Savage 1914 Restoration

For most of my life trips to the gun range were arguably an expedition. Given the travel time there and back was on the order of three hours, we felt compelled to make sure we spent more time shooting than driving to make the trip worthwhile. As a result, a small arsenal of pistols and rifles along with all the supporting gear was dutifully loaded into the truck first thing in the morning.

Inevitably, after working our way through the larger calibers, we would settle in for the longest part of our stay at the 22 range, plinking away at metal targets with an assortment of bolt action, semiauto, falling block, pump, and lever guns. It’s probably no wonder that over a third of the arms in my cabinet have cartridge designations starting with 22 (the next most populous is 45).

I am less compelled to take a large array of firearms to the range now that I live much closer, but there’s almost always at least one 22 in the bag during my more frequent trips. So, while one might be inclined to argue against my need for another 22 rifle (notably my wife), I was motivated to pick up a project gun in the form of a Savage Model 1914. Savage produced the Model ’14 from 1914 until 1926.

The records are sketchy, so these numbers are based on what I have been able to find but not validate: some 50,000 model 1914 rifles were produced starting at serial number 1000. The ’14 was derived from the Savage model 1903, the same year Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved manned flight. By 1903 Savage was an established player in the affordable 22 caliber takedown-rifle market.

The 1903 incorporated an untraditional pump action (lever and Top: The as-received model 1914 had a missing stock but is otherwise in good shape. bolt actions were dominant) paired with a seven-shot magazine and a 24" octagonal barrel. Savage marketed the model 1903 with spare magazines as the most efficient design for "rapidity of fire", perhaps a desirable feature at the time. This rifle began two decades of redefining the 22 rimfire rifle market. A model 1909 made a brief appearance with a 20" barrel.

The model 1914 returned to the 24" octagonal barrel, a redesigned slide mechanism, much longer slide handle, and a tubular magazine. The tubular magazine holds twenty 22 Short, seventeen 22 Long, or fifteen 22 Long Rifle cartridges. The stock had a more pronounced pistol grip and a much flatter and more modern style steel buttplate. Options included upgraded slide handles, checkered stocks, and engraved markings. The receiver tang even came fitted for a tang sight.

Early models had a single 1906 patent date with a disclaimer: "other patents pending". Later models listed four patent dates, indicating Savage’s focused effort to innovate in the .22 caliber market. Not surprisingly, the Model 1914 was replaced by the Model 1925 before Savage settled into the Model 1929 which was produced (with ongoing changes) until 1967. My 1914 project is based on a late model production; I think 1924 or 1925 based on the serial number and the fact it has all four patent dates listed.

The stock was missing but the rest of the parts appeared to be intact, including the stock screw. I have seen references to missing or broken stocks for all the rifles in this family, leading me to speculate that the thin side panels at the front of the stock were prone to breakage. The general finish was fair to good, the front and rear sights looked very good—alas, there was no tang sight, but at least the plug screws were in place.

The barrel looked a bit questionable; the rifling appeared to be intact but either rounded or just crudded up and the crown appeared undamaged with

The bolt can be easily removed from the receiver in this position. later inspection revealing the barrel was in good shape with clean rifling. The action cycled roughly and suffered from periodic hangups. After taking the frame down it was apparent the gun had not been cleaned and oiled in some time, although it did not have any evident rust and the internals moved with some coaxing. With that inspection complete the to my shop. The first order of business was disassembly, cleaning, and inspection.

Step one: assure the chamber and loading tube is clear of any rounds. These guns have an operating lock release located at the lower right-hand corner of the receiver face. Lifting this lever releases the action from battery allowing the bolt to travel back when the hammer is cocked (if the hammer is down the operating lock is disengaged). Cycle the action all the way back to assure the hammer is fully cocked and verify the chamber and the loading tube are free of any ammunition.

Now advance the slide until the bolt is about open (this is more important when it comes time to reassemble) and remove the takedown screw. Note the takedown screw is not retained in the frame. With the rear portion of the frame on top, gently rotate it away from the front portion of the frame. Next, remove the bolt assembly by lifting it free from the operating bar. Keep track of the firing pin stop pin which is located on the lower rear portion of the bolt.

This pin may be loose enough to fall from the bolt and its small size makes it hard to find. Removal of the pin (under more controlled circumstances) can be easily achieved with a 1/16" punch if needed. The firing pin will slide free towards the back of the bolt. Remove the magazine tube plunger by depressing the knurled release at the front of the front of the assembly and pulling the plunger from the tube. This completes the level of disassembly for routine cleaning.

Be sure to include a light grease on the lifter mechanism after cleaning as these parts need to move smoothly to void jamming. If further disassembly of the bolt is warranted, the extractor can be removed by drifting out the retaining pin in the bolt. It is important to hold the extractor in place as the pin is removed, lest the very tiny extractor spring launches into the deep recesses of the shop. Most models have aside mounted ejector visible when the bolt is closed.

Early models had atop mounted ejector, but the removal process is the same. Replacing the extractor Far

requires aligning the pin holes in the extractor and bolt against the extractor spring. One method to make this a bit easier is to use a punch to hold the assembly and then drift the pin back into place while pushing the punch out of the way.

The carrier assembly consists of the carrier (which receives the round from the magazine and rotates it bullet-end up), the lifter (which positions the round in front of the bolt in preparation for chambering), a lifter spring, a cartridge stop pin, and the operating stop bearing pin. This entire assembly drops down to receive anew round when the action is closed and then lifts to position the cartridge for chambering as the bolt is drawn back.

This dance is accomplished as the bearing pin travels along a trapezoidal groove in the operating bar. The final shape took place after fitting the stock to the receiver and the buttplate to the stock. To remove the carrier assembly, first loosely install the takedown screw and then gently tap it with a soft hammer to displace the takedown screw bushing from the opposite side. This will free the assembly from the receiver. Remove the operating stop bearing pin and cartridge stop pin from the carrier.

A small spring resides between the lifter and carrier cross pin inside a hollowed-out radius in the carrier. To reassemble, first install the cross pin followed by the spring and then the lifter and bearing pin. Maneuver this loose assembly into the frame, align the lifter and carrier holes and install the takedown screw bushing, which can be lightly tapped back into place. It will fully seat when the gun is reassembled.

All the sources I have found, including a Savage catalog from 1921, show the lifter coming to a straight point on the front while the lifter in my ’14 has a curved hook that runs inside the front of the carrier. The sources also indicate the assembly includes an additional part called a cartridge stop. My guess is that this may have been a late change in the design, perhaps as a cost reduction effort, resulting in the elimination of the cartridge stop by incorporating its function into the lifter.

The model 1925 utilizes a similar arrangement to mine, although the geometry appears to be different enough that I do not think the parts are interchangeable. Further assisting the loading process is the cartridge guide assembly, which resides in a recess of the left frame. The cartridge guide is a spring-loaded flapper that pivots up and out of the way as the lifter comes up, then springs back to horizontal as the lifter goes down.

The assembly is held in place by a single screw which can be accessed by holding the cartridge guide in the up position against the spring. The cartridge guide retainer (the static part) and the cartridge guide (the moving part) are held together like a hinge by the cartridge guide pin, which has a coil spring running along its length. The spring is de-energized when the assembly is closed, allowing the pin to be drifted out and all four pieces to be separated.

Putting it back together is best accomplished with small hands and lots of patience, neither of which are terms I am typically described with. Fortunately, the entire cartridge guide can be found online as an assembly if one is feeling squeamish about this process. Once the assembly is complete it can be easily reattached to the frame with the cartridge guide screw. The ejector resides in a small groove just behind and above the cartridge guide assembly. It is held

Anew firing pin was fitted with much better results. Far in place by a single screw. A small coil spring is held between a recess in the frame and a notch on the left side of the ejector. Pinching the ejector into the frame while removing the ejector screw will ensure the spring stays in place. Gently releasing pressure on the ejector will cause it to rise from the groove and release the spring compression. Replacing the spring and ejector is similarly straightforward.

The hammer, which is internal, pivots on the hammer screw located directly over the front of the trigger. Forward motion of the hammer is stopped by a raised flat on the frame just above the takedown screw. The hammer is energized by a mainspring running from the back of the frame along its plunger. The spring is held in a compressed state by the mainspring washer and pin running at a right angle through the plunger.

The plunger is slotted forward of the mainspring washer pin to allow the safety push rod to pass through. The push rod (more of a plate than a rod) engages the rear of the trigger at the bottom and a hole in the safety on the top of the tang. The end of the push rod has a pin that protrudes into the bottom Far The consensus at the range was the gun shot straighter than he did. of the safety, which will stick up from the safety when the trigger is pulled.

The trigger spring rests in a notch on the rear side of the push rod and is screwed into the tang. Thus, the safety push rod can be made to block the trigger by moving the safety to the rear, as well as provide the trigger spring force when the safety is off. To disassemble, first remove the safety slide pin, safety slide, and safety bar. The trigger spring is removed by backing out the trigger spring screw with along flat-head screwdriver.

Compress the mainspring slightly and move the forward end of the rod to the right side of the hammer until the rod is clear. The mainspring, washer, and pin can be removed at this point. The hammer is removed by first removing the hammer spring. Drift out the trigger pin to remove the trigger. Reverse these steps to reassemble. Take note that if the safety push rod is not properly positioned it will jam both the trigger and the safety. The operating lock pivots on a small pin just inside the frame.

An L-shaped spring sits in a recess to load the operating handle upward. Removing and replacing the spring can be accomplished by drifting out this pin. Having anew pin handy is a good idea, as it must be a press fit to keep the assembly together. A worn pin or hole will likely allow the operating handle to dislodge. The magazine tube securing pin can be removed by drifting it out from right to left allowing the tube to be pulled forward and clear of the magazine tube clips.

The clips can be removed by squeezing them closed with soft-jaw pliers until the lugs are free from their corresponding slots in the barrel. Two screws secure the action slide handle, allowing removal of the slide. Do not remove the cartridge cut off. Reassembly is accomplished in reverse order.

Putting the front and rear halves together from this point is straightforward if you follow a couple of key steps. Place the firing pin into the bolt, making sure the top tang on the firing pin engages the corresponding slot in the bolt. Replace the stop-pin and verify the firing pin is free to slide in the bolt groove. Cycle the operating bar so it is almost to the back of the frame. Reinstall the bolt assembly with the front half of the frame lying flat; the bolt will be about 1/3 open.

Ensure the hammer is cocked and insert the front most portion of the rear frame half-circle into the mating feature on the front frame, then swing the rear frame into place. The bolt must be 1/3 open and the hammer must be cocked. If the halves do not mate, try moving the operating handle forward just a bit—this will shift the operating handle pin out of the way. You will know when the two halves mate. Reinstall and tighten the takedown screw finger tight. Check that the action cycles properly.

The hammer can be safely dropped by opening the action, pulling the trigger, and sliding the action closed. Dry firing should be avoided, although the firing pin incorporates a stop to prevent it from damaging the rear of the chamber, and it is practically inevitable that the gun will be fired on an empty chamber at the range. Reinstall the magazine tube to complete the assembly. New Stock After the initial cleaning and reassembly, my priority was to recreate the stock.

Subsequently I have sporadically found old stocks online. This would probably have been an easier option, although I wonder how many of these stocks suffered a break and repair. The long mortise required to cover the receiver tang coupled with a single angled stock bolt creates a high level of stress in the front of the stock, and a large moment arm if the gun is dropped on the butt. A surplus piece of 5/4 maple from my wood collection fit the bill. There are lots of angles to consider in the fitting of the stock.

The face of the stock rests against cheeks on the receiver and is held in place by a single 1/4" screw (stock bolt) through the bottom of the pistol grip at a 60° angle from the receiver. This helps to position the pistol grip along with the rest of the stock. I made a template to provide for the rough cuts, starting with a mortise to fit the tang, followed by the angled cheek cuts, and finally the stock bolt hole, which consists of the through hole and counterbore.

A relief hole for the mainspring plunger was included in the bottom of the stock’s mortise. I left the wood proud on the top and bottom to allow for the stock to be mounted and the cheeks cuts to be carefully marked. The mortise was made using a band saw with an angle block supporting the stock. The mortise was made deliberately small allowing for the sides to be fitted using a belt sander attachment on the band saw.

Once the bulky stock fit tightly to the receiver, the remainder of the stock was drawn using Frenchcurves, cut, and sanded. I ran into a problem with the stock pivoting on the screw, allowing the butt end to drop. Anew piece of maple was fitted into the 1/2" slot under the rear tang and epoxied into place. This fix prevents the stock rotation problem and provides a solid surface around the bottom of the grip.

I happened to have a resin buttplate in my miscellaneous and assorted gun part collection, so I fit it to the stock. The factory original had a steel buttplate; I think the resin model looks better. After a considerable amount of progressively fine sanding and elbow grease the maple was finished with a pre-stain conditioner and a chestnut stain that (more or less) matched the forearm. A semi-gloss marine urethane finish completed the woodworking effort and enabled the main restoration effort to begin.

The next step was to test fire. As a brief aside, supersonic 22 Long Rifle ammunition was first introduced in 1931. Guns produced prior to this time were obviously designed for only subsonic ammunition. While the 1914 utilizes a cam-actuated bolt lock which I expect can handle modern high velocity 22 LR ammunition, there are examples of these guns being returned from factory servicing after 1931 with the disclaimer "Low Velocity Ammunition Only" stamped on the side.

In an overabundance of caution, I decided to stick with low-velocity ammunition. Using live ammo to test for feeding and extraction seemed like a bad idea in the basement shop, and my snap caps jammed more than they fed. I expected this live ammunition test to be a failure, which it was in multiple ways. It was almost impossible to get the action to feed, and when manually loaded through an open bolt it failed to fire. Back to the shop. The firing pin seemed like a likely place to start.

The pin was beat up on the backside from the hammer but seemed to have sufficient travel to connect with the cartridge. The striking surface and rear side of this one was much more rounded compared with images of replacements. I found a replacement at Jack First Gun Shop (JackFirstInc.com,

a company I had not heard of before. They manufacture replacement gun parts in their shop in South Dakota using Hass CNC equipment (US manufactured) and built the business on quality and service. The replacement firing pin enabled the cartridges to fire but only half the time using a variety of ammunition. The firing pin impacts the bottom of the cartridge, which is opposite of the feed ramp.

The cartridge head deforms into the feed ramp under the load of the firing pin, reducing the amount of compression on the rim and primer. A visual inspection of the partially assembled action revealed a gap of nearly 0.100" between the firing pin and chamber. The firing pin travel is limited by the tab that rides in the bolt. The tab backstop was relieved 0.060" with a handheld grinder. The reliability improved from 50% to 80%.

To increase the impression further I ground the face of the firing pin to move the contact area to the left side, reducing the overall deflection of the case and increasing the impact force, and polished the guiding surfaces to prevent binding. With the misfires addressed I turned my attention to the feed problem. The carrier group seemed to have a couple of potential issues. The operating stop bearing pin was well worn on the end that tracks the operating lever.

Not only was the overall diameter of the pin noticeably smaller in this area, but the pin itself was irregular in shape. Based on the condition of the bearing pin I assumed the rough actuation I experienced must have been at work for some time when the gun was last in service. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a replacement bearing pin. This hardened pin has a slight taper along the length that engages the carrier and a smaller diameter that acts as a follower in the action bar.

Rather than trying to grind anew pin I opted to see if the current pin could be salvaged through other TLC applied to the carrier. Moving onto the rest of the carrier group revealed that the front nose of the lifter dragged in the carrier when rotated through its short arc, which might have also been a contributing factor to the feed malfunction. This was corrected with the application of a polishing stone to the front arm of the lifter and a gentle filing of the groove.

Following this treatment, the feed mechanism worked reliably with the snap caps provided the hammer was allowed to drop between rounds. The next trip to the range was much more productive. The action cycled smoothly and fed the cartridges without fail. A variety of low velocity ammunition ignited with only the occasional misfire. After a bit of sighting-in, a ten-shot group of low-velocity 22 LR yielded a 1.5" spread with a standard deviation of less than 1/4" at 25 yards.

Although I suspect I’ll be feeding this rifle a diet of low velocity 22 LR in the future, I decided to check out Savage’s claim that the carrier mechanism can handle any mix of 22 Short, Long, and Long Rifle. First, the magazine was filled with the maximum number of rounds (noted earlier) for each of the three ammunition types. Next came alternating 22 short-long-LR in different sequences. True to the claim, the carrier sorted out individual cartridges regardless of type and from a full to empty magazine tube.

I’m not sure of the practicality of feeding a random mix of ammunition types, but I am impressed by the kinematic ingenuity of the carrier and action bar designed and produced over a century ago. The 1914 Savage was finally ready to join my go-to range guns. Tang Sight I mentioned earlier that the Model 1914 came standard with holes for a tang sight. I think this gun is an excellent candidate for a tang sight given its long profile and classic lines.

From a practical perspective tang sights incorporate an aperture which improves the depth of field and contrast when viewing the target past the front sight providing a crisper picture. But mostly I think they look very cool. After looking through multiple listings of new and used tang sights I only found one that specifically mentioned model 1914 compatibility. The asking price, which was north of $200, was well above my expectations, and besides I didn’t like the design all that much.

I will certainly keep looking for a commercial option, but it got me to thinking about making my own utilizing my 3D printer. I set to work on the design utilizing Onshape (Onshape.com), an online solidmodel CAD package with a free tier option for hobbyists mentioned before in this publication. When designing parts to be manufactured using 3D techniques

it is important to understand the capabilities and limitations of the equipment before starting the model. For instance, my printer utilizes single filament fused-deposition modeling, a very common approach for machine targeting general applications at a reasonable cost point. A limitation of this technique is that it cannot construct unsupported structures (e.g. cross-holes and hollow internals) without building a support structure that needs to be subsequently removed.

In the case of across-hole this may not be a problem, but a better approach might be to split the part in half and avoid the need for the support structure altogether. My design, which is available on the Onshape website (search for "Tang Sight"), incorporates parts made from both traditional (lathe and mill) and 3D printed approaches. While it is designed with the 1914 in mind, the dimensions and features can be adjusted to fit other rifles. The design consists of a baseplate that houses a spring.

An arm is suspended between the sides of the base by a 10-32 screw and cross hole. The arm has two detents engaged by the spring; one for the up position and one to lay the sight down, and the cross hole in the arm is threaded to enable windage adjustments. A 10-32 locknut is installed inside the windage knob which features detents to create clicks of adjustment.

A 6-32 screw with two flats running its length rides inside the top of the arm, and a 3D printed capture nut is attached to the arm and threaded over the screw. This establishes the elevation functionality while preventing rotation, albeit without any click adjustments. A small bracket and aperture sight are mounted on top of the elevation screw.

The windage and elevation screws came from my screw collection in the shop while the spring, windage and elevation nuts are printed in nylon, and the rest was printed using PLA (polylactic acid, a bio-sourced plastic). The parts require gluing, drilling, tapping, and careful fitting to bring the assembly to completion. The result is a fully functional tang sight; even the aperture is perfectly serviceable.

I do not have any expectations of the durability of this approach, but I think it will do until a more conventional sight comes along. Most importantly, it looks cool. Takedown Case The lineage of Savage 22 rifles from the model 1903 to 1929 all featured a takedown capability, but I did not come across anything in my research about away to carry it around after taking it apart.

This struck me as a clear deficiency; after all, Marlin saw fit to offer a carrying case for their iconic model 39A, which is another go-to 22 in my cabinet. In hopes of rectifying this obvious omission I took the model 1914 and the Marlin 39A to Dan Landis, founder of Royal Upholstery in Hinckley, Ohio. Dan recently retired as a Lieutenant at the Hinckley Fire Department (and yes, he is still known as Lt.

Dan) and makes custom covers for fire equipment in addition to car renovations, furniture, and other specialty work. These disparate applications require Dan to be familiar with many types of materials and have the know-how to handle them. We looked over the Marlin case as a reference and decided to use it as a basis for the model 1914 case. I wanted the case to appear periodcorrect but not sacrifice longevity or function.

We settled on a fullgrain grey leather for the shell, which is very soft but also very durable. A flexible zipper allows the case to open fully and still make it around the tight turns. The carrying straps were made from a nylon weave strap. The padding we selected is a high density, long-life foam with one side coated to support the stitching and provide a barrier between the foam and the wood and metal parts of the gun.

Dan went to work on this beautiful one-of-a-kind case using the rifle and the Marlin case for reference. He embroidered "Savage Arms M.1914" on the front flap using a deep orange thread to approximate the color used by Savage in the 1920s. The butt slides into a tapered pocket, and the barrel has a straight pocket that completely covers the sharp edges. I opted for the straight pocket rather than a wider tapered pocket since I have no intention of ever mounting a scope.

The rifle fits comfortably in the 32x10x1-1/2" case and is well balanced for easy transport. The case is a real conversation starter at the range and provides a special touch of class for this venerable classic. AG