Adding to the 30 Calibers

[Ranch Dog]

I've been wanting a bolt action 30-30 Win for some odd reason and picked up my Savage 340 today. I've been looking for the last model an "E" but ended up purchasing what turned out to be an "A" rebuilt with "E" parts. The rifle had also been rebarreled with a Savage blank and restocked with a Boyd's walnut stock so I thought I would give it a go. The only botched job is the Boyd's recoil pad. It is obvious that whoever did the work did not have a belt sander to properly fit the grind to fit pad. No worries, I have a Pachmayr Decelerator of the proper grind to fit size that I will install.

Overall, it looks real good. The barrel doesn't have open sights but that's fine by me as I'm pretty sure I'm going to put a scout scope on it. I just happen to have a Wild West Win M94 scout base sitting around and as luck would have it, the taper of the base is mirrored by the barrel. Had it had the original barrel, the base would not have fit. My plans are to epoxy the base on the barrel and be done with it.



I will go ahead and shoot it with the side scope mount to make sure that it is going to work out as a keeper, if so I will go ahead with the work. Should be able to see 2325 FPS with my 165-grain bullet. Also toying with chopping the barrel from 22" to 20". Hopefully all this will make a handy magazine fed rifle or carbine that is easy to load for.

[357cyrus]

Nice looking gun youve got there. Makes me want to try my first scout mount if i can figure out how to do it on that savage 30-06 I've been chopping up.

[Ranch Dog]

Counting my levers, I have 12 scouts now and I'm hooked. Prefer them for my hunting rifles.

You would need to figure out what mount fits your barrel. XS has a series of Clifton mounts that are to be epoxied on.

[357cyrus]

What makes you like the scout system so much?

[Ranch Dog]

What makes you like the scout system so much?

Probably because they are so quick and natural to acquire the sight picture. The "field of view" in a hunting situation is awesome as you are still seeing everything outside the view of the scope. When I look through a traditional scope now I feel like I'm viewing downrange back in a tunnel. With the rifles that have receiver sights, this Sav 340 will not be one of them, I'm now shooting those sights as well. I've never been been much of a shot. With my Savage 10FCM, both the 308 Win & 7.62x39, I got interested enough in shooting the sights that I've become quite lethal at engaging a target at 300 yards.

I've just converted my Marlin 336D (35 Rem), 44P (44 Mag), and 444P (444 Marlin) to the XS Sight System using their Ghost ring and the Weaver Scout. These three rifles are the compact "guide gun" models.

[DaveInGA]

Whoever owned that rifle before you was certainly an interesting sort. I'm not sure why the restock, but I'm pretty sure the rebarrel was to change calibers. I like they upgraded the rifle while they were at it.

I think I posted some tuning gunsmithing tricks for these rifles, but I'm not 100% positive. Older gentleman who appeared to have literally brought a few back from the dead. I liked his approach and like the gun. It's an interesting way to produce a rifle for sale after a war when money was tight.

I'm a little jealous, as I'm wanting a couple of older cartridges, but not sure if I want to invest in the equipment to cast and reload for them.

[Ranch Dog]

Whoever owned that rifle before you was certainly an interesting sort. I'm not sure why the restock, but I'm pretty sure the rebarrel was to change calibers. I like they upgraded the rifle while they were at it.

I suspect that the barrel change was due to a very uncared for, corroded bore. One of the curses of a cheap rifle, rode hard and put up wet only to be pulled out of the back corner of the closet twenty years later. I doubt a caliber change as that would require a lot of bolt parts or a replacement bolt which quickly changes the investment in the rifle. I've been doing some more research through Numrich and the Savage 340 replacement barrels were unmarked and not machined for sights. The last of those were priced at $62, half the cost of the bolt.

Some of the beaters appear on GunBroker, offered by JES in 38-55 Win. I've always been tempted as he refinishes them well with the rebore & rechamber. You will see him also offer the 170 pump in 38-55 Win.

There are two regrets I've made when it comes to selling guns. The first was my 444P. I corrected that but not with as nice a rifle as I had. The second is a new without the box Savage 170 chambered in 35 Rem. Never fired it. It brought in a very pretty penny but I wished I had not sold it as I doubt I could ever replace it. Most of the 170s appear for sale are in worse shape than the 340s.

[DaveInGA]

RD, in red in the quote:

I suspect that the barrel change was due to a very uncared for, corroded bore. One of the curses of a cheap rifle, rode hard and put up wet only to be pulled out of the back corner of the closet twenty years later. That's both the curse and the beauty of such a rifle. The original purchaser really needed the rifle, bought it and used it just as one would expect, as a truck or saddle gun, in the elements, there when he needed it.

I doubt a caliber change as that would require a lot of bolt parts or a replacement bolt which quickly changes the investment in the rifle. I've been doing some more research through Numrich and the Savage 340 replacement barrels were unmarked and not machined for sights. The last of those were priced at $62, half the cost of the bolt. That's an interesting thing about the barrels. Why do you think the upgrade to E parts was? Availability? The original stamped parts worn out or badly rusted?

Some of the beaters appear on GunBroker, offered by JES in 38-55 Win. I've always been tempted as he refinishes them well with the rebore & rechamber. You will see him also offer the 170 pump in 38-55 Win.
Who is JES? I don't know of that outfit.

There are two regrets I've made when it comes to selling guns. The first was my 444P. I corrected that but not with as nice a rifle as I had. The second is a new without the box Savage 170 chambered in 35 Rem. Never fired it. It brought in a very pretty penny but I wished I had not sold it as I doubt I could ever replace it. Most of the 170s appear for sale are in worse shape than the 340s.I totally relate. I sold a Smith Corona 1903A3 w/perfect 4 groove barrel I took out of the arsenal mummy wrap myself and cleaned the cosmo off of. Gun had been through rearsenal, but obviously hadn't needed a barrel. Had a very few oddball parts on it, but was 95% SC. Stock was greasy w/cosmo when received, but cleaned up beautifully and I refinished it with linseed oil. Turned out beautiful. I sold it to start the business I have now. I had looked for that rifle for 20 years.

[DaveInGA]

Forgot to ask, what made you go for the Savage 340 rather than another bolt action?

[Dan 444]

That's a very nice looking rifle. I am interested in this project as it progresses....

Dan