Book Review by J. B. Wood | Contributing Editor
SAVAGE PISTOLS by Bailey Brower Jr. ©2008. Published by Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055. Phone: 717-796-0411. Online: stackpolebooks.com. Hardbound, 8½ X 11 inches, 256 pages, 500 color photos. Price: $59.95 plus shipping. Available in bookstores, and from amazon.com. Also from the author, Bailey Brower Jr., PO Box 111, Madison, NJ 07940 (inquire about signed copies).
This excellent reference on Savage handguns actually became available in 2009, but it was apparently overlooked by some of the gun people. Recently, a person interested in Savage pistols was surprised when I mentioned it to him. So, I thought it was time to write something about it.
Before the present, if you wanted to research a Savage pistol, there were just two small books available: SAVAGE AUTOMATIC PISTOLS, by James R. Carr, and 10 SHOTS QUICK, by Daniel K. Stern. Both were privately published, more than 40 years ago, and in relatively small quantities. They are hard to find today.
Fortunately, we now have Bailey Brower’s book. It contains everything Carr and Stern knew, and a whole library-full of data that those earlier writers never heard of. There is, of course, extensive coverage of the familiar 1907 and 1917 pistols in .32 and .380, including serial numbering, and, when possible, the production and sale dates. The last remark refers to the fact that at Savage, in those days, things were a long way from being computerized.
Another section covers, in great detail, the .45 Savage pistol and the US Military Trials of 1907. In this chapter, there is also a lot of information on some competing designs—Colt, Luger, Grant-Hammond. In other parts of the book you’ll find prototypes in .25 Auto, .38 Auto, and other odd variations. Did you know that Savage once provided the .32 pistol to the Army of France?
There are separate chapters on boxes, holsters, magazines, and company advertising items. The one that covers factory-engraved pistols is awesome. At the start of the book, you’ll find everything known about Arthur W. Savage and designer Elbert H. Searle. Even if you’re not a collector of Savage pistols, Brower writes so well that you’ll just want to sit down and read this book.
