I just picked up a pretty nice Savage 430. Did my research and it seems like a pretty nice gun. I will probably make a project out of it and restore it. Anyway, before I try and force the forearm off, yes its very tight, is there any trick to get it off ? I imagine it comes off just like any other o/u or sxs without a latch and is just held on with spring pressure ?

Thanks in advance for any replies

Vince

I guess there's not many owners of these guns out there? :-) I got the forearm off. I actually had to remove the wood from the iron first. Then I had to use a screwdriver to pry the iron off the barrels. Like I said it was tight, very tight. Im guessing the J spring is a tad too long and will have to be filed back a little. I doubt the forearm was ever taken off this gun. It is under way too much spring pressure to remove the forearm by simply pulling it off.

My first double was a Savage 420, slightly plainer cousin to the 430. Not a lot of those guns out there. They came out about the same time as the Marlin 90. However, after WWII, Marlin continued to produce the 90. The 420/430 did not survive the war, and were only produced for a few years in the late 30's-early 40's. Don't remember any issues with the forend on mine. Sounds like something's not right there. Should just pull off.

One place to ask about vintage Savage O/Us is the Savage Collectors Forum on www.24hourcampfire.com. May take a while to get answers, but there are several guys there who know their onions on these not-very-fashionable guns.

I've tried www.savageshooters.com, which has a "Vintage Savage Shotguns" forum, but it seems to be pretty inactive. If you aren't into switch-barrel Savage 110/111/112, etc., there isn't much going on there, IMO. To many guys, Savage=Rifles.

Never owned a 430 or any of its relatives, but I have a friend who has a 16 that he very much likes and has been shooting for at least 40 years.