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Savage 24 Combination Gun

2K views 19 replies 15 participants last post by  TNT 
#1 ·
Does anyone have experience with the Savage 24 combination gun which was made back in the 50's and 60's?

Ive been tempted to get one with either the 22Mag/410 or .22LR/20 gauge combination.

These things have gotten sky high, with ones in decent condition starting around $350 to $400 and climbing up from there.

I'm not really interested in the new version, the Savage Model 42- the looks just doesnt appeal to me.

Just wondering if anyone could share their experience or knowledge of these guns- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the reply! They do seem to have a cult like following, making them a hard to find and pricey item, probably selling for several times today what they cost new.

Im going to get one, when I can find one that meets the following specs:

1) decent cosmetic shape but very good mechanical condition.
2) either .22LR or .22Mag combined with .410 or 20 gauge.
3) barrel selector on the hammer
4) soldered barrels with no space in between
5) in the $350 to $425 range tops

With these requirements, I may be looking for a while, but I am in no hurry.
 
#4 ·
To me they seem somewhat cooler than their actual usefulness. A friend had one back in the day. For the most part we go out after a primary quarry, not rabbits, quail & pheasants. That was more common decades ago.

I like the idea of just taking a few types of shells along for your favorite scattergun, or maybe a 22 if after squirrels. If you find one at a fair deal, go for it.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Had a .22LR/20 Gauge model, an old one with the nearly-full-length brazed barrels, many years ago. I put an early red dot sight on it (Weaver Quik-Point), and it was a huntin' machine. I decided one year to only use it for all my small/medium game hunting. On various hunts, I managed to harvest limits of rabbits, squirrel, partridge, grouse, ducks/geese (pre-steel-shot era) and dove (!), along with a few varmints and a fox. If I would have been drawn for a deer permit that year, I'd have used it for that as well (a 20 Gauge slug is nothing to sneeze at).

When shopping, check the stock for any damage near the wrist/pistol-grip area; if the stock loosens, shooting the shotgun barrel with a loose stock will often crack or chip the stock in this area.

My favorite story about this little gem centers around a multi-game cottontail rabbit and pheasant hunt. It was my turn to "bust brush", so I ducked-and-half-crawled into a dense thicket to push critters out ahead of the line of hunters, and during the brushy struggle, I managed to flip the hammer selector from shotgun to rimfire. When I squirmed out the other side of the thicket, just as I stood up, a pheasant flushed from right in front of me. I smoothly brought the gun up, cocking the hammer as I shouldered it, put the dot on the bird's tailfeathers (he was going straight away), and squeezed the trigger. Instead of the boom of the 20 gauge, I heard a "pop" of a .22 LR hollowpoint, and the bird dropped like a rock. I don't know who was most surprised; myself, my buddies, or the poor bird. The .22 had messed-up a bit of meat on one side of the bird, but it was worth it to make the shot of a lifetime (this, from a guy who often had trouble dropping pheasants with a scattergun).

I was just hoping we didn't get stopped for a game inspection on the way home; I didn't want to have to explain that bird's wound channel to a game warden...

Great little guns. I finally traded mine to a good friend when I left Alaska, as he had fallen in love with it when I let him use it to run his trap line a few times.
 
#8 ·
I had a friend that had a .22-20 that was a great companion in the woods. It was really fun to be able the forage for "targets of opportunity." Squirrels, rabbits, quail, dove...none were safe.
The versatility is what makes this setup very appealing.... thanks!
 
#9 ·
I love my 24C, .22LR over 20 gauge. Very lightweight and compact (5.5 lb). It is my EOTWAWKI gun and I will never sell it.



If I could spec out my own it would be a 24CDL (.22 WMR over 20 gauge) only with polymer furniture, something like the new Gen 2 Keltec Sub 2000 stock. 22 mag is a very capable cartridge and is easily capable of humanely harvesting deer etc.

5.7x28 over 20 gauge would be an interesting combination also. Ballistically 5.7 and .22 mag are pretty darn close.
 
#15 ·
I love my 24C, .22LR over 20 gauge. Very lightweight and compact (5.5 lb). It is my EOTWAWKI gun and I will never sell it.



If I could spec out my own it would be a 24CDL (.22 WMR over 20 gauge) only with polymer furniture, something like the new Gen 2 Keltec Sub 2000 stock. 22 mag is a very capable cartridge and is easily capable of humanely harvesting deer etc.

5.7x28 over 20 gauge would be an interesting combination also. Ballistically 5.7 and .22 mag are pretty darn close.
Beautiful and in great shape!! Just what I'm looking for.
 
#13 ·
I've only seen one in the wooden version and many in the new black plastic version.
I'm not fond of the look of the current model.
I've always wanted one too, mine would the wood stock model, either .22 and 20 gauge or .22 and .410.
 
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#17 ·
My dad had one when I was growing up. It was kind of cool in concept but not that useful. A shotgun is better for shotgun stuff and a rifle is better for rifle stuff.

In reality it is kind of a niche gun that doesn't get used much. It's forte is to be stashed away just in case.
 
#19 ·
I also had one of the centerfire version for a short time (.223/20 Ga), but the additional weight was the first strike against it, occasional misfires with mil-style .223 ammo was strike two, and the inability to find an optical sight that would take advantage of the .223's range while still allowing fast/efficient use of the shotgun was the final strike. I got rid of that one fairly quickly (had it for less than a year).
 
#20 ·
My father bought one in the mid 1950's. 22lr over 410. Carried it for about 50 years. He always said it was the only gun he would ever need. He was an ariel gunner on a B17 during WWII and was deadly with that little 410. It now sits in my safe still ready for action.
 
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