Curious Relics #085: 10 Shots on Paper! – The Savage 1907 Part III
Sam.S 02.28.24
Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! The last time around I covered the history and variations of an American pistol which was the first commercially successful double-stack handgun made by an American company. In this article, we are closing out the Savage 1907 and all of its “10 shots quick” glory. Giving it a send-off with dating, aftermarket parts and accessories, and a range trip. Let’s dive right into the rabbit hole!
Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!
Dating: Savage 1907
This one is an easy one! We do not get many as easy as this on Curious Relics. Luckily others have done a lot of work to ensure there is a resource and thankfully Savage did not lose their records completely. There are several online resources for dating these early Savage autoloaders. If we are looking specifically at the 32 ACP models there is this excellent site in which you simply input your serial number and a date will pop up. My Savage 1907 was manufactured in 1918. If you have a 380 ACP Savage do not worry. This same site has your back.
Aside from that website, there is also this resource which gets much more in-depth with literal serial ranges, numbers manufactured in a given range, and even scarcity statistics. According to this document around 18,800 Savage 1907 pistols were made in 1918. Almost like there was a war going on at the time. My pistol was one of those and that is super neat to know.
Specifications: Savage 1907
The Savage 1907 is a single-action semiautomatic delayed blowback pistol that uses a double-stack magazine containing ten rounds of 32 ACP or 380 ACP depending on your version. It appears to have a hammer but this is more of a faux hammer than anything. It is attached to a striker so this is a striker-fired pistol. The purpose of this faux hammer is so the user could cock or decock if they so chose.
- Years Produced: From 1907 to 1920
- Number Manufactured: 200,801
- Operating System: DelayedBlowback
- Chambering: 32 ACP, 380 ACP
- Barrel Length: 3.75 Inches
- Overall Length: 6.5 inches from heel to crown
- Weight: Roughly 19 ounces
- Action: Single Action
- Safety: Manual Right-Handed Thumb Safety
- Capacity: 10 round double stack box magazine
- Front Sight: Fixed Front Half Moon
- Rear Sight: Rear gutter
- Grip: Black Gutta-Percha, Very early examples had metal grips.
After Market Parts & Accessories: Savage 1907
Where there is a multitude of serial number and dating information the Savage lacks in parts and accessories. This is sort of astonishing given their very large production run of over 200,000. Nonetheless, there are some resources but their options are sparse. As it sits Numrich looks to be the best bet for most things however the average part that would break is probably sold out. A company I have no experience with called Old Arms of Idaho looks to have parted a 1907 or two in their day so there are some important and spendy components there as I write this.
eBay is always an option too which you will never know what could pop up there. Triple K has both grips and magazines. These magazines however are newly manufactured and only hold 7 rounds instead of the original 10. Who knows why? Lastly, the only accessory out there is offered by good old Sarco Inc. They have some military-style holsters for the 1907 in both left and right hands.
Range Time: Savage 1907
The Savage 1907 is a comfy little gun. Many pocket pistols of the time tend to fall short in my more modern-sized hands. The circumference of the grip is not uncomfortable. Just looking at a picture may make you think it’s boxy but it’s not. I would say it is in the top 3 as far as comfortable pocket pistols made before 1915. The safety ios easy to manipulate however taking the safety off from safe to fire is slightly stiff until the spring tension snaps it into fire. The slide is very light when racking. The trigger pull is agreeable more than it isn’t. The biggest unfortunate regarding range time with the Savage 1907 is the sights. they are not bad they are just very fine and shallow making it hard to see for faster follow-up shots.
The range trip I took for this article involved a box of some old 71 Grain 32 ACP from Federal. I shot the Savage 1907 at 15 yards and the recoil was extremely comfy. I would compare it to something like the Masuer 1914 in terms of snap which is to say next to none. It is a heavy pistol so this soaks things up as does the operating system. Not to mention 32 ACP let alone old 32 ACP is not super potent.
As far as holes in paper go the results are as shown below. A humble grouping of around three or four inches. But hey as far as self-defense scenarios go that grouping is excellent. It was 10 shots somewhat quick and they all could fit in my fist.
Final Thoughts: Savage 1907
The Savage has been on my list for a long time so acquiring one was a dream come true. Shoutout to my friend Adam for helping me out with that. It is a fine pistol. Its looks are exactly what I think of when my mind harkens back to a different time when the looks of something were unique. When advertising could be downright ridiculous. Back when the Savage 1907 was brand new and all you could hear was “10 Shots Quick!”. If I was born in 1890 I would think guns like these were the future and would surely opt to purchase one. Pick one up and love it if you have the opportunity. See you next time!
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm out there that you feel does not get much notoriety? What should our next Curious Relics topic cover? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
