original.

 

[Jimbo80]

Given the story that may very well be an original finish. Only close inspection will tell. A whole lot of those guns sat unused in nightstands for many decades. That may easily have been the case with the uncle's '07. I have a '17 and will get a '07 someday and can only hope it's as nice as that one.

 

[justdino]

There's nothing to buy. It was a gift. He was our best man when we married and we're always doing things for each other.I swapped out his lawnmower blades, he handed me this.

I know it's been fired - the barrel was leaded and took some real scrubbing - but it looks crazy good. Gotta love that crazy disassembly at the rear of the slide. I have a line on some FMJ, which is the best chance it has to feed reliably, I figure. Tomorrow I'll stop in and see if the ammo's still there. Range day is Thursday for me.

Funny thing is I don't really want it, but that's how friendships work. Can't sell it under the friend rule, but I could give it to my son, who is named after him.

 

[bannockburn]

NIGHTLORD40K

Its either original or a great refinish, and if original, its the cleanest Ive ever seen!

That's kind of what I'm thinking too: fantastic if it's the original bluing but one mighty fine refinishing job if it isn't.

 

[jar]

Mine has been super reliable and accurate but I like to have a burly friend along in case I need to cock the striker.

 

[Monac]

That is a very late production Model 1907, justdino, and I think you are right about it having been refinished. I have owned two Savage 1917s and a 1915, and have seen quite a few others, in person and in color photos. The original finish was just not that black and glossy. Also, the barrel and triggers were not blued; triggers were cased hardened, and barrels were left in the white.

What makes this one a late production 1907 are the fine slide-pull serrations, and the style of the cocking piece, which is like the one on the Model 1917s. You can tell it is NOT a 1917 by the grip shape. The 1917's grip was very flared out at the bottom, and the hard rubber grip plates were held on with a screw, not just snapped into place. The Model 1907 in jar's post has the early cocking piece and slide-pull lugs, as well as the unblued barrel and trigger.

The Savages were very well made guns, and the double-stack magazine was a great idea, but the rotating barrel was really a pointless complication. I guess they did not know that back in 1907, though. The trigger mechanism was a bit delicate. They were said to fire more than one shot per pull of the trigger if they were badly worn or abused. People don't shoot them all that much any more, so I have not heard about that in a long time.

 

[justdino]

Thanks for the info, Monac. I’ll see how it goes Thursday morning.

 

[GooseGestapo]

My father in law had one. He lived in Southbridge, Mass just up the road from where they were made. He once toured the factory where they were made.
His shot well with factory ammo. However, it shot like a laser with my cast bullet reloads I assembled for my Beretta Tomcat. Lyman #311252 78gr RN over 2.0gr of Bullseye.
I’ve now got the next best thing. A Beretta 81. “12 shots quick”!
(Original Savage adds were “10 shots Quick!”.)

My brother in law absconded with it. Hasn’t shot it since! Didn’t know if it would even fire!

I’d add one to my collection if I ran across a clean one reasonable.


JAR, it’s not a striker, it’s an exposed hammer. To cock it, you retract the slide. The serrations on the hammer are intended for decocking. Not a perfect solution but indicative of the era in which it was made.

 

[Tallball]

What a nice gift!

They are supposed to be very nice pistols. Perhaps I'll own one eventually.

My 32acp pistols have been useful for three things so far:

They're fun to shoot.

They're a nice stepping stone between 22 and 9mm if you're teaching a new shooter.

When I was recovering from an injured hand, the 32's were the first centerfire handguns I could shoot comfortably and accurately.

 

[jar]

JAR, it’s not a striker, it’s an exposed hammer. To cock it, you retract the slide. The serrations on the hammer are intended for decocking. Not a perfect solution but indicative of the era in which it was made.

No hammer there. And it is a striker.





But that spring is not the average firing pin spring.

 

[Patocazador]

Mine's a 1907 and the "hammer" is like jar's photo. IMO yours is a reblue but looks very good. The double-stack mag in .32acp was advertised as being just right for ladies to carry. However, you would have to be one hell of a lady to be able to cock it or thumb back the spur at the back that looks like a hammer.

 

[Jimbo80]

Here's a pic of the 1917 for comparison.

 

[justdino]

I was lucky to score a box of that terrific 73 grain, $0.75 per round FMJ range ammo and added the Savage to my round today, at the end of my 1911 work.

Wow, what a trigger!

It went bang every time I tried at 5 yards. $11.25 of ammo later, this is what I had. I started low and worked my way up. I'll need a flashlight to see those sights.

 

[Monac]

I was lucky to score a box of that terrific 73 grain, $0.75 per round FMJ range ammo and added the Savage to my round today, at the end of my 1911 work.

Wow, what a trigger!

It went bang every time I tried at 5 yards. $11.25 of ammo later, this is what I had. I started low and worked my way up. I'll need a flashlight to see those sights.

View attachment 1075207

Yep. You have learned a lot about firearms design circa 1900, especially for smaller pistols. I think somehow the useful idea of "Aim small, miss small" got turned into "Tiny sights mean you shoot more precisely!"

Glad to hear it's in good mechanical condition!