Aug 29, 2012

Double guns... re-made

For a long time, Savage made the Model 24, a .22/.410 over-under arrangement. I've handled a couple but never shot one. My father remembers them being the absolute cat's ass when he was younger. Lots of kids had .22s, some had .410s, but the combo? That was the best. They were discontinued some time ago.

Well, Savage is bringing them back, as the polymer-stocked Model 42. .22LR or .22WMR over .410 with a list price of $459. I suspect you'll see them on shelves for $399 or so.

As a utility small game-getter, that's a tough gun to beat. Rabbits, squirrels, squab, and the like better look out. I'd like to get my hands on one.

I'd like to see it in something like .223/20ga. Rossi makes a "Matched Pair" in that particular combo, but that's single-shot interchangeable barrels, not a double gun.

3 comments:

Bob said...

I remember yearning for a Savage 24C as a young boy. That one had a .22LR barrel on top of a 20-gauge barrel, it was carbine length, and the buttstock had storage for extra 22 cartridges and a few 20-gauge shotshells. I always thought that it would be the perfect survival gun (as a game getter, not a grizzly killer).

doubletrouble said...

The 24 came in a lot of configurations, & the .223/20 is among them.
Mine is 22lr/20; old ones are out there, but it does take some lookin'.

Bubblehead Les. said...

My Dad had one down at the Farm. Great Barn Gun! According to my '95 Gun Digest, they came in the following Flavors: .22 Hornet/12 gauge, .223/12 gauge, 30-30/12 gauge; .22LR, .22 Hornet, .223 Remington all over 20 gauge; and the classic .22LR/ 410. But I suspect most of the ones made were .22LR/.410.

Personally, I'd like the .223/12 Gauge to come back, because you can get an insert for 20 Gauge put in. But .22LR/.410 does give one the chance to use .45 Colt with an insert.

For those who need a "Fox in the Hen House Gun," the Savage 24 series is hard to beat. Glad it's coming back.