Need advise on Savage 42 O/U .22/410... A young man is wanting a Christmas gift

[padawan]

My Son is looking at a Savage O/U .22/410 to squirrel hunt, etc... He is a decent shot with his 10/22 but the 20G is a little too much still.

We were thinking of a bolt .22 but the Savage seems like a good compromise of .22 and 410.

So, what are your thoughts on the Savage 24? Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[planedriver]

The Savage is a good gun but somewhat limited esp in .410. It sounds like he already has access to a .22.

Have you considered a 20 gauge gas operated gun like an 1100 remington? They tend to have little recoil and are pretty versatile not to mention the price of shells is about half that of .410.

 

[indiucky]

My Son is looking at a Savage O/U .22/410 to squirrel hunt, etc... He is a decent shot with his 10/22 but the 20G is a little too much still.

We were thinking of a bolt .22 but the Savage seems like a good compromise of .22 and 410.

So, what are your thoughts on the Savage 24? Any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Ny thoughts on the Savage 24 are it is an excellent weapon....On the Savage 42????? Not so much an excellent weapon...Too much plastic and compromise to keep it affordable...If this is the route you are wanting to go I would peruse gunbroker and try to find a late 60's to late 70's model 24...He will keep it a lifetime and it will provide a lifetime of service...He will never outgrow it...

 

[M67]

Ny thoughts on the Savage 24 are it is an excellent weapon....On the Savage 42????? Not so much an excellent weapon...Too much plastic and compromise to keep it affordable...If this is the route you are wanting to go I would peruse gunbroker and try to find a late 60's to late 70's model 24...He will keep it a lifetime and it will provide a lifetime of service...He will never outgrow it...

I feel the same.

the 42 seems too "survival-y" for my liking. The 24 was build like a woods guns. And the fit and finish were generally better

 

[padawan]

My thoughts too about the 1100. He is wanting a O/U though... If not a Savage 24 or 42 then what for a .22/410 O/U?

Thanks guys.

 

[451_Detonics]

You might consider a 28 gauge as well. I have a Stoeger SXS with 20 gauge and 28 gauge barrel sets and it is a very nice shooting shotgun. Both barrels have screw in chokes.

 

[Claddagh]

The only other .22/.410 O/U rigs sold in any significant numbers over the past decade or two that I can recall are the Springfield M6 (again, probaby "too 'survially') and a wood-and-steel Baikal (model number escapes me right now) briefly imported by EAA.

When I was a boy the Savage 24 was a very desirable and much-coveted piece. Lots of us were avid small game hunters then, some primarily for recreation but many from necessity. Since most of us in the latter category could afford to have but one firearm, the Savage was the most all-around practical tool available. The advent of the 20 ga. option did a great deal towards making quail, woodcock and even the then-rare in SW MO ringneck a much more frequent entree, though. IMO, this was due at least as much to the more 'open' choke and 'shorter' shot string of the 20 ga. as it was to the increased shot load.

Another plus was that the .22 portion was noted for its consistently high order of accuracy. Even with the stock open irons, head shots on squirrels, cottontails and assorted varmints out to around 50 yds could be made quite handily if the shooter's eyes and skills were up to it.

I've only handled one example of the new M42. Being an old Geezer, I must admit that it didn't exactly impress me the way the older M24s did, but until I've shot one I can't really weigh in on its potential as a practical working tool. But I do have to admit that when its price is compared to what a decent condition used M24 will command, it gets a lot more attractive.

 

[Claddagh]

The only other .22/.410 O/U rigs sold in any significant numbers over the past decade or two that I can recall are the Springfield M6 (again, probaby "too survivally") and a wood-and-steel Baikal (model number escapes me right now) briefly imported by EAA.

When I was a boy the Savage 24 was a very desirable and much-coveted piece. Lots of us were avid small game hunters then, some primarily for recreation but many from necessity. Since most of us in the latter category could afford to have but one firearm, the Savage was the most all-around practical tool available. The advent of the 20 ga. option did a great deal towards making quail, woodcock and even the then-rare in SW MO ringneck a much more frequent entree, though. IMO, this was due at least as much to the more 'open' choke and 'shorter' shot string of the 20 ga. as it was to the increased shot load.

Another plus was that the .22 portion was noted for its consistently high order of accuracy. Even with the stock open irons, head shots on squirrels, cottontails and assorted varmints out to around 50 yds could be made quite handily if the shooter's eyes and skills were up to it.

I've only handled one example of the new M42. Being an old Geezer, I must admit that it didn't exactly inspire me the way the older M24s did, but until I've shot one I can't really weigh in on its potential as a practical working tool. But I do have to admit that when its price is compared to what a decent condition used M24 will command, it gets a lot more attractive.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

As a kid I bought a 24C (.22/20ga.) after reading Survival Guns by Uncle Mel . . . 1980 I think. It was worth every yard I mowed.

Still have it. I know some consider them feckless by I liked my 24C. I added a sling and a butt cuff. I think it a worthy choice.

But . . . does he like it? That is the controlling question.

EDIT: found a picture of it. I use it as a slide in my CLE seminars.

Circa 1981, purchased at Galyan's Plainfied--

 

[knobcreeknut]

I have a savage 42 that I won at a FNRA event this summer. My son and I finally took it out a couple of weeks ago. He is 8 and quite an accomplished rifle and pistol shooter, but this was his first shot with a shotgun. The rifle shot well, acceptable 50 yard groups. I didn't really put much effort into it. The sights are not great, but he was able to make offhand shots on a squirrel target at 20 yards with about 60% hit rate. ( said he would rather have peepsights) The hammer was too hard for him to cock. The barrel selector worked easily and was easy for him to manipulate. The manual extractor really annoyed him. The weight was easy for him to handle.

The shotgun was disappointing. The choke was not listed that i saw. If there is something larger than cylinder, it has it. We checked the pattern on a 11x 17 target with a zombie on it. At 10 yards we had no pellet in the zombie after 3 rounds. The spread was atrocious. It was so bad I think I could have had a tighter pattern with shotshells out of the 22. I finally kept moving forward until i got what May have a chance at killing a squirrel. It was about 3-4 yards. I inspected the bore expecting to find a muzzle that had not been deburred or some major issue but found nothing that would be an apparent cause. We packed up and I haven't had a chance to run anything else through it. I was using Winchester 2 1/2" # 6. My son did enjoy shooting it though. Hopefully I can find the issue with the patterning. If not it will be going to savage for evaluation.

Hopefully this helps.

 

[Zoub]

The last thing you want with .410 is an open choke. Frankly, Full with 3" ammo is best because now you have some effective killing range. You may miss close shots but overall you will have less cripples. The fact is a kid is going to shoot at bunnies and squirrels with it. Most of the time these targets will be running and running away. While .410 means a lot less hits for a beginner, Full or Modified choke will increase the odds due to such a small and tall shot column. Choice of gauge is secondary to fit. A small framed person shooting a larger gauge gun that fits, like a youth 20 gauge, will shoot better then anyone using a .410 that is too long for them. The youth gun in a larger gauge will also equate to less felt recoil and pain.

I think to run a gun that can't pattern or kill out to 30 yards is not a good choice for beginners and I never do it myself.

 

[dak109]

The Savage 24 I have is heavy, and has a long length of pull. Make sure it will fit your child. Or he may not use it as much as he thinks he will. They are great guns if you can have only one. I got mine for Christmas at age 12, I was big for my age and still didn't like packing it around the woods. And the long length of pull took some adjusting to when wearing extra layers in the cold.

 

[indiucky]

As a kid I bought a 24C (.22/20ga.) after reading Survival Guns by Uncle Mel . . . 1980 I think. It was worth every yard I mowed.

Still have it. I know some consider them feckless by I liked my 24C. I added a sling and a butt cuff. I think it a worthy choice.

But . . . does he like it? That is the controlling question.

EDIT: found a picture of it. I use it as a slide in my CLE seminars.

Circa 1981, purchased at Galyan's Plainfied--

My little Earth Muffin Hippie cousin lives in Earth Muffin Hippie Central Southern New Hampshire and got married a month or so ago.....I had two 24C's and I wanted to give them a gun for their wedding that would appeal to their "Back to Earth" lifestyle and not hurt their Liberal sensibilities...I brought the gun in, put it on the books, and shipped it to their local FFL......

They got it and love it!!! They use the .22 to keep the "Weasels out of the hen house" and her new husband is looking at supplementing their meals from the Hippie garden with some squirrel/rabbit meat.....I kept the one like yours (straight stock/one shot shell in the buttstock) and sometimes keep it behind the seat of the truck when I am going down to the farm...They really are neat little weapons....

How did you attach your sling?

Didn't the ACLU sue to have LEO's stop using "Butt Cuffs" after the "Beyonce Incident" in 2012?