I just picked up this bolt action 16 gauge shotgun and wanted to know if anyone can pass on some history about these old bolt action shotguns from Savage? Like when were they made, I'm assuming 1950 or earlier? The end of the stock on the one I got has been painted black to look like it has an ebony tip, was this standard, or did someone just try to dress it up? I plan to strip down the stock and refinish it, looking for a kickpad of that era in good shape. The raised sight on the bolt is interesting, I have not shot it yet, but it looks like it would make you shoot high?

not worth over 25.00

Don't loose the magazine/clip, it will cost you more to replace it that the shotgun is worth. My dad had a bolt action 16 and he loved it. Mine was a side by side and I loved it as well.
The old shotgun probably isn't worth a whole lot but in a pinch I'd rather have it than a knife.

I'm on my 7th coat of wet sanding Tung Oil into the wood and I hope I can capture the beauty of the wood with a camera to post an "after" picture on this site. This gun has some of the best looking wood of any gun I have or have seen. The piture of it before I started only gives a hint of the quality/beauty of the wood under that old finish.

I'm not sure how or even if I was the one to post the other picture of the Savage 58. I've uploaded a single picture of it now that it has been refinished and a picture of it with some other 16 gauge bolt action shotguns that I've also refinished. If you can see it, the Savage is in the middle.


[img]http://http://www.huntingnut.com/index.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&pid=1450

[img]http://http://www.huntingnut.com/index.php?name=coppermine&file=displayimage&pid=1451[/img]

who says you cannot teach an old dog aaah something ???

When you lose the rest of the gun, be sure to send me the clip... I have one just like yours that belonged to an uncle...minus the clip!

Moose, that is a good looking stock there, good work!

Good Weapon .Those bolts can make a good slug gun

whittling wrote:

Those bolts can make a good slug gun

Ok Whittlin'...ya got me mate...I'll bite....what do you mean?

Cheers, Vince

Whittlin" is right. A decent bolt shotgun can easily be converted to a gun specializing in shooting slugs. In many areas, shotgun slugs are the only allowable weapon for deer. The bolt guns can be shortened, decent sights added, scopes can be more easily mounted if wanted and the triggers are a lot easier to work on for a nice crisp pull. I have made a couple nice slug guns from 12-gauge bolt guns that shot the conventional lead slugs quite acceptably. Of course, these are generally not real efficient using the more modern sabot type slugs meant for rifled-shotgun barrels, but lead slugs are a lot cheaper to shoot too.

Being from Illinois = shotgun slug only state (no rifle deer hunting). I would recommend getting a shotgun built for the task rather than doing all the modifications to one of the old bolt actions. I got one on GunBroker.com for $300, that had everything with it, the stock was a little rough, so I refinished it, and now I have a great Marlin 512 Slugmaster bolt action shotgun, 21" fully rifled barrel, rifle sights, 2 round box mag + a spare, hardwood stock with sling studs, 14" LOP, and Tasco 2.5x20 fixed power shotgun scope. Apparently they made these Marlins with a light colored Maple. I considered staining it, but I would have lost the beautiful grain and when I conisdered the second part of hunting deer in Illinois that requires the hunter to wear a blaze orange hat and 400 sq inch blaze orange upper outer garment, I kept the natural color. If I hunt near a corn field, I'll have to be extra careful not to lay it down.

Yep....nothing wrong with getting one or those or even the newer generation models, but sometimes it's just fun to do it yourself. Really not much else the old bolt-guns are good for anyway since most people want pumps or autos in repeaters anymore.