Likewise, I’m reliably informed that it can be considerably lightened by a competent gunsmith, but as it stands the trigger is just too heavy. Okay, you do get used to it, and a manually cocked hammer gun does need an extra degree of safety to be built-in. Granted there’s no creep but by the time you’ve applied the amount of pressure required whilst keeping the gun on target, there’s every chance your quarry will have departed unscathed. And it’s the trigger that should be a cause of concern to Savage, since it takes just short of 10lbs for it to break. The overall length is 351⁄4-inches whilst the length of pull is 131⁄2-inches to the trigger. Weight-wise the 42 tips the scales at 4lbs 10oz, the balance point just in front of the hinges. In most instances the usual shotgun measurements don’t apply, although there are some physical dimensions that are worth mentioning. Transferring quickly also means that, whilst the 42 is in effect a single shot weapon, getting both the shotshell and the solid projectile off within seconds of each other combine to make this little combo a remarkably effective close-range hunting weapon. The other point of note is that it clicks rather loudly especially when being disengaged, whilst the external hammer design means the trigger blade is set quite a distance back from the action which at times, due to the grip’s gentle radius, causes the hand to be slightly hunched up.īarrel selection couldn’t be simpler, just a matter or rotating the anvil through 90-degrees when the hammer is cocked – a process that becomes second nature and remarkably quick once you’ve started shooting with the Savage. Located directly beneath the external rebounding hammer, the large cross-bolt safety requires the shooter to make a determined effort to deploy it in either direction, the physical location meaning the catch doesn’t fall easily to any finger or thumb. This then allows the shooter to either unload the gun or extract the spent case or cases, a touch fiddly if like me you wear gloves when shooting. A novel fixture is the case lifter system that the shooter operates themselves by gripping the two serrated surfaces set between the chambers and gently sliding upwards. 22LR chamber that also houses the rear notch sight and the lower 3-inch 410 chamber. Unless the gun is cocked this allows the barrels to pivot downwards as per a standard o/u shotgun and gives access to the top. Shifting to the action, located at the front of the trigger guard, the Savage is opened by pulling the short curved under lever backwards, that in turn unhooks the internal claw that locates against and over the locking lug that extends from beneath the lower chamber. A fixed barrel band complete with raised, elongated bead keeps the barrels a fixed distance apart, whilst it is worth noting that both barrels shoot flat with no obvious convergence point, each barrel forming what is more or less its own independent gun. 22LR, although for those who’d prefer it, can be had in. Both the exact same diameter, the bottom barrel is the 410 choked approximately 3⁄4 whilst the top barrel is the. Given that the exterior is completely black apart from red detailing and the big, bold Savage Arms name set into the forend, what little bit of metal is exposed is, not surprisingly, black. Unusually, whilst the 42 is inherently a grooved grip gives the Savage the feel of a shotgun, albeit the height of the stock is nowhere near that of a smoothbore. Virtually encapsulating the gun, the plastic furniture extends around the majority of the black anodised boxlock action and just over halfway along the 20-inch barrels. Furnished in black synthetic, a deep angular soft rubber recoil pad adds over an inch to the stock, a narrow red spacer joining the two together. Fixed FormatĪesthetics-wise Savage’s Model 42 has the looks of a small rifle, especially when it comes to the stock. 22LR, the Model 42 qualifies as a Section 1 firearm and not a shotgun so a slot on your FAC will need to be sought. You also have to bear in mind that since the top barrel is. In other words all the things shooters over here can’t really do… But as a gun to teach the basics of hunting or something to carry when out for an evening’s stroll around your shoot, the Model rifle in concept, the finger- 42 actually makes a degree of sense, although the £712 price tag does tend to take the edge off it. 22LR/410 over-under combo it exemplifies everything the Americans look for in a survival gun, a camp gun, a gun to teach Junior the ways of the wilderness, a pocket-sized combo with which to hunt critters, a gun to stow away on your ATV or something to carry in your truck as you drive around the ranch. The Savage Model 42 Combo is the sort of gun that most Brits won’t initially understand.