Question about a 24 left to me by a friend

james9449
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Question about a 24 left to me by a friend Jan 9, 2013 16:11:09 GMT -5

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Post by james9449 on Jan 9, 2013 16:11:09 GMT -5

Lost a friend last July and learned recently that he'd left me his combination gun.
I'd like to know about what year it was produced if that's possible.

There is no serial number anywhere on the barrel or receiver, which I think means it was produced sometime before the late 60's.

It's in fair condition, some very light oxidation on the barrel. Barrel and receiver are blued finish. The stock and foregrip are wood, with checkering on both. Stock is cracked slightly, from above the trigger guard about 2" back. The rear of the stock is also split low at the rear, repaired with some sort of adhesive, with low crack showing about four inches from the butt plate forward.

It's a possible restoration project. I may just sell the gun, but before I do, I'd like to know my chances of finding a replacement stock for this piece.

Details embossed on the gun:

* "SAVAGE 24J-DL: on the right side of receiver, just forward of trigger guard.
* "22 MAGNUM RF ONLY" on the top rear of the small bore barrel.
* "PROOF TESTED .410 BORE" on the left rear of the shotgun barrel.
" 3 INCH CHAMBER" just below "PROOF . . ." on the shotgun barrel.
* "SAVAGE ARMS CORPORATION" on the right rear of the shotgun barrel.
"WESTFIELD, MASS. USA" just below SAVAGE ARMS . . ."

* Receiver has a flying pheasant scene on the right side.
* Receiver has a running fox scene on the left side.

Thanks in advance for any help forum members might provide.

littleguns
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Posts: 143

Question about a 24 left to me by a friend Jan 9, 2013 18:15:25 GMT -5

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Post by littleguns on Jan 9, 2013 18:15:25 GMT -5

I have a J-DL but it's .22 mag over 20-gauge; mine has a brushed-nickel finish, so I'm not sure about your blued receiver on the same model (except yours is a .410). I think this model was made around 1963, but others on this board are better at dating these guns than I am. Cleaning up minor bluing issues on the barrel usually is quite successfull with good prep and something like Oxpho-Blue from Brownell's. Regarding finding a replacement stock, I'll be surprised if you have any luck finding a new one in walnut with Monte Carlo stock and checkering. You can easily find a replacement stock in plain walnut with pistol grip, but the combination of walnut plus Monte Carlo (which I assume yours is) plus checkering isn't available new, at least in my experience and searching. Finding a good used one also will be a challenge; few people would disassemble a Deluxe gun that has a good stock. I've found that someone with reasonable woodworking skills can repair these scalloped stocks fairly successfully, which would probably be a good alternative to putting an incorrect replacement stock on the gun -- lesser of two evils, you know. Others may disagree with my assessment, but that's how I see our situation. Good luck with it.

james9449
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Question about a 24 left to me by a friend Jan 10, 2013 20:21:41 GMT -5

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Post by james9449 on Jan 10, 2013 20:21:41 GMT -5

Littleguns, thanks for your suggestions. Clearly, I've got work to do on this piece. Appreciate your help.

If anyone else happens to stumble across this thread and has information about any availability of a walnut replacement stock in decent condition, please chime in.

campbellkids
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Question about a 24 left to me by a friend Jan 14, 2013 15:57:56 GMT -5

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Post by campbellkids on Jan 14, 2013 15:57:56 GMT -5

You have a nice rifle in two nice calibers. I would take it to a wood shop and see about repair on the stock. I had an old shotgun that I repaired with some real nice glue and sanded off the entire stock and a cabinet finisher helped me with filler and a satin finish. It still has dings and i can see the crack but those just bring back memories of great times past.