Savage North/Navy

[sltm1]

Can anyone help me pull up and old/recent thread on this gun? I just picked one up and want some info on take down etc. Thanks.

[pohill]

Nice one. I can help you, Grasshopper.
I posted awhile back here and on The High Road. It's not as hard as it looks but you gotta pay attention (taking pics during takedown helps alot).
First of all - does the cylinder turn when the gun's at full cock?

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/IMG_0429.jpg

[sltm1]

Nope, locks up tight with no slop!! I took off the handles and figured out the loading lever screw was keyed like my Rogers & Spencer, so I've had the cylinder and pressure plate off. The bbl is pitted but still has some rifling, I'm thinking of emoring it smooth before shooting (not remove the pitting, just remove any high rust spots). The bbl unscrews, it's only hand tight. I'm thinking some lock tight would fix that. This thing is built like a tank!! Oh, yeah, found your post on THR also.

[Doc Hoy]

WOW!

[pohill]

If the cylinder ever turns when it's at full cock, just follow my post for the adjustment of the pressure plate/thimble. That, to me, is the key to shooting it safely. The rest of the gun is easy to assemble as long as you note which end goes where, which screw goes where, etc. I'm pretty sure the nipples in mine are from a ROA.
Now we gotta find a shoulder stock.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN4.jpg

[Noz]

Wow! Cool gun!

[Hardcase]

That's a peach, sltm! Very nice!

[sltm1]

Thanks for the compliments guy's got a pretty reasonable price with a trade on it. Notice in the pic, the loading lever housing is real close to the end of the bbl? Turns out someone replaced the keeper at some point by installing one in front of the original dovetail. Not sure how they stretched the loading lever to fit??!! Anyhow, it was loose (lead soldered in), and a hack job, so I replaced it with one off a Uberti bbl I had shortened. Only had to widen the dovetail a mite an she popped right in. No "Walker" type falling lever on this puppy!! You can make out the original dovetail in the pic.

[sltm1]

pohill, I wonder how they attached the shoulder stock? I see the knurled screw on the bottom of the grip, but that's a lot of hardware it would have to pass through to go straight up?!

[pohill]

Here's some more pics that might help:
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN6.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN7.jpg
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN8.jpg

Cased with goodies (I keep looking for the tool that's located under the loading lever - looks like a cross):
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN3.jpg


check out the holster (frog):
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/scan.jpg

[sltm1]

pohill,
That tool is pretty interesting. Looks like a multi tipped screwdriver that you rotae in to position with the appropriate tip. But what is the spatchula thingy? Is that the bullet mold?
Also, it looks like the two springs are offset from the crossmember to allow for the stock connector. Is that one of your pieces? Whoa, I just noticed all the spare parts in the cased set, what a deal, I want one !!!!

[pohill]

No, none of it is mine. I think that is the bullet mould in the case. I did find a pair of grips last year in an antique shop, and I might have a frog holster made at some point.
I use a .380 roundball when I shoot it but that size is too small - a .390 would be better.

[Erich]

I keep coming back to this thread just to look at the pictures! Thanks! :)

[sltm1]

pohill, this Savage is has a 2 digit serial # (can't read it without wirebrushing it first), just the barest cartouche on the left grip and no other markings. Also, there seems to be some differences between it and the later model issue (screw head on one screw flat and not domed and a square nut instead of a round one to hold the mainsprings in place). Know of any place I can get some more info? This almost seems like a prototype.

[pohill]

Mine is #1021 and it has the round nut holding the mainsprings in place. Mine has no cartouche. If yours has a cartouche it was most likely military issued (and probably not a prototype). I did some research when I first got it and many of them were issued to sailors on the U.S.S Constitution during the Civil War (it was a training ship then).
I think the info I got was from a library book on military weapons, or Navy weapons. I'll check.

[Noz]

Do you know how many collectors just died when you mentioned wirebrushing the gun?

[pohill]

for what it's worth...

http://www.google.com/patents?id=FxtmAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&source=gbs_overview_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

Did you buy it on GB from Janburn?

[sltm1]

pohill, I traded with him for it. I had a Manhattan I used for trade. Seemed like a nice guy to deal with. I already got the patent page off your post on THR, thanks twice.

Noz, I was only talking about cleaning the serial # to read it and it's under the grip.

[pohill]

Yeah, he seems OK. I contacted him about your gun when it was for sale - in his ad, he said that the only problem was that the cylinder turned at full cock. I explained about the adjustment and he tried it - he said it worked great. He has some pretty cool guns for sale.

I went on a lever action gun forum when I got mine and there was a poster there who had three of them. I can't remember the forum.

Here's a link to a guy who sells some of the parts for the S&N (he knew nothing about the adjustment - in fact, he said I was wrong, there was no adjustment)
http://www.partsforantiqueguns.com/savagereparts.html

[sltm1]

Oh mannnnn....pohill !! I was dealin' with him before you told him how to adjust the cylinder....you owe me LOL!! I knew about the adjustment, I'd been reading up on this gun before I found one I could afford. I figured it might be that easy to fix, but knowing my luck, I figured it might also be an internal part I'd have to make or fix so I didn't say anything. Thanks for the parts site, pretty limited selection but you never know. By the way, if you look closely at the pic of the shoulder stock innerds, you'll see they used a square nut there on the main springs' screw. Bein' the Civil War and all, maybe they subbed out some of the simpler stuff and took whatever was handy. I've got a civilian Rogers & Spencer he wants, but it fit's right in with my oddball Civil War collection I'm starting, plus the R&S is my all time favorite bp revolver so it stays here.

[pohill]

Ooops...
Actually I tried to trade him my Signature Series Custer 1861 .36 for the (your) S&N but he only deals in old guns.

Poke around and let me know if you get any new info.

[sltm1]

I was editing while you were posting, did you notice that the main spring retention nut on the exposed innerds pic of the shoulderstock attachment was a square nut? Read my reasoning in the previous post I edited.

[pohill]

Maybe yours had a shoulder stock - or they just replaced the nut?. I found a pair of grips in Maine last year in an antique shop - no one knew what they went to...but I did. $25.00.
Do you plan to shoot it?
Check this out:

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/SN.jpg

[sltm1]

I was doin' more research (Google) at lunch and found one of those shoulderstocks mounted on the Savage, not the Alsop. It went for over 10K at auction. Yep, gettin' it ready so's I can shoot this puppy. I noticed the trigger guard was missing the retaining screw under the grip so I modified a screw blued it and locked'er down tight, now movement won't crack the grip. Also, picked at the frame #'s with a tooth pick and the serial # is 56. There is also a # 598 on one of the grip panels. Back to shooting I cleaned out the bbl and lapped it (had high rust spots by the forcing cone) w/ 600 grit on a brass dowel spun by my drill. Great lands and grooves and now, no bbl obstruction due to rust. 357 balls won't slide down the bbl but I haven't checked for fit in the chambers yet. Maybe I won't have to tap them w/ a hammer to swell the diameter after all.

[pohill]

Proud young man
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m217/pohill/15pod90.jpg

[sltm1]

Had to shoot my Savage Navy, just had ta!!! I started w/ 10g fff and moved right up to 20g on the second shot. I didn't have the right size rb's (too small), but a couple of sharp blows from a small hammer, spread them so that they filled the chamber well. Sort of a modified RNFP slug. The biggest problem was getting the caps to fit. Luckily I tried to cap all the chambers before loading, and found that only 2 were small enough to take a #11 cap (barely). pohill, you said ROA nipples share the same thread so I'm going to order a set that way I don't have to modify the originals. How'd she shoot? Straight and about as high as an out of the box 1860 Army, 5in at 20yds. I don't care, just shootin a piece of history made my day, hell, week!!

[pohill]

The ROA nipples are the right height to clear the topstrap. I'm not sure about the thread size - the nipples were already in my gun when I bought it, so I don't know how much the holes were modified.
I bumped up .380 balls with a hammer - a .390 would be perfect.
You were probably the only person on the planet shooting a Savage & North .36 today.

[sltm1]

pohill, I got your post over on the voy forum and answered about the threads etc. there.

[sltm1]

pohil, I ordered some original replacement nipples from Track Of The Wolf, they're made to fit original Colts and Remmies....maybe I'll get lucky. Do your chambers have a band cut in them approx 1/4 down from the top? Wonder if that was a visual aid for free pouring powder?

[sltm1]

pohill, got the nipples today, right thread, perfect fit (no binding on frame), and take #11 caps. Cost $35.29, that included shipping.