Savage 219 and 220 Single Shot Rifles & Shotguns

Nice to see guns that have been looked after for so many years.

Hello all. I mentioned this 219/220 rifle/shotgun combo in the introduction forum. My father purchased this set as a factory set about 1939-1941. It's a 30-30 with 20 GA barrel. Separate fore ends.  I was given it at age 12, about 1963. I hunted with it for several years before going mostly to other guns. I did bag a fair amount of small game with the 20 GA. I used the 30-30 for some deer hunting, but I don't recall bagging a deer with that rifle. Decades later I gave back to my dad to do some nostalgia hunting, until his eyesight was failing in his 80's. After having it back for some years I plan to do a good bit of range shooting with it. I used to have another 30-30 219 with a 16 GA barrel. I never got around to firing that piece and no longer have. I think that one was a 219B.

This one is an early striker fired Utica marked Savage. The 219 receiver and both fore ends have matching assembly numbers of 107. The 20 GA barrel isn't marked with choke. I was told it was a full choke and that seems to be correct.

After I get a good barrel cleaning one and shoot it, I'll try to report back. I just bought one box of the Hornady Lever-lution pointed 30-30 to go along with some other traditional 30-30 ammo. Not sure how that boattail bullet will work.

Thanks!

Thanks for the update.  Please keep us informed.

Thanks Garnett. I did think that is seemed to have been tinkered with along the way. Who knows the reason. The previous owner probably had the best intentions and probably made the rifle better for their own purposes in the day. Our role is not to judge

I managed to shoot some nice groups with it.

I tried my black powder loads and got no where. The 85grain bullet showed evidence of yawing through the target. It was achieving 1350fps through the chronograph, but it did not appear to be stable. I really could not hit the side of the barn from the inside!

A 9.0 and 9.5 grain smokeless load of AR2207 under the same bullet saw some 1" groups at 25m. No exactly bench rest shooting, but given that I only loaded 5 rounds of each for testing, and that I was in a hurry to do other things, I was pleased with the result.

Steve

Garnett,

As requested, here are a couple of shots of the front sight. I also included a better picture of the rear sight.

I am really not fond of this buckhorn sight. It covers so much of the target and I find it hard to get the front sight to the correct height. It maybe that the front sight has had the bead filed away. Or... maybe not.

I will look out for a weaver side mount, but I also wonder what model of top rail may fit this gun. I don't really want to start drilling it, but at the same time, as we have previously discussed, it is pretty worn out. If I could find a nice older model scope, that would be fine by me. My eyes are not what they used to be.

Steve