Post by supersporter40 on Sept 30, 2008 9:17:05 GMT -5
Going back 14 years or so to the spring of 1994 you would have found me up to my elbows in junk, sifting through the barn and my Grampa's little workshop. He had just lost his battle with cancer and I was having a hard time with that so like I always did when I was little, digging around in the old barn that built in `37 looking at all the "stuff" was the way I dealt with it at the time.
While cleaning off the bench by the old flywheel drill press, I found numerous trays. As usual they were full of bent rusty nails. To me they were junk but from someone who experienced the hungry thirties you did not dare throw them away!
It was in one of these trays I found a small centerfire cartridge like I had never seen before. At last a gold mine! ;D
It was a short blunt nosed little rimmed case. Head stamped WRA Co. and 32-20 WCF. The bullet jacket is silver in color and it had a blunt lead nose. Even at 18 I had already loved anything to do with guns for 14 years so I stashed it in my pocket wondering what kind of rifle could have ever existed on the farm to fire such a "shell".
Before Grampa bought the farm from my Gramma's Dad through the Verteran Land Act, Gramma's brothers, all five of them frequented the farm often as they lived nearby. One in particular, Leif, always loved to hunt and trap. I suspect it was he who left that cartridge there for me to find one day and as you will see, I may have even gotten the right rifle to replace which ever one he may have had so chambered. After finding a bunch of other spent casings around the farm homestead, over 60 of them from 6 or so different rifles I decided to sell my stash of semi modern rifles in order to fund getting all the old babies that used to be used around here. An exciting new quest with a neat twist, let the old cases from the field tell me what guns to get. Not many seek guns that way! ;D
The 32WCF from the barn was the only one to be found for that specific chambering. I thought I could get an 1892 Winchester but after seeing some of Leif's pictures I knew he loved his Savage rifle's so I looked into them to see if anything would match. Lo and behold there was a little bolt action made from 1928 until roughly 1942 called the 23C or simply a Savage sporter. It was a simple little rifle built like the model 19 in design meant to get teh job done without being too fancy about it. I was sold, but where to find one?
I searched for quite some time. They are quite common State side but up here not so much and if they are they do not have condition as they have been a "truck gun". One came up for sale on Gun Broker and although it was $100 overpriced I figured I have wasted a lot more than that on something before, so I bought it. ;D Here is what it looked like before shipping.
Sadly during shipping it was banged up, the front sight busted off and several heavy dents added to the stock. Thank goodness no cracks. It is by far my favorite that I got from that shipment of five.
I'm not posting this to cry and whine so let's just leave that be for now. It is still being sorted out.
Finding projectiles for it has proven to be a bit interesting. The bore is approx .309" if memory serves and like a mirror. I tried the 123gr Hornady spitzer for the 7.62x39 over 10gr of H110 for the first load and was pleasantly suprised. This little gun can shoot. Velocities were a bit deviant but it certainly shot well. Considering my redneck setup for shooting that day (forgot my rest) it shot very well at 100yds. The far right strike was the first shot before I drifted the replacement front sight to it's proper position. the last shot fired was a flyer high to the right but the other four did very well. Keep in mind that was at 100yds with the iron sights.
This rifle is the later more rare version built circa 1932-34. Improved magazine and release and the round forend are the obvious changes during this time.
You will notice the three tapped holes in the top of the receiver. That was for a Savage NRA aperture sight. The horseshoe proved it's worth again and I scored in finding this very rare little sight on Gun Broker. With detent adjustment for elevation and windage I am really looking forward to trying it out.
I got the sight just in time for the history display my Aunt and I did for the Community where we grew up. I had roughly 19 firearms there, all having been used there. As a neat final find related to this rifle, I also located an old magazine from 1927 called Hunter-Trader-Trapper. It had been given to my Great Uncle Leif from Martin Arneson, the local trapper and mentor to all the kids of the area. I was thumbing through it loking for a Krag ad to scan for history display. Look at what I found!
This is a Savage 23 ad that had the info request filled out by Leif. It is clearly his handwriting. So after the shot in the dark at what gun he had for this caliber this may be the right one after all. I could not be happier.
Hope you enjoyed this step into one crazy kid's quest for another toy.
While cleaning off the bench by the old flywheel drill press, I found numerous trays. As usual they were full of bent rusty nails. To me they were junk but from someone who experienced the hungry thirties you did not dare throw them away!
It was in one of these trays I found a small centerfire cartridge like I had never seen before. At last a gold mine! ;D
It was a short blunt nosed little rimmed case. Head stamped WRA Co. and 32-20 WCF. The bullet jacket is silver in color and it had a blunt lead nose. Even at 18 I had already loved anything to do with guns for 14 years so I stashed it in my pocket wondering what kind of rifle could have ever existed on the farm to fire such a "shell".
Before Grampa bought the farm from my Gramma's Dad through the Verteran Land Act, Gramma's brothers, all five of them frequented the farm often as they lived nearby. One in particular, Leif, always loved to hunt and trap. I suspect it was he who left that cartridge there for me to find one day and as you will see, I may have even gotten the right rifle to replace which ever one he may have had so chambered. After finding a bunch of other spent casings around the farm homestead, over 60 of them from 6 or so different rifles I decided to sell my stash of semi modern rifles in order to fund getting all the old babies that used to be used around here. An exciting new quest with a neat twist, let the old cases from the field tell me what guns to get. Not many seek guns that way! ;D
The 32WCF from the barn was the only one to be found for that specific chambering. I thought I could get an 1892 Winchester but after seeing some of Leif's pictures I knew he loved his Savage rifle's so I looked into them to see if anything would match. Lo and behold there was a little bolt action made from 1928 until roughly 1942 called the 23C or simply a Savage sporter. It was a simple little rifle built like the model 19 in design meant to get teh job done without being too fancy about it. I was sold, but where to find one?
I searched for quite some time. They are quite common State side but up here not so much and if they are they do not have condition as they have been a "truck gun". One came up for sale on Gun Broker and although it was $100 overpriced I figured I have wasted a lot more than that on something before, so I bought it. ;D Here is what it looked like before shipping.
Sadly during shipping it was banged up, the front sight busted off and several heavy dents added to the stock. Thank goodness no cracks. It is by far my favorite that I got from that shipment of five.
I'm not posting this to cry and whine so let's just leave that be for now. It is still being sorted out.
Finding projectiles for it has proven to be a bit interesting. The bore is approx .309" if memory serves and like a mirror. I tried the 123gr Hornady spitzer for the 7.62x39 over 10gr of H110 for the first load and was pleasantly suprised. This little gun can shoot. Velocities were a bit deviant but it certainly shot well. Considering my redneck setup for shooting that day (forgot my rest) it shot very well at 100yds. The far right strike was the first shot before I drifted the replacement front sight to it's proper position. the last shot fired was a flyer high to the right but the other four did very well. Keep in mind that was at 100yds with the iron sights.
This rifle is the later more rare version built circa 1932-34. Improved magazine and release and the round forend are the obvious changes during this time.
You will notice the three tapped holes in the top of the receiver. That was for a Savage NRA aperture sight. The horseshoe proved it's worth again and I scored in finding this very rare little sight on Gun Broker. With detent adjustment for elevation and windage I am really looking forward to trying it out.
I got the sight just in time for the history display my Aunt and I did for the Community where we grew up. I had roughly 19 firearms there, all having been used there. As a neat final find related to this rifle, I also located an old magazine from 1927 called Hunter-Trader-Trapper. It had been given to my Great Uncle Leif from Martin Arneson, the local trapper and mentor to all the kids of the area. I was thumbing through it loking for a Krag ad to scan for history display. Look at what I found!
This is a Savage 23 ad that had the info request filled out by Leif. It is clearly his handwriting. So after the shot in the dark at what gun he had for this caliber this may be the right one after all. I could not be happier.
Hope you enjoyed this step into one crazy kid's quest for another toy.