Savage bolt 3030

I have had at least one for over 20 yrs. They are great utility grade, toss-in-the-truck rifles. Reasonably accurate (I can only get 2.5 - 3.0" groups at 100 due to open sights and older eyes. They are handy, light, and a good backup rifle or learning tool for up and coming adolescents.
 
tiriaq said:
Only real downside is finding magazines.
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You're not kidding. I just gave $55 for one the other day to help out the old boy I hunt with. He came into possession of one of those rifles recently and the previous owner had, like so many others, put the magazine somewhere safe...and then he died. Dead gun owners find no magazines or bolts.
 
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Sir Plus said:
Nothing bad about them. Good triggers, CRF, accurate, short action, no plastic.
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I'd put a +1 on this. Great light, short handy rifle when you're not planning on super long shots and relatively cheap to buy.

I like the side scope mounts you can get for them. It's nice that you can use the scope for longer shots and still see the irons underneath for when you want them. Not all are already drilled and tapped for them so it would be an extra cost on top if you wanted to go that route. I've had good groups with the Hornady leverevolution ammo.

There's quite a few different versions you can keep your eye out for, stevens, savage, springfield, CIL, maybe a few others. The only major differences that i could tell are bolt style and stock quality.
 
I think I have all the parts for a .30-30 except for the magazine and the stock. Barrel is unfired NOS. I should start looking for a stock, and put the rifle together.
The 322/325/340/830/840 series were made in .22Hornet, .222, .223, .225 and .30-30. Anything else?
The action was designed by Brewer, for economical production. He went on to design the first version of the 110.
Given that the bedding system is totally contrary to what is considered best practice, the rifles tend to shoot very well.
 
I was thinking about rebarreling one to 25/35 or 35/30 or 38/55 but i now see theres a stock attachment on the barrel. That complicates things. I was thinking with the barrel nut it would be an easy rebarrel
 
The bedding uses two contact points. The recoil lug and at the barrel band.
The barrel band wouldn't be a problem if the replacement barrel was of the same approximate diameter.
Any of the .30-30 based cartridges would work nicely through the magazine.
Don't know how much one would want to invest in a 340 - they are economy rifles from the get go.

As far as that goes, a pistol caliber carbine could be made up using a 340. A .225 bolt would work for .45ACP. A .222 bolt face could be opened for 9mm. A single stack pistol magazine could probably be adapted.
The Brewer barrel nut system does facilitate experimentation.
 
I have a Stevens 325A in .30-30, the predecessor to the Savage 340. I'm currently refinishing the metalwork, very old bluing and some light surface rust. I wet-sanded most of it off, took the rest off with steel wool, degreased it, heated it up, and hit it with a can of Wheeler Cerama-coat. Turned out alright, we'll see what the durability is like. It'll go into a Boyd's stock which has already arrived, I just need to sort out screw length for the front barrel band screw since it's a part of the bedding and doesn't thread in all the way. And I'd like a better front sight.

Otherwise, it shoots excellent! Cloverleafs at 50 yards with those old irons, three into an inch is doable with a good rest. The plan is exactly as stated - a "truck gun" that can go anywhere and shoo bears and coyotes that get too close to camp while dropping the occasional deer. Hornady American Whitetail 150gr is affordable and shoots great out of this thing.
 
I dyed the stock on one to some kind of lime green.

Despite doing that, I think they're cool rifles but the prices on them seem to be creeping up. Especially the non 30-30 ones. Would really like one in 225 Winchester
 
Not a 30-30 but I bought a very nice 340E in 222 for my daughter a few years back from Tradex.
Except for a few minor dings on the stock you would think it was basically new. She really likes it and it shoots pretty well with iron sights. Going to mount a vintage K8 on it in the near future.
As a bonus it is very economical to handload for as well.
Judging from our experience with this one I would expect that anything in 30-30 would be solid good shooting rifles.
 
My dad used to hunt deer with his old Savage bolt action 30-30. I remember the cheaply made magazine came apart and he glued it back together. The mags were poorly made/designed. Eventually we found a replacement mag at a gun show. When he passed away, I just gave it to someone. I didn't want it. A crap calibre for hunting on the prairies, where longer shots are frequent. And I wasn't going to start handloading, just to give it a proper projectile.
 
I have a Stevens 325A that I converted from 30-30 to 30-30 AI, that was a mistake honestly, the mag is way too short and won't accept the pointed bullets unless they are seated way deep, negating any gains in case capacity. Also the magazines are designed with the indents on the neck of the 30-30 case, with moving the shoulder forward the 30-30 AI do not work in the mag, you can fit one round in the second will not.

So that all sucks, so my recommendation is don't convert to 30-30 AI.

However I am looking at it as a new project and have mocked up some 357Herret, they seem to work in the mag without issue and I have a .358" barrel blank in my parts bin.

Not to fret I also have a Savage 340 that is still in 30-30.
 
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