The Savage Model 1907
Ten (or Eight) Shots Quick
In this week’s First Look, we’re doing something a little bit different. Roy Huntington flashes back to the days of Bat Masterson and delivers some quick shots with the Savage Model 1907 semi-automatic pistol.
Transcript
Hi, friends! Today we’re going to do something we’d like to do every once in a while which is take a look at an old kind of classic gun. And today we’re going to be looking at and shooting the very classic Savage 1907. And remember, 10 shots quick.
You know at the time savage introduced these, Bat Masterson was still alive he was writing a sports column for a newspaper of all things. Savage booked him to sponsor the pistol in their ads and whatnot. Buffalo Bill Cody, too.
But Bat said something I thought was really interesting. He said basically anybody in the old days of the old west, if you had had a gun like this you would have run anybody with a revolver right off the range.
I always thought they looked pretty awkward and I never thought that they would feel good. And boy, I was exactly wrong about that.
It’s really interesting, too, because they have an original higher capacity magazine. I would call it semi-staggered kind of, but they just look awkward to me. But, what I found when I actually got one in my hand was that it actually fits really comfortably and the slightly fatter grip, unlike a Remington 51 and even a 1903 Colt, actually fills your hand better and gives you a really good grip. And, the peculiar angle right here really allows that sort of point your finger and 10 shots quick
In 1907, Savage developed the original version of this gun but it was in .45 ACP and it was made specifically to compete against the Colt 1911. Oddly enough, the final two guns in the competition were the Savage in .45 ACP (it was a bigger version of this) and the 1911. But unfortunately, the Savage is a pretty complicated gun and it was a little fragile. So ultimately, the government decided that they liked the reliability of the 1911 design by Browning.
The savage was breaking small parts and whatnot and also the Savage costs more. Savage lost out. And those original just about 200 guns that Savage made, they go for up to $20,000 to $40,000.
They were returned to Savage after the military test and Savage released them to the general market. So, check grandpa’s gun and if it looks like this but it’s a little bigger and .45 ACP, it’s time for that vacation.
Okay, I’ll get us loaded up we’ll move into about seven yards and just kind of do a mag dump on the target.
Now, the only hitch here is I have an aftermarket magazine in it which only holds eight rounds. So, please accept my apologies beforehand. But I think you’ll still get the idea of
what’s going on. Let’s shoot!
Here we are at toe-tapping distance and I’ve got the 1907 here with my eight rounds quick. Let’s get it charged up and see what happens.
I will channel my inner Bat Masterson…
No slide lock back. I think you get the general idea.
Now, I’m not saying you should go out and buy one of these and carry it you known for defensive purposes but I think you know in a pinch you might. Especially modern ammunition, you know you get Corbon and Buffalo Bore and there’s a lot of other the big makers, they all do pretty effective .32 ACP ammunition nowadays.
If you do get an old gun like this, and you’re insistent about using it for personal defense, then make sure you replace the springs. Make sure you have it looked over really well by a competent gunsmith who understands the model that you’re showing him.
I don’t recommend any of that. These guns should be for having fun, but at least in a pinch, we know Bat Masterson just might be right.
Okay, I couldn’t help myself … after I shot the target, I thought we need a demonstration of the awesome firepower of the .32 ACP in the Savage 1907. So, without further ado, let’s shoot a full metal jacket Belgian .32 ACP round and see what happens.
Actually, that did a little better than I thought!
I’m really surprised. I thought for sure I was going to get a visual on the other side of a bullet hole and then glug, glug, glug, glug, glug, your water kind of pouring out, but it split the sucker right open. I even cheated and I purposefully didn’t fill it up all the way so it didn’t expand with pressure. I just figured it’d go glug and then it would come out, so I’m gonna have to revisit this later.
All right, thanks for tolerating this you guys. And thanks for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this sort of retrospective look at this classic old gun. We’ll be doing some more down the road.
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Thanks for tuning in and be safe and I’ll see you next time!