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Savage 42 mods

Gatorgrizz27

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2020
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756
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888
Been wanting one of these for a little while, and a .22 WMR forever so when one popped up in that flavor at a reasonable price I snagged it. Bonus is that you can actually find ammo for it right now also, so I picked up 500 rounds.

https://www.savagearms.com/content?p...ummary&s=22440

First thing is getting rid of the plastic sights :shaking:, I ordered a scope mounting rail for the rear but haven’t decided what to put on it yet. Either a peep/ghost ring or some type of red dot most likely. The flat reflex style ones are interesting, but they all seem to be either $25 or $350 ish. Would prefer something in the $150-$200 ish range.

I’ll probably try to build a replacement barrel clamp/front sight mount from aluminum, and I’d like to get the .22 WMR barrel threaded for one of the cans I have coming. Hopefully the barrels thread into the breech block rather than being press fit.

There aren’t many decent options to carry ammo on the gun, so a stock pack will have to do for the time being. I’d also like to find one of the short .410 to .22 LR chamber adapters that’s rifled, but they are out of stock from the few places that make them. I can see it being handy to have an “accurate-ish” .22 LR ability for popping squirrels, and then being able to flip the hammer lever and reach out and smack something with the .22 WMR barrel.

Anybody messed with one of these or something similar?
 
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Was leaning towards just putting a 1-4 Leupold I have in the safe on and seeing how I like it, but this video made me realize it will be a pain in the butt. Not just dealing with the hammer under the scope, but the barrel selector as well.

https://youtu.be/urD6BvvhNkM

Back to the red dot or peep sight route, wish there was something like a budget Elcan Specter knockoff, a 1/4 switch power would be sweet on this. Don’t think I want to deal with a separate magnifier.
 
Have you shot it and determined it’s actually accurate enough to improve? My 42 in .22lr/.410 isn’t very impressive. Maybe it’s the plastic sights.
 
pdangerp said:
Have you shot it and determined it’s actually accurate enough to improve? My 42 in .22lr/.410 isn’t very impressive. Maybe it’s the plastic sights.
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Nope, haven’t even picked it up yet. My FFL called this afternoon to let me know a can I’d ordered had come in. I told him there were a few more things headed his way and I’d be down there when it all arrived. :laughing:

I did handle one a local shop had in .22 LR. I’m considering this a 100 yard fox/coyote/hog gun, if it does a 2 1/2” group that far it will be plenty. I just can’t deal with plastic sights, so I’m going to do something about it.

Wish somebody made a 3x prism scope with decent eye relief, but it may not be possible. I’ve looked at some scout scopes but I’m not sure I can mount it far enough forward to make them work. Burris has a 1-6x with an illuminated reticle that’s interesting but I want something simple on this gun.

No no real luck on the .22LR adapter besides somebody in AK that makes one for the .22 WMR chamber. I did order some subsonic ammo which will make a decent squirrel popping round with the boys.
 
I have a seventies vintage savage 22lr - 20ga. Other than cleaning it up I have just shot it and left it alone.

It's a great grouse and squirel gun. The scope mount setup is different from the new ones.
 
M92PV4U said:
were you actually able to get in touch with them?
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Haven’t tried yet as I’d still prefer something that goes in the .410 barrel. Chaszel makes an 18” rifled one that is out of stock, but they might be going out of business seeing how 95% of their inventory is gone. Yes, I’m aware of the panic buying, but that seems extreme for single shot stuff.
 
pdangerp said:
Doesn’t vortex make a 3x sparq prism scope?
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They do, the Burris 3x RT-3 prism is interesting as well, but only has 2 1/2” eye relief. I’d prefer something with much more for using the shotgun but haven’t found it.

Apparently it’s going to be awhile before I get my hands on it still, guy emailed me this afternoon asking for my FFL info again. Talked to him a week and a half ago, sent him an email with it, wrote it on the back of the envelope the money order was in, he still can’t figure it out. Damn Yankees. :shaking:

Oh, and USPS apparently “lost” the stock pack and ammo speed strips I ordered.
 
Gatorgrizz27 said:
Haven’t tried yet as I’d still prefer something that goes in the .410 barrel. Chaszel makes an 18” rifled one that is out of stock, but they might be going out of business seeing how 95% of their inventory is gone. Yes, I’m aware of the panic buying, but that seems extreme for single shot stuff.
Click to expand...

I tried to contact them a couple of years ago but couldn't get ahold of them. Someday I'd like to get a sub caliber device to fire 32acp in my 30-30 just to have.
 
pdangerp said:
OP, Did you get this yet?
Click to expand...

Yeah, a couple weeks ago it showed up. More incompetence by the FFL dealer who did the transfer for me.

So far, I’ve only got two rounds through it dispatching a coon for a buddy’s mom, which is the sort of stuff I wanted it for. The stock pack and speed strips I ordered seem like a great way to carry ammo on it, and I like how short and light it is.

No optic yet, as I haven’t been able to find exactly what I’ve been wanting. I’d really like a 3-4x fixed magnification with a longer eye relief, ideally with some type of illuminated dot. I think that would be the best compromise to allow 50 yard head shots on squirrels as well as running/jumping/ flying things up close.

All the prism scopes have < 2” eye relief, and I’m not sure I can mount a scout scope far enough forward to work properly, even with a cantilever mount. I’ll probably mount the rail and then mess with a red dot and 1-4x scope I’ve got in the safe to see what I can come up with.

As far as the ability to shoot .22LR, I’ve found people claiming that a .22 WMR case with the back filed down works well as an adapter. The subsonic ammo I found also works well to take some of the noise, but I’d like to figure out how to get the barrel threaded for my can.
 
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