Savage Model 63

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The History of Savage Arms

Savage Arms was founded in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York. Arthur Savage held two important patents at the time: a patent for a repeating rifle with a single-column magazine lever-action rifle, which he acquired in 1891, and a patent for a hammerless lever-action design. That paved the way for Savage’s quick rise to success.

The company’s first breakthrough came in 1895 when it introduced Model 1895 – the first hammerless lever-action rifle on the market. It was modeled after Model 1892, an earlier design that never saw production due to losing a bid for a US Army contract. Model 1895, however, won the contract for New York National Guard, but it was soon canceled due to getting caught in a contemporary political climate.

Savage continued investing efforts into the production of military-grade weapons. It was named one of the two finalists in the US Army trials for a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and it lost only to the now-famous Colt M1911. Savage used the gained experience to produce high-quality pocket pistols, though, which resulted in the introduction of Model 1907, 1915, and 1917.

During World War I, Savage was merged with the Driggs-Seabury Ordnance company. The joint company focused all its efforts on the production of Lewis machine guns and heavy equipment for war purposes.

Between the two wars, Savage decided to expand its business inside the USA. In 1920 it bought Stevens Arms of Chicopee, followed by A.H. Fox Gun Co. of Philadelphia and Davis-Warner Arms and CrescentArms Co. of Norwich in 1930. Success followed and in 1939 Savage introduced the Model 24 combination gun which sold over a million copies.

When World War II commenced, though, Savage was once again ready to answer the call of duty. It focused all its resources on war efforts, producing a staggering number of weapons. It already signed a contract with Auto Ordinance Co. in 1938 to manufacture the famous .45 caliber Thompson submachine gun, and most of these submachine guns that were used in WWII were produced by none other than Savage. The company was also contracted by the US government in 1940 to produce .30 and .50 caliber Browning machine guns. On top of that, Savage manufactured one of the most mass-produced bolt-action rifles of WWII, the British No. 4 Lee–Enfield. A record of 1.2 million Lee-Enfield rifles was produced by Savage during the time of war.

Production dialed down after the war, though. In 1946, Savage closed its facilities in Utica and moved all its operations to the Stevens manufacturing premises. Even though the Model 110 was introduced in 1958, which remains one of the company’s most successful rifles to this date, Savage started to experience some issues. In 1960 all production was moved to the current location of Westfield, Massachusetts, and what followed was a series of different ownerships over the company. Savage gradually ran into serious financial problems and in 1988 the company declared bankruptcy.

The company had to cut back on its manufacturing costs to the point where it even stopped producing short-action configurations of its most successful model, the aforementioned Model 110. It wasn’t until 1995 when Savage returned to private ownership led by Ronald Coburn who sort of rejuvenated the whole company.

In 2002 Savage introduced and patented AccuTrigger – a safe and user-adjustable trigger that soon became a success. The following year, in 2003, the company was named Manufacturer of the Year by the Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence, further reaffirming Savage’s distinction. Four years later, on May 15, 2007, Savage 93R17 BTVS has been named the best rifle in the Best of the Best presentation by Shooting Times, Sporting Gun, and Shooting Gazette magazines.

In 2013 Savage once again changed ownership. It was acquired by Orbital ATK for 315 million dollars, and it was later handed over to Vista Outdoor which later sold it for $170 million in 2019 to a group of private investors led by Savage’s management.

The company also had its logo changed in the middle of the 2010s when it decided to retire its old logo that presumably featured Chief Lame Deer, a native-American tribesman leader. The latter supposedly approached Arthur Savage in 1919 to purchase rifles for his tribe. In exchange for a discount, Lame Deer agreed to a deal. According to the deal, Savage was allowed to use Lame Deer’s face for promotional purposes. Many doubt the authenticity of this story, however, and Savage itself removed it from its official website as well.

Savage Model 63 Rifle Review

Savage Model 63

Figure 1: Savage Model 63 (Source: https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/2038/696/savage-model-63-single-shot-bolt-action-rifle)

Savage Model 63 is a single-shot .22 rimfire bolt-action rifle that’s been retired a long time ago, but it still remains an important piece in the history of Savage rimfire rifles.

The barrel is 457 mm (18”) long, and the overall length of the rifle is 914.5 mm (36”).

It sports a walnut-finished one-piece hardwood stock with a pistol grip, giving it a classic and refined look.

The bolt has a front locking lug that locks into the barrel extension. The rifle cocks when the bolt is opened – the trigger is locked when the bolt is operated.

The receiver of the Savage Model 63 is grooved, featuring a 3/8” dovetail or in some cases a more “European” 11 mm dovetail, allowing for easy scope mounting. This depends on where the gun was bought, and it can play a major role in which scope mount is suitable for the gun.

Some 3/8” and 11 mm dovetails can even be interchangeable, but this depends on a variety of factors. You can read this article to learn more about the difference between 3/8” and 11 mm dovetails.

The trigger is standard, which might be good news for those shooters that prefer a more classic, well-known, and expectable trigger feel.

If you have any other information about this rifle, we kindly ask you to contact us at info@optics-trade.eu. We will gladly expand our database.

Savage Model 63 Calibers

Savage Model 63 can be chambered for:

.22 LR
.22 Long
.22 Short
.22 WMR (Only the Magnum variant)

Savage Model 63 Variants

Savage Model 63 comes in one additional “Magnum” variant:

Savage Model 63 M

Savage Model 63 features a rounded dovetail on top of the receiver. It can either be an 11 mm or a 3/8” dovetail.

The receiver of Savage Model 63 with a rounded dovetail

Figure 2: The receiver of Savage Model 63 with a rounded dovetail (Source: https://www.gunauction.com/buy/9888995)

dimensions of Savage receiver

D: 11 mm or 3/8" (one or the other, they are not the same)

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 63

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 63

The necessary condition for rifles to have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable is that the mounting surfaces of these rifles match in every dimension.

Since Savage Model 63 features a rounded 11 mm or a 3/8” dovetail, any rifle with the same mounting system will have one-piece scope mounts interchangeable with it.

Rifles That Have Two-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage Model 63

For two-piece scope mounts to be interchangeable, the mounting surfaces of the rifles must match in every dimension except the action length which can vary. This is because the distance between the two pieces of the mount is not fixed.

Again, if your Savage Model 63 has a rounded 11 mm or a 3/8” dovetail, then any rifle with the same mounting system will have two-piece scope mounts interchangeable with it.

Best Scope Mounts for Savage Model 63

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage Model 63

When it comes to fixed scope mounts for Savage-Stevens Model 46’s rounded dovetail, you would be hard-pressed to find a better solution than these BKL 0.6" Long Dovetail Rings nowadays.

Thanks to the BKL’s patented Auto-Centering^TM system, they will fit on both 11 mm and 3/8” dovetails. They are made of aluminum, offer an abundance of quality for their price, and come with a 2-year warranty.

Detachable Repeatable Scope Mounts for Savage Model 63

This Henneberger one-piece mount earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for Savage Model 63. It is reliable and extremely versatile and is thus a great choice for your rifle. It is manufactured in Germany, is made of aluminum, and has a 30-year warranty attached to it.

It will, however, need to be coupled with a Picatinny rail. We recommend this BKL Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount which will solve the issue. It fits on both 11 mm and 3/8” dovetails.

Picatinny Rails for Savage Model 63

If you aren’t satisfied with the 11 mm dovetail on your Savage Model 63, then you can install this BKL Dovetail to Weaver/Picatinny Adaptor Mount on it instead.

It should fit on the 3/8” dovetail just as easily as on the 11 mm dovetail.

Help Us Build Our Riflescope Mounts Database

If you happen to own this or any other rifle, we would appreciate it if you could help us expand our database by sending us some photos of the rifle receiver (the bare mounting surface of the rifle without the mounts installed). For your help, our company offers a fair return in terms of practical rewards.

Please send us an email for more information. You can contact us here: info@optics-trade.eu

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Savage Model 63

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The History of Savage Arms