Savage Model 46

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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-Stevens Model 46 Rifle Review

Savage-Stevens Model 46

Figure 1: Savage-Stevens Model 46 (Source: https://www.gunauction.com/buy/15234727)

Savage-Stevens Model 46 is a retired 22 LR bolt-action rifle that remains a significant part of the history of rimfire Savage rifles. It has a free-floating 508 mm (20”) tapered steel barrel and is 990 mm (39”) in overall length.

The rifle has a walnut-finished hardwood stock that is classically styled and has a fluted comb for added grip. It is also checkered, and the Monte-Carlo-styled buttstock is equipped with a rubber recoil pad.

The thumb safety is located at the rear of the receiver. The latter is grooved and either has a 3/8” dovetail or, in some cases, an 11 mm dovetail for scope mounting. The type of dovetail may depend on where the rifle was purchased and can influence the compatibility of scope mounts.

Some 3/8” and 11 mm dovetails may be interchangeable, but this depends on various factors. You can read this article to learn more about the difference between the two scope mounting systems.

Savage-Stevens Model 46 comes with a standard trigger which might be preferred by shooters who like a traditional, predictable trigger feel.

The large capacity tubular magazine can hold up to 22 rounds, depending on the caliber, and it can be chambered for either .22 Long Rifle, .22 Long, or .22 Short. The magazine can take up to fifteen .22 LR, up to seventeen .22 Long, and up to twenty-two .22 Short cartridges.

If you have additional information about this rifle, please contact us at info@optics-trade.eu. We would be happy to expand our database.

Savage-Stevens Model 46 Calibers

Savage-Stevens Model 46 can be chambered for:

.22 LR
.22 Long
.22 Short

Savage-Stevens Model 46 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-Stevens Model 46 with a rounded dovetail

Figure 2: The receiver of Savage-Stevens Model 46 with a rounded dovetail (Source: https://www.gunauction.com/buy/15234727)

dimensions of Savage receiver

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

Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage-Stevens Model 46

Rifles That Have One-Piece Scope Mounts Interchangeable with Savage-Stevens Model 46

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-Stevens Model 46 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-Stevens Model 46

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-Stevens Model 46 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-Stevens Model 46

Fixed Scope Mounts for Savage-Stevens Model 46

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-Stevens Model 46

This Henneberger one-piece mount earned our top recommendation for a detachable repeatable scope mount for Savage-Stevens Model 46. 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-Stevens Model 46

If you aren’t satisfied with the 11 mm dovetail on your Savage-Stevens Model 46, 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