Savage Single Shot Firearms > Savage 219 Single Shot Rifles
219 "wildcat"rechambers, rebores, and relines
Mike Armstrong:
Garnett, I "finished" your book--actually I'll be coming back to it as often as I run across a reference to these guns, or see one for sale, etc. Good read: very glad you wrote it and I discovered it!
Another book that touches on the 219 is Frank de Haas' "Mr. Single Shot's Gunsmithing Idea Book," which has a (short) chapter on the 219. I don't have a copy--returned the copy my gunsmith loaned me years ago, and am working of my 72-year old memory, never a good source.
As I remember it, de Haas recommended some of the same maintenance and upgrading that you do. My own reaction is "ONLY do any of this stuff to a well-worn or already altered example"! Like land, they aren't makin' any more 219s or 220s!
They all deserve a glass reinforcement of the stock tang area, even the ones without cracks. Some need a careful stock refinish. I wouldn't reblue any that weren't already rusty or pitted. Some need sights (as close to original as you can find!) and some need "extra" holes plugged with plug screws.
Personally I went ahead and followed your advice about repainting the trigger guard on my 220 20 guage, and it looks good to my eye. Someday, once I know more about Savage stock finishes of the period, I'll refinish the stock of that shotgun, too.
De Haas mentions rechambering and "improving" of the 219. I remember him mentioning rechambering the Hornet to K-Hornet and .218 Mashburn, and I recently saw a Mashburn Bee chambered 219 for sale on either Gunbroker or GunsAmerica.
I think I remember him mentioning the .30-30 Ackley Improved as a possibility for the .30-30 version of the 219. I've seen one rechambered to .30-40 Krag (done to salvage a ruined .30-30 chamber; it worked very well), but never an AI.
He also mentioned a .25-20 "Improved" called the .255 Deane, I think. I've never seen one of those, and would rather just use a .22 Hornet if I need something "hotter" than a .25-20 WHV equivalent load. De Haas didn't see any alternative chamber for a .32-20 219 (if you can even find one!).
Anybody else seen "wildcat" 219s? I'd be interested to see if anyone has rechambered a Hornet to .219 Zipper or a .25-20 to .25-35, although I have reservations about both of those conversions.
My general take on these little single shots is "If you're lucky enough to have a nice one, leave it the heck alone!". If I had a 220 in 12 guage, I'd probably add a "Four Tenner," or a "Guage Mate" in .410 or 20 guage to it. 12 guage single shots, whatever the make, really do "Back Up" on you!
Garnett:
Mike, I have a book by de Haas printed in 1969. It does not have any Savage single shots in it. I checked with Amazon and they have some used copies of the one you mention, "starting at $80.00". I checked another site and they are even higher. That is a little steep for me at this time. I paid $1.88 cents for the one I have years ago. :-) I agree with you...I would not do anything to a good rifle as far as rechambering goes. I don't even shoot the ones I have. However, if barrels were plentiful, a .30-40 would be nice. A Hornet could be rebored to the calibers you mention plus maybe the .22 Remington Jet. A .25-20 could be changed to .25-35 and the .32-20 to .32-40. A reader of my says he is planning on getting a shot gun barrel and lining it to a different caliber. You could have lots of old Wincherster center fire calibers with that..... .38-55 or .40-65 or .45-70. I have several of the "Four Tenner" sets. I have not tried them. I have seen at least 2 "Zipper" conversions. I just checked the Numrich parts site. They list lots of barrels but the only one in stock, M219, a 20" 20 Gauge with 3" chamber for $71.75. I see lots of barrels on Gunbroker. A .410 barrel could possibly be relined to one of the smaller calibers. Merry Christmas!
Mike Armstrong:
Yeah, I looked at that price for the de Haas "Gunsmithing Ideas" book and backed right off! But apparently you can get a E-book version cheap, so I'm going to have my wife (our media genius) see if she can get me one.
I'd worry about reboring the .25-20 to .25-35 unless you handload. The .25-20 twist is for 60-86 gr bullets and they work OK with 87 gr. as long as they aren't too long-for-caliber. The .25-35 is for 87-117 gr. bullets. I would consider getting a shot-out .30-30 relined to .25-35, but not sure what I'd use it for....
Once had a beat-up 220B in 12 guage relined by a friend to the wildcat .35-30, a .358 on a necked-up .30-30 case favored in the past by cast bullet shooters. It was very accurate with both cast and jacketed bullets (even 158 gr. .357 magnum bullets) and a nice, if a bit unwieldy, rifle.
Unlike you, I'm not a gun collector....horrified my collector friends by taking an unfired 2nd model Colt "Sport Woodsman" out of the factory wrapping paper and running a couple of hundred rounds through it! It shot as well as the factory target showed. If I get a gun, I shoot it.
The "Four-Tenner" works great, by the way, if you like .410s. I do.
Garnett:
You remind me of a very good friend. Years ago he purchased a limited edition S&W large frame revolver in .45 Long Colt. Took it out the next day and shot it! But I agree with you, they are made to shoot. I have an old Colt .22 auto in the original box with all the papers. It has been shot, but not by me. :-) I will start looking for the de Hass book at used book stores, garage sales, etc. I would like to have it.
Mike Armstrong:
Garnett, I found the article I mentioned earlier in one of Frank de Haas' books. It was originally printed in the December 1962 issue of "Shooting Times" as one of a long series on single shot rifles and actions. It is on pages 24-26, and gives a brief history and appreciation/evaluation of the 219, mechanical disassembly and assembly instructions, and the remarks on rechambering I mentioned above. A couple of photos, too.
One thing of interest is that he regarded the 219s as strong enough to rechamber to .30-40, but advised against it because of the recoil of that cartridge in a rifle as light as a 219. I say "Amen" to that, but note that a friend of mine in Idaho used a 219 rechambered to .30-40 for many years as his meat deer and elk rifle and never had a problem with recoil with factory 180 gr Remington ammo. Of course he only fired 2 or 3 a year, and always at game. If you are as good a hunter as he was, "firepower" is not a factor!
Let me know if you are interested in seeing this de Haas article. I'll try to make copies; if that doesn't work, I'll mail you the magazine. I'm aware that is an antique way of trading information but I guess where data transfer is concerned, I'M an antique!
Regards,
Mike Armstrong
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