Savage Model 24 vs Model 42

FWIW, my first gun was a Marlin 15Y. I think it cost $35. Probably equivalent to the $100 Cricket rifle of today. So, very inexpensive.

It was... Absolutely abused. Bench rested on boulders with no padding (scratch scratch), strapped to the handlebars of a dirt bike and wrecked in the woods (many times), dropped in the river, had the stock used as a cutting board cleaning fish. All the things that an adventurous kid is going to do.

I say this because the model 24 has become something of a collector gun. In 30 years, is your kid going to be looking at a beaten up rifle that would be worth a couple thousand bucks and having sad thoughts, regretting using it so hard? Or will he be looking at a beaten up rifle that would still only be worth a hundred bucks even if it wasn't beaten up, and having happy recollections of the fun he had with it?

I think that for that kind of mileage, I'd be looking at a model 42, even though I think the 24 is a "better" gun. Though me, personally, I think I'd go for a plain jane single shot .22 or a Rossi matched set in .22/.410 and then maybe get 20ga and .243 barrels for it in a couple of years.

But I don't really know what I am talking about and my opinions are like you-know-whats, I am sure.

I say get the 24.
Kids don't get to use (abuse) guns like we did 50 years ago.
It ain't pc.

The 24 will be a gun he will be proud of forever.
It will also be useful throughout his life because it is so versatile (but you already know that).


A little time spent teaching him to take care of his (or any gun) will pay off later when he understands that condition determines price and value.

Also,he can join this forum when he is older and brag about how smart his dad was.

Thanks for the input guys. I am going to try to find a Model 24. If you have any advice on that, please let me know.

I agree with previous posts. The 42 just feels cheap and looks more like a toy to me. One of my favorite guns is Dads old ithaca 300, more for the fact that he gave it to me and when I take it out I remember all the times he took me shooting and hunting with it and have many fond memories, the same as your son will. As said before the 24 will be a much nicer gun (even years from now) that he will be much prouder to carry. I know I have many more guys admiring my 24 when taking it out for a skeet shoot than any other gun I have owned.

Getting a 24 for a youth hunter is a terrific idea---but I'd suggest getting a 20 ga gun and buying some chamber mate adapters from cabellas to shot 410 for now--as the youth grows he'll appreciate being able to "move up" to 20 ga--you won't have that option if you go with a 410 gun--even better would be getting a 24V-A in 222/20 (there are adpaters for rim fire cartridges for this also)--that will be a generation gun

I will have to agree with petemi on this one. Even my Stevens 22-410 weighs 6 lb 2 oz with its Tenite stock, not a real lightweight. And for a small/young person the recoil of even a 410 is often more than they care for, the 2 1/2 inch 410 maybe. Short, light weight, low recoil, inexpensive is what the early Stevens/Savage (and others) single shot .22's of my youth were rather famous for.