Episode 33: The Savage 24
The author’s Savage 24 in .22lr over .410, showing much of its original condition.
I do not always understand why I am drawn to a specific gun. A gun that I see and say to myself, boy I need one of THOSE in my collection. Today's gun is different though, not so much for what it IS, but for what it represents. It was on a rack in a collection of 100 or more guns, but when I saw it, I knew it was coming home with me. The stock was clean and looked to be original and not mucked with. The action had most of its case color remaining, something that is impressive on an older workhorse-type gun. Plus who doesn't want to have a neat little combination gun in their collection?
To me, the Savage 24 represents youth and the carefree existence that places a child in the woods, free to roam as they see fit. It harkens to an older time when this child's feral existence was the norm rather than the exception. Going out the backdoor of a white farmhouse with a few .22LR rounds and a few .410 shells in his coat pockets, looking for a rabbit or maybe a partridge for the table. The gun is kept in the corner of the mudroom, alongside boots and coats, a scruffy dog waits outside the door, tail wagging, waiting to accompany the boy as they head out into the big wide world.
Perhaps that is an overly romantic version of ‘back in the day’ that exists only in the recesses of my mind, but the gun certainly exists and the concept behind the design is sound. The Savage 24 is a combination gun, meaning that it is equal parts shotgun and rifle. The idea of a combination gun predates the Savage 24 and its earlier twin the Stevens 22-410. A number of makers saw the value in providing the enterprising outdoorsman with options. As such, you will see combination guns in many forms; rifle and shotgun barrels stacked, side by side, and the ubiquitous drilling guns, many of German origin. Most drillings would have side by side shotgun barrels, typically with a rifle barrel centered underneath. Other three barrel guns sported three different chamberings- usually a small game rifle cartridge, a large game chambering, and a shotgun.
Other options included Vierling guns which had 4 barrels- typically two rifle barrels set in the valleys between the shotgun barrels. European ‘cape guns’ were the side by side version of the combination gun with a rifled barrel alongside a shotgun. Not to go getting too far distracted by the possibilities, I have in my life seen three and 4 barrel shotguns as well- one of the most unique of which was the 4 barrel hammer gun, and there was of course the 3 barrel side by side by side Boss shotgun.
The idea behind a combination gun was simple. You have options to choose from when pursuing fare for the table. If your walk in the woods provides you a sitting shot at a rabbit, you can select the small-bore rifle barrel. If a pheasant flushes, a simple flip of the side selector allows you to capitalize on the opportunity with the shotgun barrel. The other multiple barrel guns allowed for this to extend into larger game. Many drillings and cape guns came with medium to large game cartridges in the 8 and 9mm ranges- think guns that could kill deer, boar and stag. These guns were truly the tools of gamekeepers whos task it was to manage the land; versatile and easily adapted to whatever situation might arise
The concept was, and still is a sound one, and these combination guns have found favor around the world. Here in the states, the .22 over .410 combination was particularly useful for certain activities like trapping for example. Trappers are concerned with dispatching game in the cleanest way possible, usually a .22 round to the head of the trapped critter. That being said, if you are walking around the woods as much as any successful trapper, there was bound to be chances at other game, and so the .410 shotgun barrel was a nice plus to fatten the day's bag.
The story of the Savage 24 actually starts with its predecessor- the Stevens 22-410- introduced in 1938 and made until 1950 when Savage came out with the 24. The Savage 24 was essentially a Stevens 22-410 with a new name. Savage began producing guns, and over the next 50 years drastically increased the offerings. These combo guns were offered in a variety of rifle calibers- from .22 up to 30-30 including .22 Hornet, .222 and .223 Remington, and .357. Typically the larger centerfire rifle rounds were over 20 or 12ga shotgun barrels. Delux models, turkey and predator versions, a camper version, and more were available over the years. With so many different models and chamberings, one could occupy themselves simply collecting the different Savage 24s.
The design was relatively simple and the guns will look very familiar to anyone who had a single shot shotgun as their first gun. The idea was - Stack a .22 barrel on top of a .410 shotgun barrel and assemble the gun much like a single shot. The barrels hinge away from the action face, actuated by a top lever release like any other over/under gun. An exposed hammer is cocked manually with the thumb. Now having a single hammer presents a bit of an issue as you need the one hammer to fire both barrels. The barrel selector on early 24s is a button on the side of the action, moved up and down easily with the thumb, selecting for the top or bottom barrel by moving a metal cutoff block up and down preventing the hammer from striking both firing pins. Years later, and to address some functional issues with the side selector, Savage redesigned and introduced a selector integral to the hammer. It was a small thumb-actuated throw lever. Later production changes moved the familiar top lever to the side of the action and yet others moved to a press button in front of the trigger guard. As production costs increased, like so many guns you will find features trended towards being easier to manufacture, rather than being ‘improvements’ to the design. Barrels were split apart and no longer joined which had negative effects on regulation and point of impact became an issue.
Savage had the 24 in production into the 2000s meaning there was around 70 years of production give or take, with more than a dozen different models over the years. There are some great resources online including the savageshooters.com and of course savage24.com where you can find more information and specifics on the guns. Like so many other budget vintage guns, the early versions did not have serial numbers, so model release timelines tend to be a good way to date your gun.
It's worth a mention that these guns do come apart- ie take down- very easily. This feature, combined with their dual-barrel versatility led to their being utilized as survival guns- and they were not the first combination gun to be used as such- Drillings were utilized for the same reasons. There was the Luftwaffe Drilling gun - a three-barrel combination gun used by German pilots in WWII. And the US Springfield M6 Scout or Air Force M6 Aircrew Survival Weapon for the same purpose. Our Savage 24 or rather its predecessor the Stevens 22-410 saw use for the same purpose for the US Army Air Corps with around 10 to 15000 guns being pressed into service.
These days Savage offers the Model 42 in the place of the venerable Savage 24. It remains a .22 long rifle or .22 Winchester mag over .410 shotgun but looks only vaguely like the Savages of old. I expect that the synthetic stock and black finish are targeted to the survival community. I have not personally had the opportunity to handle and shoot a 42 so I will reserve any opinions on them for now - that is unless someone from Savage is listening- then go ahead and send one over and I’ll put it to the test. But until then, thanks for listening to The Gun Room.
Eric Klein at Brays Island
Episode 32 of The Gun Room takes us to Brays Island in South Carolina for some wing shooting ‘southern style’ and a glimpse into the wonderful collection of side-by-side shotguns curated by Eric Klein. Eric has focused his collecting efforts on non-hammer fluid steel barrel side-by-sides from what is affectionately known as the golden era of American gunmaking, from the turn of the century to just after WWII. His collection includes Parkers, LC Smith, and Fox shotguns, as well as very interesting and rare pieces like Ithaca NID .410s in each grade. Our conversation touches on his roots in New Jersey and early interest in firearms. We talk about the philosophy of accumulation vs collection and so much more on this episode of The Gun Room.
Welcome (Back) To the Gun Room
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