Savage 24 .223 over what gauge?

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Buck13

Buck13

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I'm thinking a Savage rifle/shotgun O/U would be a neat, utilitarian small-game gun. I'd probably choose a .223 upper barrel. A quick look on Gunbroker shows lower barrels available in 12 or 20 gauge. Any arguments for one gauge vs. the other?

I don't currently have any other shotguns (or rifles other than in .22LR and .357 Mag revolver cartridge).
 
12 gauge, because it is better to have it and not need it, than need (okay, want) it and not have it. If weight is an issue, .223 on top isn't the best idea.

Just my two cents, which at the current market isn't much.
 
The 12 gauge shell is the most popular, meaning excellent availability of shells wherever ammo is sold and a great variety of loadings on the market. It is more versatile than the 20 because it can launch more payload, yet can be loaded lightly to perform similarly to the 20.

The 20 has some upsides as well, smaller lighter shells and less recoil on the average. Either gauge works fine for most things; I'd prefer the 12 though. If you don't like the way the 12 kicks you can load it with light birdshot loads and reduced recoil buckshot and slugs.
 
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Are the frames the same thickness? I'd probably go 20. For a do-all gun the 12 would be more versatile but the 20 is no slouch either, and in a hunting gun such as an o/u I think you would be set 90% of the time with the 20.
 
Mauser lover said:
If weight is an issue, .223 on top isn't the best idea.
Click to expand...

My other choices would be .22 Hornet or .22 WMR. I haven't found detailed specs yet to show whether there is any real difference in weight for those guns. If they are significantly lighter, that would be worth considering.

(The WMR is a distant third choice due to worries about ammo availability vs. .223. The Hornet I would reload, so just need a little brass and some bullets; already have powder for that caliber in my revolver reloading bucket.)
 
I've got a Savage Model 24, in a .222/20 gauge and wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China. I've used it for quail and chucker out here in southern Nevada, as well as the occasional coyote, it is actually one of the most versatile guns in my collection. It generally goes with me when I go out on my quad for a hunt out here in the desert in the fall quail season.
 
.223 certainly has a built in advantage in availability, since it is the service rifle cartridge and also fantastically popular among civilian hobbyists. You can handload it down, reducing the velocity, if it is more than you need or want for some small game.
 
I prefer my .22LR/20ga 24's most of the time.

Even built a chamber adapter for one of them for 357 mag.

IMG_20151110_173054_193_zpsv7rbpnbt.jpg
 
Of course, if your mission profile for the gun is nearer to .22 Hornet and 20 gauge, it makes perfect sense to go that way instead of using light loads in .223 and 12. What the bigger cartridges give you is the option of more oomph if you need it.

So many weird guns department: For a while, the USAF had an aircrew survival gun, the M6, that was O/U .22 Hornet and .410 shotshell. I guess they figured that was the right setup for putting game in the pot. There have been commercial versions too. Not a lovely weapon:



640px-M6_Survival_Rifle.jpg
Photo credit: By Curiosandrelics - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9084439
 
I wanted a 24 just to have one and did have plans to use it as a dink around the farm gun or walking the woods pushing deer for dad. I really didn't care which shotgun barrel it had and wanted a rimfire. I ended up finding a nice 22 Mag/20 gauge and couldn't be happier, it's perfect I love the extra power the Mag possesses. Enough power for most small game and varmints out to the range I'm capable of with irons (can't mount a scope and shoot shotgun) and it's not like I'm gonna burn thru thousands of rounds so the extra cost of mags isn't a factor. The 3" 20 gauge is enough for most everything a 12 will do.
 
jmorris,

Please tell (and show) us more about your .357 mag adaptor. Is it rifles, how long is it? What sort of accuracy do you get?

Tell us everything!

Please (There is no sad puppy dog eyes emoticon or I would use it)

-kBob
 
I would go with 20ga. Mainly because it would mean a smaller and lighter barrel than the 12ga. May have a better look and feel when when matches with a smaller barrel like .223. With the right ammo a 20ga will be plenty of gun.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
 
One i had opened the action a few times on firing the 223. Needed a spring replacement, if i remember correctly?? Was a 20 Ga. on the bottom.
 
There are lots of good theoretical reasons to go 12 ga.

However as a practical matter 20 ga is the way to go. The 12 ga Savage 24s weigh a ton, far more than you're going to want to carry around.
 
Had a .223 over 20 long ago. Rifle barrel didn't shoot worth beans. However, it most depends on what you want to do with it. A 12 will have considerably more felt recoil but will be more versatile than a 20. 20's are supposedly all Modified except for the Camper C models that are Cylinder. That's no choke.
The 12's apparently came with assorted chokes including changeable. A lot depends on who you ask though.
Anyway, start here. http://www.savage24.com/
 
Do only the Camper models break down easily, or do all come apart similarly? That would be a big plus, at least in creating an excuse to get one. I "need" a long gun that can hide in a backpack!

Oh, wait. No I don't. But I want one.
 
I have a 22lr over .410. Its heavy for a walking gun. The only other thing I would want would maybe be a 22mag over a 20 gauge.
 
Have one 30-30 over 20ga.. It's a nice rifle and I never regretted buying it.
Gave it to my son for his first out deer hunt. :cool:
 
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