I was at my local gun store the other day buying some cartridges and did a little slumming as I do in hardware, outdoors, computer, and boat stores before I leave. Happen to see a Savage Mdl. 24 .22/20 gauge up on the used rifle wall for $250.00 and a Federal Man belt holster for a 5-shot .38 with 4 inch barrel for $10.00 in the clearance bin.

I went home and hit the web for information. The Savage model 24 combo has a suggested retail price ot $598.00 dollars these days, and I had no idea that holsters were up in the $60.00 + range for leather (I can't help being old fashioned about some things even though I know there are better alternatives than leather.).

I went back the next day, offered $5.00 for the holster and bought it for my offered price. It looks brand new and is very dry, so I will have to get out my one pint can of military surplus neatsfoot oil that I bought about a million years ago and never seems to run out no matter how many boots, baseball gloves, and leather jackets I have treated with it over the years, and give it a good several coats of oiling. It holds my stainless steel Taurus 5-shot, 3" barreled, .38+P wheel gun very nicely.

I then asked to check out the Savage with my checkbook burning a hole in my right hand shirt pocket. Took it apart at the counter and noticed one dislike, and a couple of minor problems. It had not been cleaned, but that was not the dislike as it was clean enough to see good rifling and a good shotgun bore. The biggest dislike was that the receiver was made out of powdered die cast metal as so many steel guns and other things are these days. I am old enough to remember parts that were milled from solid billets of steel and the luster and strength they projected. My first Savage Mdl. 24 receiver of years ago was made of a billet of solid steel, and my nostolgia took a serious hit when I saw this one. I know the strength factor is not significantly less, but preception such as mine made Winchester return to milling solid billets for their Model 94 after losing market share from having gone to powdered die cast metal in about 1974. The other problem was a broken firing pin spring for the shotgun which they repaired on the spot. The loose firing pin had worn a groove on the shotgun extrator that peened metal into the shoulder groove for the shotgun shell rim. Some very excellent work on their part with a RotoTool put that in working order. They test fired it at their range and offered to let me test fire it, but it was too late as the passion of the moment had passed and my checkbook had cooled down.

That night on the web, while cruising the sites of some of the gun manufacturers, I found that Rossi Firearms of Brazil offers a 2-in-1 single shot rifle in .22 barrel with a 20 gauge shotgun barrel for a suggested retail price of $145.00.

Unless I find a really old Savage 24 in a .22/20 with a milled steel receiver in good condition for a reasonable price, it makes more sense to get the Rossi as it is also offered in barrels from .17 to .308, and 12 gauge, and I can live with a powdered die cast metal receiver in that low of a price.

If the Savage had been cleaned, the firing spring replaced, and the extractor ground properly before I saw it, I would probably have bought it despite my dislike for modern metallurgy in firearms. Folks!, if you are going to sell something that has to function in a certain way, fix it before you sell it or you may lose the sale.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

For what it's worth, I'd say $250.00 was more than a little high for that used Savage.The price may go down if it sits in the rack long enough. One thing to consider is do you all ready shoot 20 guage? The 20 guage never seems to be as cheap as the 12 guage. $5.00 for a good holster is a steal !, I never pass by the "bargin bin" without looking.

X-ray Dave:

I have had 12 gauge and decided a long time ago, even when I was young and the body could take the recoil, that what I got in a performance edge from the 12 gauge was not worth it.

Besides, this is going to be primarily a long term storage item which will see little use except for occasional target and informal trap shooting and subsequent cleaning.

Here in Wisconsin, the little Savage 24 is a very popular rabbit & pheasant gun and a lot of fathers buy them for their children. You very rarely see one for sale as a used gun so the law of supply & demand prevails no matter what the used gun catalogs say.

I used to practice trap shooting with my old 24 and the sight assembly on the .22 barrel really threw me off a lot because I never shot as well with the 24 as I did with my Sears 20 gauge pump shotgun.

Bountyhunter

Ditto on the recoil. I have shot both in the field and much prefer a 20ga. to the 12ga. for this reason. If you try to shoot near vertical with the 12ga, you hit the ground about the time the target does.

You turned down a really fun gun. But then again, mine was only $75.00. The $250. 00 does sound a bit steep considering the repairs needed.

Also, that Rossi 2 in 1 you described has a .410 barrel available as well. I saw one at Sports Authority a few months ago.

Chris

Cthompson001:

Did you buy it at a gun shop or privately? Are they unpopular in in your area or was it in poor shape?

Like I said, I used to have one years ago when the barrel firing selector was a slide button on the left side of the receiver, and you are right that for its intended use, it is a neat little combo.

I have never been a .410 fan even though foot pounds of force for a slug are superior to a .44 magnum, and in a pinch, you can shoot 45 long Colt cartridges in a .410.

Bountyhunter

Sounds like they are popular in your parts. I learned to shoot with a .410/.22 savage that was my father's and I still have it. I have a friend that bought a 20 guage without realizing that the shells can be more expensive . He's would see all these great deals on 12 guage and complain.

X-ray Dave:

You're right about the potential price differential of 12 vs. 20 gauge guns as well as ammo costs.

All the sale fliers herabouts push 12 gauge and rarely mention 20 gauge, although that is starting to change.

For duck, geese, and other long range applications, the 12 gauge offers advantages, but for a rabbit and pheasant shooter like myself, I have been happy with the 20 gauge. Currently I do not own a shotgun or high powered rifle, just three .22 rifles and a small variety of handguns as target shooting at a range is what I do most of.

For the people that may feel a 12 gauge would still be a better bet than a 20 for small game hunting, let me recount a little hunting story. I went hunting one year with a friend and the little Brittany spaniel I had at the time for small game. My friend was slightly behind me and to my left, and the dog was slightly ahead of me to my right. We passed a little cover on my left and just before my friend reached that cover a pheasant exploded into flight. As I turned and brought my Savage to target, my friend had already made his shot. He hit the pheasant on the rise with a flu-flu arrow and brought it down. He got to the bird before the dog did, snapped its neck and put it in his game bag. Bottom line is no matter what the quantity of pellets, or the power behind them, if you don't get a chance to shoot, or if you shoot and don't hit, it doesn't matter what the ballistics say.

As an aside, my friends father was a national archery champion, and had taught his son from an early age the mastery of a bow, and in that one hunt with him I finally decided bigger, faster, farther, and harder hitting do not necessarily matter a whole lot.

Bountyhunter <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I can see where the 20 gauge would be nice for the rabbits. It could definetely be your work horse. A few years ago I got a "deal" on 16 or 18 boxes of shells. All were good 12 guage except for 4 boxes of 20 guage. I tried to get just the 12 gauge but the seller insisted that it was a package deal. We finally settled on a good price and in the end I passed the 4 boxes of 20 guage to my friend. He was happy for some free shells. was in wallmart last week and once again there was a really good deal on 12 guage.

Great story Bounty.
From an aspiring bow wingshooter,

Troy