Savage sporter 32-20

[Snyper2384]

I just got a savage sporter 23c with serial number 56xxx. It's in pretty good condition and I was curious if anyone could narrow down the year it was made? As well as maybe any info about em I have heard of ppl using em for deer but I have bigger guns for that.

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[orygun]

What's it chambered in? I had a Super Sporter in 30-30. Neat rifle.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

 

[orygun]

HAHAHA! I missed it. Oops!
.32-20 would be fun in a rifle.

 

[Bobbygun]

I used a Winchester lever gun in .32-20 to hunt blacktails when I was twelve. Not an ideal deer rifle. Killed my first buck with it though. Well, technically. I put him down with my dad's .25-06 from long distance. He was still kicking when we walked up on him, so I finished off with a shot between the eyes using the .32-20. I moved up to a Savage 99 in .308 the next year. Older and wiser, I started my son with a .25-06 using low recoil handloads when he was twelve. I would say stick with your bigger guns.

Don't get me wrong. I have a fondness for the .32-20. When my dad died my nephew made off with the Winchester. But I still have his Colt Official Police in that caliber. For me it's nostalgia, as there are so many more capable calibers out there.

 

[bionic knees]

looks like somewhere between 1923 and 1942. probably around 1930 from what I could find.

 

[Val1884]

I got one i use and carry almost daily for coyotes, bobcat an coons. Cant beat that 32-20 for 100yd predators. Quiet and kills. Most are lead fouled so scrub it well. Mine shoots the 100gr .311's the best at around 1200fps.

 

[Spitpatch]

Been messing with the .32-20 for a long time. A Winchester '92 Carbine is my saddle gun of choice for general bumming around on horseback. So small and thin, you hardly know it's under your leg. A Bisley Colt or an Army Special rides in the pommel holster as a caliber matching partner.

A couple of Colt Lightning rifles have seen frequent use on Sage Rats and Rock Chucks, much to my collector friends' horror.

My Savage 23's are Hornet and .25-20. (23D and 23B). The 23's are not "Super Sporters" (different action) as @orygun referenced. I'd like to find a nice .32-20 (hint, hint).

My favorite bullet is the Hornady 85g XTP. Loaded fast in the strong '92, they will blow a Rock Chuck clean in half and dump a Coyote toot sweet. Loaded lighter for the Colts, the cartridge is the perfect "trainer" for learning to shoot pistol. Loud enough to re-create noise of a bigger gun, but almost no significant recoil.

I did hunt Pronghorn with one of the Lightnings and had full confidence in killing ability at 100yds or less. Was never presented the opportunity.

When the .32 H & R Magnum came out, Skeeter Skelton (handgun writer of some note) was nearly apoplectic in his vehement dismissal of it as entirely unnecessary, defending the.32-20 as one of his favorites of all time. I agree.

Edited to Delete:
The 23's also were not marked "Sporter" (as the Super Sporters were) nor marketed as such, but are sometimes called that.
As @Val1884 was kind (and gentle) enough to enlighten me, this statement is not correct. With his help, I discovered that "Sporter" roll mark on both my guns (under the bells of some nice Weaver K10's I'd installed). The learning process continues.

 

[Val1884]

Been messing with the .32-20 for a long time. A Winchester '92 Carbine is my saddle gun of choice for general bumming around on horseback. So small and thin, you hardly know it's under your leg. A Bisley Colt or an Army Special rides in the pommel holster as a caliber matching partner.

A couple of Colt Lightning rifles have seen frequent use on Sage Rats and Rock Chucks, much to my collector friends' horror.

My Savage 23's are Hornet and .25-20. (23D and 23B). The 23's are not "Super Sporters" (different action) as @orygun referenced. I'd like to find a nice .32-20 (hint, hint). The 23's also were not marked "Sporter" (as the Super Sporters were) nor marketed as such, but are sometimes called that.

My favorite bullet is the Hornady 85g XTP. Loaded fast in the strong '92, they will blow a Rock Chuck clean in half and dump a Coyote toot sweet. Loaded lighter for the Colts, the cartridge is the perfect "trainer" for learning to shoot pistol. Loud enough to re-create noise of a bigger gun, but almost no significant recoil.

I did hunt Pronghorn with one of the Lightnings and had full confidence in killing ability at 100yds or less. Was never presented the opportunity.

When the .32 H & R Magnum came out, Skeeter Skelton (handgun writer of some note) was nearly apoplectic in his vehement dismissal of it as entirely unnecessary, defending the.32-20 as one of his favorites of all time. I agree.

I'll have to look again but I'm 99% sure my 23 32-20 is marked Sporter on the barrel.

 

[Spitpatch]

Neither of mine. 1st edition Gun Digest ('40's) does not mention it either. But...I stand willing to be "enlightened". (Corrected, Admonished, Embarrassed, Educated).

 

[Val1884]

Yup on barrel.

 

[Spitpatch]

Well! "Learn something new every day". Glad I got that out of the way early today. Thank you for that.

Now I'm wondering when they started/stopped that roll stamp.

 

[Val1884]

I'll dig out my books an see. This old rifle has had a hard life on trap lines..but boy does 32-20 put the smack down on critters an is no louder than 22lr.

 

[Spitpatch]

Alert! Alert! You, Sir are absolutely correct!

I dug mine out again, and under those really neat Weaver K10 bells, THERE IT WAS!

Stand down on your research and I'll skip right to embarrassed.

 

[orygun]

I'd sure love to see a pic of the whole rifle.