Savage 340, in .225 Winchester
Ran across one yesterday. Don't recall ever seeing one before. It appeared to be in good shape externally. How many were made, and what would be the expected going price for one nowadays?
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Have not seen any reference to Savage 340 in calibers other than .22 Hornet, .222 Rem., .223 and .30-30. Winchester intended this cartridge as replacement for .220 Swift in mod. 70 & apparently no other mfgrs. picked it up. COTW refers to it as a modified .30-30. 0 -
Had one many years ago wish I still had it. I think the 340 is a very underrated rifle their not pretty but everyone I've had has been extremly accurate. Not certain of the numbers but the 340v is rare 0 -
I have owned one for about 6 years. It's the only one I've ever seen for sale locally. It would be hard to put a value on them since they are collectible. However they are not of the same quality as a modern bolt action. I am concerned about strength of the action since it appears to have only one bolt lug plus the bolt handle and the 225 is a fairly high pressure round. My guess on the value is somewhere in the $300 -$350 range. 0 -
I currently own a 340V in 225 winchester and I paid $300 for it about 3 years ago. I wanted a Winchster model 70 in that caliber like I used to own back in the 70s but just could not afford the price of the winchesters. There is a 340 in 225 currently on another auction and it is going in the $350 range + shipping. The 225 is one excellent round but the 22-250 basically replaced it. Topo bad, I love the 225 winchester. I actually was unaware that they maed a 340 in 2256 till I found the one I have but then I looked in the Blue Book and saw where they are listed. IF you can buy it on the $300 range, well worth that IMHO. 0 -
I have several 340 V's in 225 and both type model 70's so chambered. The Md 70 Varmonter has an aftermarket Jewell trigger, and is very likely the most accurate gun I own. I have owned 6 (currently 3)340V's over the years, and have paid as little as $250 (90% 'er...guy that had it didn't know/care what it was) and as much as $600 4 years ago for the NIB specimen I own. I currently own at least one of every chambering made in the 340 series and can tell you from experience they are just about universally greaty little shooters. In their day they were thought of as a "truck" gun, and in reality WERE largely relegated to shooting chores one would not want to bring their Md 70 or other "pretty" gun out for.
Having said that, I have a 342 that will shoot "1/2 groups (100 yds)all day, and one of the 225's will hold under "2 at 200 so it has been added to the line-up after the Savage and aforementioned Md 70 when the pasture poodles have heated no.'s one and two up too much! Not bad for a 40+ year old gun with vintage Unertyle Vulture (all the 340's I have are mounted with original Savage side mounts and period glass) and no accuraizing work aside from developed hand loads.
As mentioned earlier, Winchester and Savage are the only two manufacturers to produce rifles in this chambering. I am obviously fond of these Savage rifles, and the 19's and 23 series as well. All were middle of the price range guns in their day, and have put TONS of meat in the freezer over the years. Not a super strong action, but nothing they chambered it in really stresses the gun enough to be a concern. 225 should be just fine in all but the most insane handloads. Something of note...225 Winchester ammo is no longer produced commercially so it is the rhealm of the handloader. Winchester makes a production run once a year for 225 brass, and nothing higher than 52 grains bulletwise will stabilize in my experience. A semi rimmed design, it is right at home in old rebarreled 1885 Winchesters (sorry Bert...I know that is highly distasteful to you) as that bolt face really clamps it in there.
In answer to your question, a shootable , low condition (50 to 60 percent finish)gun will run about $250 to $275, and a NIB specimen with box and packing/manual/hangers can fetch as much as $650 even in this economy. Prices are waaayu down on them the last few years, as there is a high condition, no box/papers 340V that has been on here for some time at about $600 with no takers; needs box and papers to get that money IMO. So, by way of generalization, a %90 specimen, no box/papers/dies/components/loaded ammo should run about $425 to $450. Oh, and for what it's worth, the Remington commercialization of the old 22-250 wildcat within a year of the Md 70's intro in 225 pretty much spelled the death nell for the Winchester offering, and as a result, most of the 340V's you will find have not been shot much and look as good on the inside as the outside! Of the 75 or so /i have looked at to purchase over the years, exactly ONE was below an 8 out of 10 bore conditionwise, and thaat one was nearly a smoothbore...SOMEBODY liked that 340V enough to put perhaps 5000 rounds through it! Another aside is that the Winchester commercial loading of the 225 in the 60's was amongst the MOST ACCURATE factory ammo of it's era (Ken Waters said that...I believe him)if not flat out THE most accurate.0
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