Savage 24F

B

billyp

Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
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I had seen the Savage 24f in a few threads, got interested in it and decided to buy one simply for the fact that it can do everything...not necessarily as fast as some other guns with regards to reloading but it will put meat on the table, defend the house and keep any renegade zombies at bay.

Those threads were pretty old so I thought I would see if anyone has recently purchased one if they have any good mods to suggest, or just peoples general opinions of the gun.

I settled on .223 on top and 20ga on the bottom, I know its a little low power, but in a survival situation the weight of the 20ga vs. the 12ga shell came into play.

Any input would be great.

Thanks,
Billyp
 
several years ago i worked in a gunshop and we saw a few of these come through. from what i remember if you get a good one they are a pretty good little gun, however if you get a bad one they are a major pain in the butt. as i remember the main problem tended to be too much play in the action which allowed for misfires and light firing pin strikes. It seems like it was the top barrel that was most affected.as far as mods just set it up with sling swivels and let her bump. if you want to go with a synthetic stock try choate machine tool in arkansas. fwiw the guys who had them really liked them. later, ahgar
 
It's a solution in search of a problem. The only good thing about it is it's cheaper than buying both a single-shot rifle and a single-shot shotgun.

In a survival situation wing-shooting birds for sport is the last thing you want to do. If you shoot a bird at all it'll be for lack of bigger game to invest a rifle cartridge in, and it'll be a head/neck shot with a rifle on a sitting bird.

If you're really short of money I suggest buying either a rifle or a shotgun -- which one you should get depends on where you live and what you want to hunt with it.
 
i have one of the old savage 24s, have had it since '70 or so, imho the switch for changing the firing pin position is prone to breaking, at least mine is, it has broken at least 2 times, as a matter of fact its broken right now lol.

not a bad little gun though, mine is a 410/22LR, and the newer ones might have a different switch mechanism, but mine at least is pretty far from being heavy duty.

back in the day i kept it in a truck for varmints, i had the bbl cut down to 18" which removed the choke but made it a lot handier, not a lotta range on 410s anyway, still a good gun for rabbits/etc.
 
Cougar Allen said:
It's a solution in search of a problem. The only good thing about it is it's cheaper than buying both a single-shot rifle and a single-shot shotgun.
Click to expand...

I don't know. You could probably get a pair of NEFs for less than a new Savage 24F. I bought a NIB Rossi matched pair with a .22lr barrel and 20ga barrel fro $120 retail. But I didn't post to debate economics.

I like the ability to fire more than one caliber or type of projectile from a single firearm. I believe in the ability to scrounge and/or barter for items. More options means more opportunities. For this reason I like the Savage. It is also why I prefer .357 Max revolvers and like some of the .45 colt./.410 guns. I have never been a fan of caliber conversion barrel inserts/however. I follow the same philosophy with most of my other firearms as well. .30-30win, .308win, .30-06, 12ga, .22lr, etc. These I can find in almost any store with ammo. Can't always say the same for the latest ultra super short magnum laser guns. Take it from a guy who has seen folks travel hundreds of miles, spend plenty of money and realize to late that they didn't pack ammo. Or didn't count on having to sight-in again after the airline got finished with the gun case. You won't too many unusual chamberings in my list of users.
 
Say... i have a 45 colt ruger revolver (older type vaquero). are there other calibers that will fit in that gun? do they make shotgun shells for it...and if so, would they be equivelent to say a .410 shell?

i'd be most interested in knowing.

also, i have a .243 ruger rifle. is that considered "common" ammo??

thanks, Bill
 
I would have thought that you had made a very good choice. In fact, I would have chosen the same type of gun. However, I have not owned the gun or had any experience with it.
If the quality of the gun is good, then I still think your choice is a good one for the situation you have purchased it for.
The .223 is more than enough caliber for almost any type of game as long as shot placement is right. I might have chosen .22lr even because of the weight difference for ammo.
The 20 gauge is a far better choice than .410 and the difference in weight of the shells make it a better choice in this situation than the 12 gauge.
While I agree that ground shots will be more common on birds than ones in flight, I would still like to have the option to do so, if needed. I am a pretty good shot, but dropping flying birds with a .223 is not something I would want to count on.
I hope you will report on the quality of the firearm as you use it some. The Savage rifles I have owned have all been great shooters. I would hope yours will be as well.
 
bill_G said:
Say... i have a 45 colt ruger revolver (older type vaquero). are there other calibers that will fit in that gun? do they make shotgun shells for it...and if so, would they be equivelent to say a .410 shell?

i'd be most interested in knowing.

also, i have a .243 ruger rifle. is that considered "common" ammo??

thanks, Bill
Click to expand...
First for the 45Colt. You won't be able to fire .410 shells in your Ruger because the cylinder is too short. Most of the .45/.410 guns are single shot Contenders, derringers, or similar ideas. Some folks have reported swapping .410 and .444 Marlin rounds. I haven't tried it and strongly DO NOT recommend it. I'm talking long guns here, not your revlover. I think I have seen shotshells in .45 Colt but I may be mistaken. They most certainly are not common. As for other calibers .45 Auto Rim should work but there will be gaps in between the cylinder wall and cartridge and that can lead to cartridges splitting and being dangerous. A .45 Colt Ruger is a very stout gun. I would suggest learning how to reload your own ammo. It is economical, relaxing and you can tailor your loads. With .45 Colt you can easily load anything from low-power cast plinking rounds up to some very stout bear medicine.

Now for the .243. What is considered common often depends on where you are? In the US I would say yes the .243 is a pretty common commercial cartridge. In Alaska or Canada I don't see it nearly as often but it is still around. One disadvantage of the .243 when it comes to scrounging is that IIRC it was never a military cartridge so there is not surplus ammo or guns for it. As long as your hunting deer sized game or smaller, the .243 should serve you well. This turned into a fairly long gun post for a knife forum. Sorry.

PS. Firearm caliber choices are a lot like religion and politics. Everybody has their own beliefs.
 
Overpriced---too heavy---not really good for anything----get a dedicated weapon--like say a Rem 870 and you'll be better off.
 
you could make a very good argument for just picking up a good used pump shotgun. you can hunt anything with it. if you want to use it for deer or large game use a slug, if for small game use shot of different sizes. the pump action is very reliable and you can pick up a good used one for very little money. good used pumps include, rem 870,ithaca 37, mossberg 500, by the way you can pick up a mossberg maverick brand new from academy sports for $137 plus tax. later,ahgar
 
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