16ga.com ~ View topic - IMPORTANT!!! Savage Automatic, 720, 755, 755 INFO!!!

Guys,

I made a major error in past posts regarding Savage barrel interchangeablity between the AUTOMATIC (1935 - 1946) , 720/726/745 ( 1940 - 1965) , and 755/775 (1955-1970).

Barrels for the AUTOMATIC model DO NOT interchange with any other models...they may "seem" like they fit, however, they are not milled the same. The overall barrel extension is slightly larger and TAPERED...using these barrels can and will cause your receiver to split in half WHILE CYCLING AFTER A SHOT....this is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. It HAS happened to me on the 775 platform, simply by installing an AUTOMATIC barrel onto a 775 gun and checking the fit by manually cycling the barrel (unloaded of course)...I felt some minor resistance...then on the return travel...SNAP...the reciever cracked in half. Luckily I have a reciever I use just to check parts with (now its trash!)

This barrel in question came from a parts gun, and my other AUTOMATIC barrel fit this same receiver and ALL my other guns perfectly (so I thought). The parts barrel that split the 775 receiver fit the AUTOMATIC gun properly, and after using a dial caliper etc, I found they were milled identically.

The barrels for the AUTOMATIC series are stamped "Utica, New York. Proof Tested"....these are the only barrels stamped this way.

ALL other models say "Chiccopee Falls, Mass. Proof Tested" and may also say 720...these barrels DO interchange with the 720/726/745 and 755/775 guns. They DO NOT interchange with the AUTOMATIC series...they LOOK right, they MANUALLY CYCLE properly...HOWEVER, the magazine ring guide is overly sloppy on the ID, and too large on the OD. This will cause older AUTOMATIC forearms to crack in half WHILE FIRING THE GUN. Also, there are small but critical changes to the barrel extension assembly, and this causes the gun to not be "in time" when cycling in an AUTOMATIC...if the timing is incorrect, there is a host of other mechanical interferences inside the action. This can cause a serious jam of a shell in mid feed, and can cause the bottom edge of the bolt to strike the PRIMER of the shell while INSIDE the action.

I personally stated on this forum that these barrels were interchangeable MANY times in the past. I was WRONG in all entirety...and you should NEVER interchange between models without a proper discussion with a REAL gunsmith. Most gunsmiths nowadays only have a passing interaction with these guns, and usually with a broken firing pin (very common).

I will post more info regarding models, barrel marking etc, so that we can have some proper info on the guns here on this site.

The 16ga Savage Automatic and variants are unique only to Savage, and only in 16ga...the 12ga guns to share perfect interchange between models and even between Remingto Model 11s and American Browning Auto-5 shotguns.

More to come...

Well said and THANK YOU for the update

Mike

Joined: 12 Sep 2010 Posts: 1973 Location: Maine

I miss needing a headspace and timing gauge. For any gun.