Why so much hate on the savage 64!
- Thread starter Domino2013
- Start date
Actually The 64 design came under Winchester ownership of Cooey. The Lakefield MkIII is very very close to a 64 that uses MkII magazines.
Any idea why the the 64 was the one that was continued and not the Mark III? I've seen Mossberg associated with the Mark III in some other places, but I'm not sure what the relationship between Cooey/Winchester, Mossberg, and Lakefield was.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
If you wiggle or twist you absolutely can F it up.
Travis Bickle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Upper Lower Middle Alberta
My wife used to actually work at Savage Arms in Lakefield Ontario many years back.
She was there as a builder for about 4 years.
She has said over and over, that the 64 model was one of the biggest pieces of s**t they ever put out. Whenever a rifle would come back for warranty it was a 50/50 chance that it would be a 64 lol
She said one of the common problems was the trigger would shear off at the pivot pin. That, and constant problems with the bolt, firing pin, feeding issues etc etc
Oddly enough the Savage MKII is probably one of the most reliable and accurate off the shelf .22 LR bolt guns ever made. Savage is a real hit and misser!
She was there as a builder for about 4 years.
She has said over and over, that the 64 model was one of the biggest pieces of s**t they ever put out. Whenever a rifle would come back for warranty it was a 50/50 chance that it would be a 64 lol
She said one of the common problems was the trigger would shear off at the pivot pin. That, and constant problems with the bolt, firing pin, feeding issues etc etc
Oddly enough the Savage MKII is probably one of the most reliable and accurate off the shelf .22 LR bolt guns ever made. Savage is a real hit and misser!
A Cooey 64B was my first rifle, loved it, still have it. Is it my most accurate? No. Is it reliable? Absolutely. Is it a pain to clean? Well, yes to do thoroughly you have to remove the bolt which means your scope is likely not centered any longer. You could blast it out with brake cleaner, etc without removing the barrel. Designs like the Mossberg 151 mean you can remove the bolt out the back end for a thorough cleaning without disturbing zero.
I haven't shot the old 64 for a long time. Maybe should do that next weekend.
I haven't shot the old 64 for a long time. Maybe should do that next weekend.
The 64 came under Winchester's ownership of Cooey. Cooey (Coburg) closed and 64 production continued in Lakefield. I'm not as familiar with Lakefield's manufacturing history, and embarrassed to say it as it's only about an hour away. I know my Mossberg 500 was made in Lakefield. Perhaps Mossberg had rights to manufacture the MkIII, and Savage didn't? Lakefield made both MkIII and 64's, but I've seen way more 64s. Savage bought the Lakefield plant and continue with the MkI, MkII, and 64.
And the Mossberg is tube fed which is an inherently more trouble free system than a detachable magazine .
Last edited:
I had a 64FSS, 100x the rifle the pos remington 597 it replaced was. At 50 yards it shot 1.5" groups with CCI Blazer and cycled without issue with that ammo. It didn't like hollow points at all though. the only thing I didn't like about the rifle was the short stock..
Not to go off topic, as I've already posted my positive experience with the 64. However, I have as well posted my positive experience with the 597. Once the bolt is polished and debured, Mcarbo spring & VQ hammer.. she's a beaut!!!!!
Rossiter93
Regular
- Location
- Nova Scotia
I had one for all of two months. Damn thing jammed what seemed like every other round, with multiple types of ammo. Ended up selling it, still have my 10/22 and my Savage mkii.
BlackPowderBurner
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- the chesterfield
Cooey 64a was my first rifle, my Great Uncle gave it to me. I won my first shooting prize with it competing against far more experienced shooters using far fancier rifles. I'd never dream of getting rid of it for sentimental reasons but I wouldn't buy one off the shelf today. There are simply better designs out there IMO.
TriggerTime
Regular
- Location
- by da bay b'y
Like many others I've had issues with the rounds tipping forward and jamming. Spent some time filing and polishing, but that only helps so much.
Now I download the mags to 8 rounds and only use round nose bullets. Those mags are the big drawback with this rifle.
Other than that, it's as accurate as my 10/22, and even though several tools are required for stripping, I find manipulating the Ruger bolt more of a PITA when reassembling.
Now I download the mags to 8 rounds and only use round nose bullets. Those mags are the big drawback with this rifle.
Other than that, it's as accurate as my 10/22, and even though several tools are required for stripping, I find manipulating the Ruger bolt more of a PITA when reassembling.
Earlier iterations of the design used plastic magazines which did not work very well. I suspect that older guys with experience of those will never look again at the modern Savage 64. The 64 also lacks the appeal of extensive after market support for mods and upgrades. There are some mechanical upgrades available like the M-CARBO components but there's not the range of stocks and magazine and other bits that you have with the 10/22.
I've found the modern 64 to be well made and as accurate as I could want. I'm happy with mine and much prefer it to the one 10/22 that I've owned. I found the 10/22 to be overpriced with poor fit, finish, and reliability. I'd buy another 64 before I ever bought another 10/22.
I find the Marlin 60 and Marlin 795 to be reliable and entertaining little rifles.
I've owned a Remington 795 and found it to be accurate when it worked but unreliable overall. I sold it after replacing a plastic pin that fell out of and disappeared from the action during a range session.
The most entertaining 22 semiautos I have are my old Savage 6A and Stevens 87D. Given the choice, I'd buy more of those in almost any condition before buying another modern production semiauto.
Just some thoughts.
I've found the modern 64 to be well made and as accurate as I could want. I'm happy with mine and much prefer it to the one 10/22 that I've owned. I found the 10/22 to be overpriced with poor fit, finish, and reliability. I'd buy another 64 before I ever bought another 10/22.
I find the Marlin 60 and Marlin 795 to be reliable and entertaining little rifles.
I've owned a Remington 795 and found it to be accurate when it worked but unreliable overall. I sold it after replacing a plastic pin that fell out of and disappeared from the action during a range session.
The most entertaining 22 semiautos I have are my old Savage 6A and Stevens 87D. Given the choice, I'd buy more of those in almost any condition before buying another modern production semiauto.
Just some thoughts.
I adore th'64. First rimfire(30+years), and will always be a keeper. Have had quite a few pass through to. When it comes to a "new" gun; the last few pricechecks I did (few years ago) the 64 was 10 bucks less than a Rem597, and MORE than a Mar795... As nostalgic as I am, I'm equally frugal... No hate (wholelottalove64)
