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The Savage Super Sporter in .30-06: Historical Lookback

This distinctive bolt-action hunting rifle was a departure from the Mauser 98-based norm that held sway in the early 1900s.

The Savage Super Sporter in .30-06: Historical Lookback
The Savage Super Sporter (built from 1928 until 1940) may have an awk- ward, bulky look, but it han- dles incredibly well and shoots great with ammo it likes.

The Savage Super Sporter had dual, opposing locking lugs, but they were located amidships on the bolt, rather than at the front end like most Mauser, Springfield, Winchester, Remington, and other bolt-action designs. Super Sporters came in two variations. A plain-Jane model was dubbed the Model 40, and a slightly fancier version with checkering on the grip and fore-end and a factory-mounted peep sight was named the Model 45. Neither, however, had the model number marked anywhere on the rifle—all were simply designated “Super Sporter” rifles. Both models were made from 1928 to 1940. I’ve been unable to locate any serial-number records with which to date the rifle I used for this report. From what I can tell, between 18,000 and 20,000 were manufactured, of which about 6,000 were the upgraded Model 45s. Several cartridges popular at the time were chambered in the Super Sporter, including the .250 Savage, .300 Savage, .30-30 Winchester, and .30-06 Springfield. The latter seems to be the most common.

Earlier Super Sporter rifles have a magazine release lever located at the lower right side of the magazine well, as shown on this rifle. Later versions have a button located in the right side of the walnut stock, more or less centered over the sidewall of the magazine. Two types of fore-ends were used. One had a Schnabel-type tip like the rifle shown here; the other had a simple roundnose fore-end tip. From what I’ve read, both were available at various stages during the production lifespan, so the difference can’t really be used to denote earlier or later rifles. Super Sporters came with a stout steel buttplate, grooved to help it stick to the shoulder, and with the letters “SVG” engraved into the smooth lower area. The steel buttplates must have bit during recoil, because many have been replaced with rubber recoil pads. This was not a common rifle. Shooters who own them like them for their simplicity, their smooth action, and their unique nature, but not many folks have one.

Mechanicals

As mentioned, the locking lugs are located in the middle of the bolt. The locking-lug recesses are in the rear receiver ring, and the bolt handle serves as a backup lug. Up front, twin extractors click over the cartridge case rim when the bolt goes into battery, providing redundant extraction. A fixed ejector rides in a slot machined into the bottom of the bolt at about 8 o’clock; it launches fired cases out the ejection port lightly or powerfully, depending on how fast you work the bolt. Like many old rifle action types, the Super Sporter’s cocking piece has a knurled knob on the rear. This enables the shooter to pull it back and cock the firing pin without opening the bolt, should a primer prove to be reluctant and need another whack. The safety is odd but cool. It’s a steel strap that circles the lower half of the rear receiver ring. Lift the steel tab behind the bolt to engage the safety; press it down to put the safety in the “Fire” position. The far end of the steel strap ends in a tab on the left side of the action; it lowers and raises to expose the words “Fire” and “Safe.”

Savage Super Sporter Specs

  • Type: Bolt-action repeater
  • Caliber: .30-06
  • Capacity: 4 rds. 
  • Barrel: 24 in. 
  • Overall Length: 44.5 in. 
  • Weight: 7.88 lbs. 
  • Stock: Walnut with aftermarket recoil pad
  • Length of Pull: 14.5 in. 
  • Finish: Blued
  • Sights: Lyman aperture rear, ramped bead front
  • Trigger: 2.7 lbs. (tested)
  • Safety: two-position
  • Manufacturer: Savage Arms Corp. 

The bottom metal appears to have been stamped out of sheet metal but is nicely finished. The steel magazine is beautifully engineered and features shoulder indents that hold unfired cartridges rearward so their noses don’t get banged against the front of the magazine during recoil. Super Sporter rifles are known for mushy, spongey triggers with more pull weight than is comfortable, but this particular rifle is an exception. Its trigger is nice and crisp and breaks at 2 pounds, 11 ounces. No scope mounting provision was made for Super Sporters, although many have been drilled and tapped at a later time. Serrations about 0.30 inch wide run down the top of the receiver to reduce glare when shooting with iron sights. This particular Model 40 Super Sporter must have been retro-fit with the same Lyman peep sight installed on the upgraded Model 45s. It’s a very nice petite aperture sight with a quick-detach lever that enables the user to make quick adjustments for various distances. When the Lyman aperture sight was fitted to the receiver, the rear barrel sight was removed, and the dovetail was filled with a nice placeholder. However, the screw-in aperture with the tiny hole is missing. Unlike most of the old rifles I examine, this one has a long and deep history. It belongs to Andy Clawson, a great friend of mine, and it was his grandfathers’ rifle. Family lore has it that Andy’s grandfather purchased it new in the early 1930s, which dates correctly for the configuration of this Super Sporter. It’s been in the family for nearly 100 years, and it’s been well cared for.

Rangetime

savage-super-sporter-review-02

Posting targets at 100 yards, I fired the Super Sporter over sandbags. Doing my best to resolve the gleaming front brass bead precisely, I achieved a 1.14-inch three-shot group with the first three shots of Hornady 180-grain SSTs. The cluster was two inches above point of aim. Most of my subsequent groups were not quite that good, owing to eye fatigue. However, the smooth-shooting old rifle averaged less than 2 MOA with two of the three factory loads I tested. Reliability was stellar with two of the three loads, but the load topped with Nosler 180-grain AccuBond bullets didn’t feed well. The polymer tips hung on the edge of the feedramp. All things considered, Grandpa Clawson’s old Savage Super Sporter acquitted itself marvelously. I wouldn’t hesitate to hunt with it out to 200 yards or a bit more. Finding a nice example of a Savage Super Sporter can be difficult, but if you find one, purchasing it typically won’t break the bank. This one is valued at about $500. It’s a very cool old piece of American firearms history and is about as unique as a vintage bolt-action hunting rifle can be.




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