Tell me about the Savage 340 30/30's

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Coolhand_Luke

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I dont know much about this gun but perusing the EE I noticed a few of these kicking around for pretty good prices. For those that have them what can you tell me about them? How do they shoot (as well or better than a typical levergun) ? are they reliable/trouble free? How long did Savage make these? I dont recall ever seeing a new one so they must have been discontinued some time ago...

I have a Winchester 30/30 which I love, the old 30/30 is one of my favorite calibers. It is the main cartridge that I reload for and love fooling around with different loads for it. The main limitation of my M94 is the peep sights, any load much different than the factory velocity shoots to a wildly different POI. I have thought about adding a scope sighted Marlin as a friend to play around with more loads, but maybe one of these Savage 340 boltguns would be the ticket. It shouldnt be difficult to mount a scope and the box magazine would allow for some interesting loads to play around with.

So any Savage 340 fans here that want to fill me in??
 
When Savage moved the factory from Utica to Chicopee Falls they discontinued the models 40 and 45 which came in 30-30 and in 48/49 came out with the Stevens 325 which in turn became the Savage 340 in 1950. It was discontinued sometime in the mid 80's, most likely when Emhart took over the company. This isn't gospel, just what I gather from looking through my Savage catalogs.

I used to have one and put a period correct Boone scope on the factory drilled holes Savage made for the peep sights but I didn't keep it long after I picked up a Savage 170 pump action in 30-30, which was later sold for a model 170 in 35 Rem.

 
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Actually, come to think about it, any of the 325's and 340's made between 1949 and 1960 should have a date code on them as well. It's a small oval with a number and a letter stamped into the barrel or receiver.

A would be 1949, B 1950, etc...etc....
 
I have a 340c now that a fellow gunnut sent my way.
And while I don't know what I would want to use a bolt 3030 for when I have plenty of other rifles to do the same job and then reach out a little further, I haven't found it in me to sell it yet. With the short barrel, the irons line up perfectly to my eye.
I'm sure it will hit the road eventually, but it's a well built gun for the task it was designed to do.
 
The irons are amazing. I have a 51 340 in 30/30 with the Dockendorff rear sight which lines up better than any modern rifle. I also have a 53 with a Lyman model 40 peep it's an excellent 200 metre rifle. My last is a post 68 in 222 it has a longer barrel. I have period correct Weaver 4 power that is just awaiting period correct savage scope mount that is in the mail. Great rifles. Check out merit rambling vs for a cmpletd history. The CIL 830 is the same rifle.
 
If in good shape the Savage 340 is a great, accurate rifle. You need a side mount for a scope. The advantage of the box magazine is that you can use pointed bullets.
 
The Savage 340 makes the .30-30 sing and dance. Outstanding accuracy, usually. Been kicking myself for about 40 years or more that I didn't buy the one I saw in an Eaton's warehouse store. Supposed to have been made from 1950 to 1985.
 
This morning I saw two 340's and one 325 at the Renfrew Gun Show. The nicest of the 3, one of the 340's, was also the least expensive ($275 firm). It was for sale by a knife dealer who frequents these shows. Funny how that works eh? The side mount scope issue is the only reason I didn't come home with it.
 
Thanks for the info so far. Sounds like a neat little gun. I may have to keep an eye out for one... But what about the side mount for a scope, there are no 'normal' ways to mount a scope then? Do the side mounts require drilling and tapping? are they hard to find?

Thanks
 
Side mounts are easy to find; Weaver still makes them.
Depending on the age of the rifle, it MAY have to be d&t'd.
I have had two of these rifles; they work well. They are a split receiver bridge design, hence the side mount. Keep in mind, the scope sits directly above the bore; unlike sidemounts for, say, Model 94 Winchesters. If someone just handed you one, it would take a minute to notice the side mount.
Why someone would turn down one of these rifles because they use a side mount is a mystery to me.
 
Maddog. No it sits above the wood. The peeps sit on the top two rear holes above the scope holes. They are very hard to find. Williams also makes a peep and it is still in stock. Williams 340. It is different from the lyman 40 in that the peep is forward of the mounting point. Both fit skinner apertures. When you remove the aperture the screw hole is .200 night site peep.
 
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