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Savage Company History
The Savage
Arms Company was organized in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica,
New York. A native of Jamaica, Arthur led a romantic life,
having been schooled in England and the United States. In
his thirties, he explored the interior of Australia and was
held captive for a year by Aborigines. Later, he became the
owner of the largest cattle ranch in Australia.
After
moving to Utica, New York, he developed the Savage Halpine
torpedo, became the Superintendent of the Utica Belt Line
Railroad, and invented the first "hammerless" lever
action rifle with the entire mechanism enclosed in a steel
receiver. This remarkable rifle featured a rotary magazine
with a unique counter that visually displayed the number of
bullets remaining in the receiver. The Model 99, as it became
known, advanced firearm technology, offered the average person
an affordable rifle, and started a business that has stood
the test of time. In 1919, Chief Lame Bear approached
Arthur to purchase lever-action rifles for an Indian reservation
and the two men struck a deal. His tribe would get discounted
rifles and Savage would get their support and endorsement.
It was at this time in the company's history, that Arthur
Savage added the Indian head logo--a direct gift from the
Chief--to the company name. By 1919, Savage Arms was manufacturing
high power rifles, 22 caliber rifles, pistols and ammunition.
During
World War I, Savage merged with Driggs-Seabury Ordnance Company,
and made Lewis machine guns. In 1920, Savage purchased J.
Stevens Arms, a company which was associated with the famous
barrel maker, Harry Pope. Later, Savage acquired the assets
of Page Lewis Company, Davis-Warner Arms, Crescent Firearms,
and A.H. Fox, thereby becoming the largest firearm company
in the free world.
During
World War II, Savage contributed literally millions of firearms
to the campaign, converting its factories to accommodate heavy
munitions. After the war, Savage had excess capacity and adopted
some of its manufacturing processes to alternate consumer
products, including the world's first motorized lawnmower.
Between the early 1960's and late 1980's, numerous public and private
corporations owned and sold Savage Arms, culminating in a
reorganization of the business and a filing for bankruptcy
protection in early 1988. Ronald Coburn was named president/CEO
and redefined the future of the business. The company downsized
and produced only the model 110 bolt-action rifle until mid
1989.
By early 1990,
the company was once again on a secure footing, having developed
a strategy to build superior products at a reasonable price,
something the competition could not match. Savage continued
to redefine value during the 1990's, developing new products,
improving materials and adding features that where only available
in much higher-priced rifles.
Savage
became a "consumer sensitive" company, adopting
many of the ideas and suggestions offered by firearm users.
Management spent time in the field, listening to hunters,
talking with guides and comparing notes with industry writers,
many of which have since become good friends and confidants
over the years. And, since there is no substitute for hands-on
experience, management took all new products into the field
themselves to learn and appreciate the features and benefits
of any new offerings, and fine-tune as needed.
In 1992,
Savage designed and patented the SNAIL, an environmentally
friendly shooting range system that has since been adopted
by all major firearms' manufacturers, police, military and
private shooting clubs in America and 14 other countries.
The NRA, FBI and numerous special forces currently use the
SNAIL Savage system.
By 1995, Savage was now financially strong
enough to attract potential buyers and the owners showed interest
in selling. In order to keep the company focused and under the
control of local management, Ronald Coburn raised the money to
purchase the company and took it private.
Since
then, Savage has opened a factory in Canada to produce all
.22 rim-fire rifles and reintroduced the famous lever-action
"Favorite" rifle. A wood factory in Connecticut now produces
stocks and a bolt-action shotgun and a hunting handgun called
the "Striker" were introduced in 1998. In late 2000, Savage
developed the worlds' first smokeless muzzleloader and introduced
a number of short magnums to complement its centerfire rifle
series.
Savage
Arms is proud of its' reputation for product improvements
and has become the standard for accuracy in the industry.
Recently, the company introduced the new AccuTrigger™,
a trigger design so revolutionary it will forever change the
way shooters expect triggers to function. It's another example
of Savage's fresh innovation in setting new standards. At
Savage Arms, the entrepreneurial spirit that originally defined
the company is still evident today and history is currently
being written!
SOURCE = Savage Sports Corporation website
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