Odd 220 on Gunsamerica (#906241596)

[Mike Armstrong]

There's a 12 guage 220 for sale on www.gunsamerica.com that puzzles me (That's not new....).  The ad says it's a Utica gun with 30" barrel in "excellent plus" condition made in 1948 (How's he really know that?  Sounds like a pretty good "educated guess"!  Or a "date code" reading?). 

And that's what it looks like in the ad: late Utica 220 with a nice shotgun forend, thin trigger and alloy guard.

But the ad states that it's got a case colored receiver and my understanding is that Utica guns don't!  The pictures on the ad are so dark that I can't see any case coloring, but it could be there.  If it is, is it likely that a later receiver got barreled with a leftover Utica barrel?

Also can't see if the barrel is flanged, which is what I'd expect on a Utica gun.

It also has a "serial number"  40X3, which is unusual.

I'm not convinced that these 4-digit numbers are really SAVAGE serial numbers.  But they may be inventory numbers from a large distributor or property numbers from LEAs that sold off confiscated inventory and wanted to be able to identify guns after they were sold off, for litigation or other reasons.   Anybody got any bright ideas about that?  Why would a real serial number have an "X" in the middle of the number sequence?

We're all familiar with serials that BEGIN or END with a letter to indicate a modification or manufacturing batch  (Ruger and S&W), but in the middle???

I'd buy this gun to satisfy my curiosity but don't like single 12s a bit (actually what I don't like is the recoil....I'm not a collector.).

Have a look.

[Garnett]

Mike, I have looked at this gun for several months.  I just assumed he inserted an "X" in the serial number so comeone could not claim that gun was stolen from them.  The few guns of this type that have serial numbers (I have only 4 with serial numbers) can be verified with a factory letter from Mr. Callahan, who has all the old Savage/Stevens records, so the owner could have gotten the 1948 date from Mr. C.  Or, there may be a date code on the gun.  As example: 11A in a circle could mean January of 1948.  There are still lots of unknowns about these date codes.  The gun itself appears to have been re-blued and left in the tank too long.  Did you notice the cherry color of the receiver.  I have not found any indication that the color case hardened receivers were ever done at Utica.  Perhaps he is mistaking the cherry color for color case hardening?  One of my guns has a serial number of 5021, so I think the 4 digit numbers are valid.  I have a factory letter on all four of mine with serial numbers.  I would not be interested in the gun because of the refinished metal.  Also, I cannot see a serial number stamped in the lower left rear side of the frame, where all others are located.  So, it could be that the number he gives is not a serial number, but an assembly number, something like  "4" over "OX3", and is just guessing at the date.  As well as I can determine, by 1948, Savage had moved to Chicopee Falls.  But, just like with Colt and Winchester, I would never ever say "They never did that."

[Mike Armstrong]

Suspicions confirmed.  (My computer didn't show the pics of this gun well enough to detect the "cherry" bluing.)