WesternField 22LR help

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Hey guys and gals of NWFA,

A while back i aquired an older semi-auto 22lr made by western field it is a model SB808B. the stock has been refinised and the rest of the gun is in immaculate original condition.

There isnt a whole lot of info on the web about these bad boys so i figured i would ask if anyone knows anything about these? Are they made by savage? Mossberg? i wish i could provide a serial number but it doesnt have one. i believe it dates prior to 1968 because of the no serial number deal.

one interesting thing about this gun is that it has a drivers license # and SSN engraved under the receiver. funny how trusting people were back then.

Anyway, thanks for your time guys. its intriguess me to learn as much as i can about the firearms i own... so if you can please shed some light!

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[jbett98]

I believe it's a Savage Arms model 87.
If you hold the trigger to the rear, it holds the bolt open after you fire?

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

I believe it's a Savage Arms model 87.
If you hold the trigger to the rear, it holds the bolt open after you fire?

Ha! it does! i never would have known that as i dont have my finger on the trigger unnecessarily. Thanks!

 

[jbett98]

When that firearm was made it was thought that rapid fire was a waste of ammo and that hold back trigger allowed you to slow down and take better aim.
With the bolt fully closed can you push in the bolt knob and lock the action.
That would make it a single shot and by pulling the knob back out you can cycle the action, eject the spent shell, release the knob so it feeds a new round into the breech and then by pushing the knob back in it's a single shot again.

With the knob pulled all the way back, you can push it in to hold the action open for cleaning.
The bolt body and hammer are two heavy parts and they have a tendency to peen closed the front of the bolt body and Savage designed a conversion kit to remedy this issue.
Makes for a great suppressor host with the single shot option.

 

[Whaler]

one interesting thing about this gun is that it has a drivers license # and SSN engraved under the receiver. funny how trusting people were back then.

Back then that was the accepted way to identify your property in case of theft, as you said the rifle didn't have a serial number.