Curious Relics #087: A Pistol Full of Mysteries – The Savage 101 Part II
Sam.S 04.17.24
Welcome, if you are a newcomer to this fun bi-weekly segment of AllOutdoor.com! Last time around we dove into the history of the curious single-shot pistol that looks like a revolver. The forgotten Savage 101 is mean. Today we are taking a deep dive into all the Savage 101 pistols out there. This, unfortunately, will not be a very picture-heavy article. At least not in the sense of every variant. This is because there really aren’t any. The exceptions out there are in private hands and their photos are in books you folks should look out for yourselves. They will be linked at the end.
Recent Content in Curious Relics:
- Curious Relics #086: Love at First Sight – The Savage 101
- Curious Relics #082: Sub-Caliber Device of The 1950s – Barrelette Shotgun Adapter
- Curious Relics #083: 10 Shots Quick! – The Savage 1907
- Curious Relics #084: Original US Double Stack – The Savage 1907 Part II
- Curious Relics #085: 10 Shots on Paper! – The Savage 1907 Part III
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!
Variations: Savage 101 Official “Variations”
Since the Savage 101 is one of those truly forgotten firearms it comes at the cost of a lack of information that is not speculative. On top of that just as is the case with most consumer firearms a given company may not feel obliged to keep any information that an interested party may seek years down the road. That all being said, the true variations of the Savage 101 are a mystery.
For the sake of full disclosure of what I have learned through a couple of weeks of digging, I’ll relay my own list of “variations”. As I said I can conclude that there were never any commercial variations. BUT! There are goofy outliers in design that exist.
Official “Variations”
1. Savage 101 (up to serial 30999): The Savage 101 was made from 1960 to 1968. In this time roughly 53,800 were made. According to Bailey Brower Jr’s book Savage Pistols, they started with serial number 1 and continued sequentially. These pistols (like my early 8###) were made until around serial number 30,999 before the serial numbers made a decisive jump.
2. Savage 101 (32000 serial and on): The aforementioned jump was to 32,000 and it acted as a delimitation for a very small (and the only recorded) design change. From this point on a small square cut was added to the faux cylinder/barrel assembly adjacent to the extractor. This cut was to act as a gas port. The reason for the addition is unknown to me. Perhaps there were reports of over-gassed, ruptured, or over-pressured cartridges back in the day.
I have seen a photo of a faux cylinder/barrel assembly with a crack in it right above the chamber. But alas there is no report of these guns having issues like that. On top of that, this picture shows the same square cut that was made to allegedly act as a gas port. If this was the reason for the cut then it sure did not work.
3. Savage 101 Dummy: A rather cute story is tied to these rare occurrences. There are Savage 101 guns out there marked “DUMMY”. It is estimated there are 10 or 12 out there. They are literal dummy guns like a rubber prop gun for a movie except they cock and such. They do not have a chamber but rather that side of the barrel is flat with no hole to load anything. On top of that, there is no firing pin or port for one.
According to Brower’s book, these initially came from children in designer Hillberg’s neighborhood begging to borrow revolvers to play cowboys and Indians. Hillberg, foreseeing the potential catastrophic issues with lending firearms for kids to run off and play with met with the vice president of Savage and asked that some dummy guns be made for the kids. Several more are speculated to later be made as examples for sales reps to show dealers.
Stancil’s Finds
An author by the name of Garnett Weldon Stancil Jr has injected some new research time into the Savage 101. He like me finds this sort of stuff interesting and reports his findings as honestly as possible. His book, though very unofficial feeling in many ways, sheds important light and care on an otherwise forgotten gun. I have recently exchanged a few emails after reading his book and he has informed me that updates are made as soon as possible. He seems genuine in his pursuits to inform and does not charge much more than what printing and shipping demand.
4. Savage 101 Engraved: In Stancil’s book he includes a Savage 101 that was engraved by its owner. Not a variant by any means but an excellent example of what the 101 could have turned into had Savage put the time into marketing it differently.
5. Savage 101 “2nd Experimental Model”: A curious find from Stancil’s connections would be the aforementioned experimental model. This example is an unassuming-looking Savage 101 with an odd sort of off-colored green receiver. The inside of its box written in pencil is “2nd Experimental Model” and “22 Caliber Clip Magnum”. This pistol like the other DUMMY guns lacks a firing pin or port and also denotes “DUMMY” on the bottom of the grip.
Honorable Mentions
6. Bob Hillberg’s Savage 101: Bob Hillberg (designer of the 101) himself owned at least one Savage Model 101. The serial number is noted as being number 10 and it uniquely sports plastic grips that look similar to the modern Heritage MFG grips below.
7. Savage 101 Indian Head Medallion: So, this is my Savage 101. It is unique in that it has a silver medallion on the left grip. I have been unable to find any other Savage 101 like this. Do I think this was factory? Possibly, but if it was it was a one-off. Savage seems like a company that was accommodating to some special requests within reason. When speaking with Mr Stancil we both think it looks rather “right”. As in not a DIY sort of haphazard job. He speculated it was made for a lefty since the medallion would face outward when holstered on the left side. Maybe there is a right-handed one out there to make a neat pair? If not I am guessing it’s on the left simply because most of us are right-handed and if it was on the right it would mess with the grip feel. It’s truly a mystery for now and will likely remain so. I’ll never act as though this is anything special. The gun is not finished silver by any means the paint has very obviously worn or been brushed off.
I should mention that upon further inspection the medallion displays possible evidence of adhesive or epoxy. There are very slight drip marks. However light scratching will a pick or fingernail has not upturned any “old glue dust” and the medallion does not appear to have huge gaps. If it was placed there after it was bought it was done well. There is no evidence of anything inside the grip.
Note: A quick Google image search with my exact photo of the medallion yields interesting results. Lots of similar Indian head belt buckles out there. Could it have been a pin or medallion on some sort of merchandising? Hard to say with the little evidence I could find and the clearly well-fit one on the grip. Perhaps time will tell. When I get some better pictures done I’ll send them off to Mr. Stancil to do what he likes with them. I wish him luck in his pursuit of finding out more about the good old Savage 101.
End of Part II: Savage 101
Well, there you have a couple of weeks’ worth of deep diving into all the possibilities of the Savage 101. Plans for an actual six-shot revolver were in the works but this idea was dropped as the Savage 101 was discontinued in 1968. Stancil’s book continues to receive updates periodically so go check it out for the latest word. Otherwise, Brower’s is very good as well but mainly focuses on the Savage 1907 whereas the 101 gets a handful of pages worth of mention.
- Bailey Brower, Jr’s Book: Savage Pistols
- Garnett Weldon Stancil, Jr’s Book: Savage Model 101 Single Shot Pistol. Here and here.
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.
