Savage 340
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I had a Savage 325, which was the daddy of the 340. Just about the same, except the bolt handle was flat, without a knob. Much like a Mannlicher bolt handle.
The 325 was in 30-30. Handloading 150 grain spitzers was possible because of the magazine, and they improved performance a bit. It would stay about 1 1/2 inch at 100 yards if you did your part. That is not minute of angle, but it is minute of White Tail, and that is what it was intended for. It was a cheap alternative to a Winchester 94........a work gun.
I also had a .222 Model 340 that was accurate enough to get under one inch groups. When you are growing up in southern Ontario, going to school, during the 1950s, and have a limited budget, the 340 was a good rifle for those bit Woodchucks.
The downside to the 340 was the side mounted scope, and the safety. The scope mounting worked, but because of the bolt design, was o.k. but not the best, like a top mounted scope. The safety worked as designed, but was a bit thin, and was like pushing on the back egde of a knife when you took it off.
The bedding system used on the 325/340 series was to bed the barrel, and leave the action free. The bedding can be improved a bit by using Devcon or other epoxy like bedding. However, because of the design limitations, you are not going to end up with a 500 yard super accurate varmint rifle.
If you use it for Deer hunting in the brush, in woods, or in placer where a 30-30 would normally be used, then it will do the job. It was designed to be a work gun, and if you think of it that way, and use it appropriately, then you have a fairly nice little deer rifle.
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