The Anatomy of the Savage Model 24

There’s some debate on exactly why the Model 24 over/under has lasted as long as it has. With a .22-caliber upper barrel and a .410-gauge lower, some say because the 24 rendered admirable service as a survival gun. Others argue that it gained longevity when optional centerfire cartridges came to occupy the upper barrel and larger gauges were offered in the lower. Both arguments are probably correct.

When this combination rifle/ shotgun first appeared on dealer shelves about 1950 in its "survival" configuration, it had atop lever to open the action. Evolving through the years, additional calibers and gauges were offered along with side and bottom action-opening levers and a swinging rather than a unified locking block.

The last side-lever model, the 24MS, went out of production in 1971, and the introduction of centerfire uppers combined with .410-, 20-, or 12-gauge lowers in 1989 did away with all variations on the top-lever guns. Presently, the rimfire models still employ a swinging locking block. All others use the one-piece design. The addition of heavier centerfire calibers put to rest the thought that the Model 24 was merely good company for a camper in trouble.

Configured thusly, it gained popularity as a classic European idea that found a home in the hands of American hunters—while losing none of its luster as a savior of those who might get lost in the woods. As examined here, the current Model 24F is available with .17 HMR, .22 LR, .22 Hornet, and .223 Remington uppers over a 20-gauge lower. The 12-gauge lower is not paired with the .22 LR, but the 12-gauge is available with the other centerfire cartridges as well as the .30-30 Winchester.

I, for one, am thankful the side-lever and bottom-lever 24s are no longer made, because all top-lever models can be approached in the same manner. The sideand bottom-lever models are different animals, with some internal parts that are theirs alone. Though what you’re reading will be of some assistance when working with any Model 24, you could run into trouble if the gun you’re working on doesn’t have atop lever. Those earlier models won’t be detailed here.

Neither will field stripping a 24F or any of its top-lever cousins. Heck, if you can take off the forend, open the action, and detach the barrels, you’ve got them field stripped. Detailed Disassembly Now, before we move along with this project, get your hands on a clear plastic bag large enough to easily fit over the back end of the receiver. On the rifle I received, I needed

B "A" is the lockingbolt plunger; "B" is the top-lever plunger; and "C" is the mainspring. A small screw located at "D" in the receiver behind the safety retains the safety spring and detent. a 7/16-inch socket on an extension to loosen and back out the stock bolt (#51). This bolt could have something other than a hex head, but whatever tool you use to get it out will have to be connected to along shank and have a business end that marries well with the head or slot.

The stock is taken off to the rear, revealing the inner action. Don’t do anything else until you’ve memorized the difference between the locking-bolt plunger spring (#37) and the top-lever plunger spring (#39). They’re not interchangeable. Savage has tried to make this fact unforgettable by color coding these springs. If someone at the factory has slipped up and there is no code on the springs, swab one of them with a magic marker.

Also study how the head of the mainspring-plunger assembly (#48) mates up with the rear of the hammer (#1). Remember what you see. These two elements must be in the same position after reinstallation. While in the A D Cgeneral vicinity, you might as well take a close look at the rear end of the receiver. The hole at the top is for the locking-bolt plunger (#38). The hole under it is for the top-lever plunger (#40). The large threaded hole further down is for the stock bolt.

Under that is another hole that serves as home base for the mainspring-plunger seat (#46). The latter part is key to further disassembly. The hammer has to be in its fired (forward) position and the receiver supported with the plastic bag slipped over it. Using a drift punch, push #46 out to one side. As you’ll see instantly, the bag captures the seat, mainspring (#47), and possibly the mainspring-plunger assembly (#48), preventing them from flying to points unknown. There’s no pressure on the hammer now.

It’s the rebounding type. After the rifle has been fired, the trigger gets behind a notch on the hammer body to prevent contact with a primer. Further defined, when the hammer is in the rebound position, it is forward with a distinct space between the selector (#2) and the firing pins (#6 and 8). Additional assurance the gun will not fire is provided when the cross-bolt safety (#29) extends from the right side of the receiver. Older Model 24s had to rely on hammer rebound alone to prevent an accidental discharge.

Sooner or later you will want to remove the triggerguard (#45). You might as well go ahead and do it now by backing out both guard screws (#44). This will uncover a hole in the receiver directly under and in line with the top-lever screw (#43). Insert the proper size Allen wrench in the hole and remove the screw. Another small tool, such as a flat-blade screwdriver, can be used as an aid to push down the top-lever sleeve (#42) and separate it from the top-lever stem.

Once the lever is out of the receiver, the locking bolt plunger, its spring, and the top-lever plunger are freed up. Let me tell you something about the locking-bolt plunger stem. It’s closely related to the rebounding hammer and is adjusted to control the amount of space between the hammer/selector and primer. If this space is excessive, misfires occur. If it is insufficient, unexpected discharges can happen when the action is closed.

You can lessen the gap by bending the plunger stem up, and increase it with a downward bend. The amount of bend is unpredictable and has to be determined according to the existing condition with frequent testing. I’ve used resized shotgun hulls with primer and no powder along with centerfire cases set up the same way to run my tests indoors. CB Short .22s come in very handy for checking out a rimfire gun when you can’t get to a range. They make little more noise than an air gun puffing off.

Some of the next steps in disassembly involve the pins in the Model 24F. They can’t be approached in the usual manner, because they’re all drive-locked in place during factory assembly of the rifle. They have been upset at one end, and area larger diameter at that end than they are at the other end. It’s essential that you determine which end of the pin you are about to address by close examination under magnification.

To avoid breakage of internal parts, all pins must be driven out toward the upset end and reinstalled with the opposite end first.

Savage Model 24F Combination Ri le/Shotgun 1 Hammer Assembly* 1 Hammer* 2 Selector 3 Selector Spring 4 Selector Plunger 5 Selector Pin 6 Top Firing Pin 7 Top Firing Pin Spring (Rifle) 8 Bottom Firing Pin (Shotgun) 9 Firing Pin Spring (Bottom) 10 Firing Pin Retainer Plate 11 Firing Pin Retainer Plate Screw 12 Extractor Assembly* 13 Extractor Pin 14 Extractor Plunger Spring 15 Extractor Plunger 16 Extractor Spring 17 Extractor Lever 18 Screw, 5-40 x 1/2" Pan Head 19 Extractor Lever Guide 20 Extractor Screw 21 Front Sight Base 22 Front Sight Screw 23 Front Sight Blade, 5/16" 24 Barrel Assembly* 25 Frame Assembly* (Specifications subject to change without notice) 26 Top Lever 27 Firing Pin Screw 28 Hammer Pin 29 Safety 30 O-Ring 31 Safety Spring 32 Detent Ball 33 Safety Screen (Screw) 34 Trigger Spring 35 Trigger 36 Trigger Pin 37 Locking Bolt Plunger Spring 38 Locking Bolt Plunger 39 Top Lever Plunger Spring 40 Top Lever Plunger 41 Locking Bolt Yoke Assembly* 42 Top Lever Sleeve 43 Top Lever Screw 44 Triggerguard Screw 45 Triggerguard 46 Mainspring Plunger Seat 47 Mainspring 48 Mainspring Plunger Head Assembly 49 Butt Plate Screw 50 Recoil Pad 51 Stock Bolt 52 Stock Bolt Lock Washer 53 Stock Bolt Flat Washer 54 Stock Assembly 55 Swivel Stud, 1/2" 56 Forend Screw 57 Forend 58 Rear Sight Assembly 59 Rear Sight Screw 60 Scope Mount (Not shown) *Factory installation only.

Parts not illustrated include the choke tube wrench, choke tubes, and the 12 gauge/.410 adaptor (which may not be available for current production models).

The first pin to be so identified (#28) retains the hammer. Drift it out, then lift away the hammer/selector assembly. After determining in which direction the trigger pin (#36) is to move, but before moving it, note how the trigger spring (#34) is positioned with its long leg to the rear. After that, drift out the pin to free the trigger and spring. About halfway up the stock shoulder, at the rear of the receiver above the trigger, you’ll find a small set screw.

Officially identified as the safety screen (#33) by Savage, when you remove it you’ll be able to push the safety (#29) out to the right. A very small Allen wrench or even a straight piece of paper clip can be inserted into the front of the hole to eject the safety detent (#32) and spring (#31) out to the rear. All these components except the safety itself are very small. Don’t lose them.

Everything in its way is gone now, so push the locking-bolt yoke assembly (#41) to the rear and out of the receiver. (Note: On rimfire guns, the yoke’s front end has no attached locking block.

A separate, swinging locking block lives in the receiver, is retained by a pin located above the hammer pin, and you already know what you have to do with pins in a Model 24 before moving them.) Remaining in the upper receiver are the firing-pin retainer plate (#10), its screw (#11), the firing pins, their screw and their springs (#7 & 9). All are removable after backing out their screws. The firing pins are model-specific, even for the same caliber guns. So are their return springs.

Any replacements for these components must be ordered according to the gun’s serial number. The same is true for the hammer/ selector assembly, which should not be further disassembled unless the selector is broken. There’s not much for you to do with the front end of the gun. The extractor assembly (#12) is driven into the barrel before chambering and cutting that section of the chamber where the cartridge rim sits.

The latter process is known as "heading." After chambering and heading, the extractor assembly is driven out, dressed to slide back and forth freely, and fitted so the wall of the chamber matches the extractor cut. For all the reasons just stated, extractors are not interchangeable, and taking on fitting one yourself would be a massive project accompanied by a cost exceeding that of the rifle. If it ever becomes necessary, let the factory do it.

You can, however, easily and eco nomically perform such repairs as the replacement of the extractor plunger (#15) and spring (#14) by driving out their pin (#13). You can also handle minor mishaps befalling the extractor lever (#17), its screws (#18), and guide (#19). On the model I’m discussing here, the guide is retained by the screws and holds the lever in its barrel lug cutout. The lever is the thing that kicks out the extractor. It’s driven by the never-to-be-removed barrel hinge.

Reassembly Tips If the rifle is equipped with a swinging locking bolt, install it and its pin. If it has a one-piece locking bolt with yoke attached, slip that back into the receiver. Install the trigger, trigger spring, and trigger pin. Place the hammer into its slot, pull the trigger at the same time to hold the hammer in its forward position, and insert the hammer pin. Place the top lever in the receiver, slide the lever-plunger spring on the lever plunger, and engage the plunger with the top-lever sleeve.

Turn the receiver upside down so it rests on the top lever, and seat the plunger spring into its hole at the rear of the tang. Lift the top-lever sleeve onto the lever stem. To gain full engagement between the two it may be necessary to tap the sleeve downward on the lever stem due to a tight friction fit at the factory. Reinstall the top-lever screw to hold together what you’ve done so far. Examine the safety closely. On the schematic, there appears to be a Figure-8 near its right end.

This is part of the safety’s detent system and it must face the receiver hole for parts #31, 32 and 33. These are reinstalled next, and the safety screen screwed in to a point where the safety snaps positively but smoothly between the on and off positions. You’ve previously noted the bend in the locking-bolt plunger. Orient the plunger in that position, place the spring on the plunger and the back end of the plunger in its seating hole at the rear of the tang.

There’s a point on the conical front end of the plunger. It’s supposed to meet up with a dimple or shallow recess at the back of the yoke. Compress the spring to the rear with your fingers enough to start the end of the plunger

The extractor lever (B) is held in its barrel-lug slot by two pan-head screws and a retainer. The lever activates the extractor and is driven by the barrel hinge. in toward the recess, then tap the cone along the yoke until the recess and plunger point are fully engaged. Work the top lever back and forth to check for any rough spots. The yoke should move freely forward until it is brought to a stop by the top-lever sleeve.

The total movement will far exceed that required to lock the action and is called "take up." This allows and ensures lockup in case of some lug wear. When that wear has reached an extreme, lockup will be loose or won’t happen at all. On a Savage Arms, Inc. produced Model 24, a gun suffering this condition can be returned to the factory to refit the barrel and locking-bolt lugs.

On a Model 24 predating the current manufacturer, you can machine apiece of metal to fit and silver-solder it to the bottom, tapered locking seat on the barrel lugs. Great care is required with the soldering since the lug itself is silver-soldered to the barrel. If you ever have to undertake this repair, remember that the angle of the locking seat is critical, doubly so on centerfire models. That the angle is maintained is imperative.

The mainspring, its plunger, and its spring are easier to install if you lay the tang portion of the receiver on your bench and press it up against an immovable object with your belt line to keep it from squirming around. Here again, you should have a picture burned in to your brain of how the notched end of the plunger fit against the hammer when you first pulled off the stock. Just in case you don’t, the upper or longer portion of the notch engages the hammer.

Place the plunger spring on the stem and start the seat on the stem. Press the muzzle end of the plunger up against the hammer, hold the rest of the mainspring assembly together, then strike the seat rearward and downward to abut its tang hole. With the seat trapped against the tang, you can let go of the mainspring assembly and use a punch to nudge the seat into the hole. This will no doubt raise a burr that will make cocking the hammer hard or very rough the first time after the gun is reassembled.

Don’t fret; a few more cocking actions will probably smooth out the bump. Conclusion If there’s a hard and fast rule with the Model 24, it’s the same one that should be followed when working with any firearm: Study the way things fit together as you work your way in, and you won’t have a whole lot of trouble reinstalling the parts as you work your way out. ■