Engineering masterpiece

m21sniper · 05-13-2009, 01:24 PM

Savage model 1905 .32ACP autopistol.

I've had one of these for many years, and have on occasion shot it when visiting friends out in the sticks. The thing has never once jammed or failed to fire, and i have never once cleaned it because i never knew how to field strip it. Well i finally looked up the procedure online today, and took it apart.

There is rust and filth in there to the degree that i cannot even believe the pistol worked- but it does, flawlessly. Im cleaning it out real good now, and will lightly lube it, but i am totally amazed at the masterpiece of design it is that a 104 year old weapon can go for (god knows how many) decades without being cleaned and still work flawlessly.

What a great little pistol. Mine is in excellent shape, with a 95%+ finish. I'm not looking to sell it, don't even know what it's worth, but i figured i'd put it out there how impressed i am with this little 10+1 double stack pistol.

daepp · 05-13-2009, 02:21 PM

I have a Ruger 22 auto pistol that has never been cleaned. It just keeps firing flawlessly!

Schumi · 05-13-2009, 02:34 PM

Brings to mind an old Mossberg-made .22 rifle I have had since a kid. It was made in the late 60's I would say. I've oiled it maybe twice since owning it and it has gone through at least 5,000 rounds in my possession alone. I can not think of one time it has ever faulted or jammed. Not once. Every single cartridge has ejected perfectly every time it's ever been fired in my hands.

I love that gun.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

As with so many other things - furniture, houses, appliances, cars, musical instruments, aircraft, etc. - the new stuff is way-more-often-than-not total junk compared to the stuff built "back when".

"Back when", stuff was made to last, by craftsmen. Today, stuff is made for a throwaway society with built-in planned obsolescence, usually by the cheapest (Chinese) labor using the cheapest materials. Any longevity or durability is an unintended incidental benefit at best.

With very few exceptions.

Our world used to value quality. Now we only value quantity and whatever we can get cheaply.

You get what you pay for.

Jim Sims · 05-13-2009, 03:39 PM

With the advent of industrialized war and highly consumptive combat a non-optimized weapon was and is considered a waste. What may appear to be junk is often the result of a highly optimized decision balancing cost, performance and durability. A finely crafted, expensive pistol lost in the mud of the battlefield is in fact (all things considered) inferior to a cheap, mass produced pistol lost in the mud.

KarlCarrera · 05-13-2009, 04:08 PM

What an outstanding .32. Clean, efficient, durable design. A heavy application of Kroil (orange can) after it's stripped and left to soak will do an amazing job on the rust. I just did the same with an old Colt .32 that came from my grandfather. Small amount of lube and oil during re-assembly and it operates as new. Great looking!

Karl
88 Targa

m21sniper · 05-13-2009, 04:20 PM

The Savage 1905 was originally designed for the US Army, and was(in .45 cal) the only competitor to the Colt M1911 in trials. It was an extremely close competition, and had to go into "overtime" to select a winner.

Given the finicky nature of factory stock 1911's, and the utterly flawless nature of my Savage despite not being cleaned for at least a decade, i have to honestly wonder if the Army even made the right choice.

Of course that's water under the bridge now, the M1911A1 was retired when i was still in the service, over 20 years ago.