1942 Savage MkI Project

[tlvaughn]

Below are a few pics of my 1942 Savage MkI project rifle. I had before pictures; however, I had to replace my hard drive last Friday after it crashed. A national electronics chain was unable to retrieve the data and told me it would cost over $2,000 to send it out. Luckily a friend of the family does this for a living and is confident that some data can still be retrieved.

Enough about my computer. The bad news was that the somebody turned it into a sporter, so I had to replace all of the wood and most of the metal. The catch was missing and the backsight axis pin was broken. The good news was that the serial numbers on the receiver, bolt and magazine all matched (although the magazine is a replacement).

I know that not all of the parts are 100% correct; however, it is in much better shape today than when I rec'd it.

Information

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[Rumpelhardt]

Very nice work. I just did the same thing with a 1941 Long Branch so I can relate. Very injoyable past time.

[spinecracker]

Nice work. I recently went through the same thing with a 1941 Long Branch. Although a restored rifle may never have the same financial value as one that had never been messed with in the first place, the enjoyment and true value must be in saving another rifle for future generations and the effort to overturn the acts of bubba (or, in my case, years of service in Indonesia)

[me2]

VERY NICE restoration! I can chime in on this thread cause all 5 of my #4's came to me via "Bubba". Nice thing about it they are all matching except the wood and two magazines. They all arrived in the US before the mandatory import stamp came about. All the metal bits I had to replace are correct for each maker. I have a theory about the early Bubba rifles in that Bubba used them for hunting principally and because of most game laws, had to use modern sporting ammo in them which in turn kept the bores in near new condition provided he at least gave them minimal cleaning. Also, the price is usually way below what some dealers want to sell as original rifles....show me the provenance.
Your wood is really attractive. Did you get a whole set or find the parts separately?

[Mohawk]

Very Nice resto. I grew up near the Chicopee Falls Plant where these were made. Had a 1942 dated one. Was a fine shooter. Had to sell due to a divorce. Have never found another like it. Enjoy, and don't forget to take that lovely lady to the range to shoot her. After all, that is what they are made for.....

[spinecracker]

Question - how common/uncommon are the Savage 1942 No.4 Mk.1s?

[tlvaughn]

Question - how common/uncommon are the Savage 1942 No.4 Mk.1s?

Savage made approx. 123,500 +/- 1942 MkI's. It is not something you will see everyday, but they can be found. In the past 45 days, I have seen approx. 5 for sale.

[Peter Laidler]

Talking of Savage No4's, has anyone got one of the last where the numbering flicked over from 99C9999 to start again so to speak at 0C - five numbers - 00001 and so on. The last one I know of is 0C38286. Numerically, this'll be rifle 1,038286

I remember being told about this late changeover once then, lo and behold some time later, saw a little stick-in amendment in an Army technical information book as to why this had taken place

[tlvaughn]

I have 0C15326 (1,015,326) and 0C43299 (1,043,299). The highest s/n I have seen to date is 0C63110 (1,063,110).

PL - Does it state why they went to 0Cxxxxx instead of 100Cxxxx?

[Peter Laidler]

TLV, no, it was a thin wartime paper small-arms instruction that was sent to Quartermasters and he'd obviously pasted it into his copy of the Equipment regulations. It just gave warning to quartermasters that they should be aware that the usual format of serial numbers was changing to another format. To be honest, It's hardly a change of format, just a, well........, change!

Do you know when the last rifles came off the Savage production line? Last serial numbers?

My boss in New Zealand, Danny Booker (or was it Frank Seeley....?) told me that at the end of the war, there was a big cull over New Zealand and the Commonwealth generally to draw in all of the Savage lend lease rifles (and everything else lend lease too......) as they were to be returned to the USA. Initially they were stored at a big Ordnance Depot at Palmerston North ready for return but shipping was at a premium and when things hotted up in Malaya and Korea they were left in situ and used.

That's apparently the reason why so many Savage rifles ended up back in the US during the 50's. Otherwise these little skint nations would have had to pay for them. The UK kept zillions and paid but I don't recall the Chinese having paid as of yet! Maybe I missed it........