Savage 325 B

[shoot-n-lead]

Just considering getting one of these that is available for what seems like a pretty good price, provided they are decent little guns.

Has anyone had good or bad experiences with them?

Are there things, in particular, that I need to check for?

Thanks

[pietro]

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Nothing special, beyond the usual checks on barrel/bore and wood condition.

Once upon a time, I hunted with a fella that had one in .30-30, who was hunting with cast boolit handloads.

Once, when he was emptying the chamber prior to exiting the woods, his boolit remained lodged in the start of the rifling when the case was extracted, spilling the powder charge inside the gun's lockworks - which necessitated some extra work to clean up before moving on.

The take-away is, if you intend to handload for it, be aware of excess loaded cartridge OAL - sometimes, what works best for accuracy on the range can spell trouble in the woods.


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[dverna]

I herar that the triggers are so-so and difficult to improve. If the trigger feels good I would get one. The scope mounting is a bit interesting but they can be scoped.

Would make a great truck gun.

[richhodg66]

It's a savage 340 basically. I like mine. Not fancy, but a pretty solid performer and mine likes cast.

[blixen]

Lotsa people love them, so I'm not trying to offend.

But I have a love/hate relationship with the Sav. 340/Stevens/Springfield. I had three in 30-30. I was satisfied with them as long as they cost around $200 or less used.

Love: Cheap, good barrels, light carbine, truck gun. 30-30s shoot cast well and jacketed even better.

Hate: Cost too much these days, bad trigger that's difficult to improve significantly, not really scope friendly, hard to find peep sights for.

My Stevens, birch-stock 30-30 had a peep and i liked it. I used it as a substitute for a .22 lr walking-around gun, when .22 ammo was unobtainable. But the trigger made me crazy. if I got the trigger set up half-decently, the bolt would slide out the back because the functions are inter-related. Argh.

That said, if i came across one in .22 hornet at a reasonable price, i'd buy it. (i had a .225 Winchester but it was a basket case with key parts missing, i ended up passing it along. Wish i hadn't now.)

Totally, IMHO

[gnoahhh]

Probably just as well you moved the .225 on. I always felt that is a pretty hot cartridge to chamber in the 340. Remember, they only have one locking lug, and strength-wise they are in the Winchester 94 league. Escaped gas handling is rudimentary too. And the triggers- they are what they are.

I too had a love/hate relationship with them. The love part came from nostalgia-- another "old man" story. The hate part is really groundless; just something about them I never cared for.

My Pop carried a 340 for years, because it was all he could afford, not because he loved it. Ditto an uncle who used a 325 .22Hornet for deer, in PA, for many years too- and was quite successful with it.

[gnoahhh]

My advice to anyone considering a 340/325: go for it if you really desire one. Otherwise, save your nickels for another month or so and buy something really worthwhile. It's not about owning a ton of cheap guns just to be able to say "I own a ton of guns". Better to own just a few quality pieces that you can be proud of.

[shoot-n-lead]

My advice to anyone considering a 340/325: go for it if you really desire one. Otherwise, save your nickels for another month or so and buy something really worthwhile. It's not about owning a ton of cheap guns just to be able to say "I own a ton of guns". Better to own just a few quality pieces that you can be proud of.

Thanks for the advice, but I have plenty of quality guns that I am proud to own...this would be a toss around gun that would essentially be used to keep on my UTV...it would spare my quality guns the abuse of being bounced around and spending nights and days in all kinds of weather. I tend to like 30/30 for this duty and I will not put one of my leverguns to use, for this.

[Mk42gunner]

I had a 340 in .222 Remington. It wasn't quite as accurate as the 788 Remington that I used to have, but it was useable. It had a real walnut Bishop stock on it that probably cost more than the complete rifle did new.

The triggers can be made useable, not good, but okay.

Some of them are drilled and tapped for a side mount, some aren't. All the ones I have paid attention to are d&t for a receiver sight though. Williams still made sights for it in 2003 or so, don't know about now.

Keep track of the magazine, somehow I think those would be a significant expense.

They aren't a bad utility gun, prime candidate for a Krylon refinish.

Robert

[blixen]

I tend to like 30/30 for this duty and I will not put one of my leverguns to use, for this.
That's the problem--it's one of the few bolt-actions made in 30-30. Period. (We'd all love a Remington 788) Still, the prices for a marlin 336 or Mossberg lever 30-30 around here are within $100 of a Sav. 340 and they are all-around more satisfying rifles. Though you might not want to throw one behind the seat in your pickup.
But I gotta admit, I did enjoy my Stevens for plinking while I had it. Gun Broker lists tons of Stevens/Savage 340s, but you got to figure in shipping and paying an FFL.

[nekshot]

it really is amazing the amount of love floating around for a 30-30 bolt action. I have enough 30-30 bolt actions to scratch the itch but if a 30-30 in a new rifle built around the size of the cartridge I think I would hock somestuff to get it. I have some 98 mausers in these smaller gun cartridge configurations and when done they lose their appeal because of the size and weight of gun. Now if CZ would built a 30-30 or 35 Remington around their small rifle, hmmmm.

[blixen]

it really is amazing the amount of love floating around for a 30-30 bolt action. I have enough 30-30 bolt actions to scratch the itch but if a 30-30 in a new rifle built around the size of the cartridge I think I would hock somestuff to get it. I have some 98 mausers in these smaller gun cartridge configurations and when done they lose their appeal because of the size and weight of gun. Now if CZ would built a 30-30 or 35 Remington around their small rifle, hmmmm.a
Cz offers the 7.62x39 AK round in a 527, which is pretty much the same thing as a 30-30 to non-cast-boolit folks. I'm not sure there's much of a market outside us casters.