Value of savge 380 cal semi auto model1905?

Answer 1

If this is a (semi)automatic pistol, then Savage produced three models made, all available in both .32 and .380 ACP. None of these is a model 1905, although that is a (mis)identification frequently encountered. Savage also made a few hundred prototypes of a .45 automatic pistol for Army testing, and an unknown number of several .25 ACP prototypes for design and market testing, but none of these ever entered regular production.

The three production Savage automatic pistols are the model 1907, model 1915, and model 1917. The model 1907 was made from 1908-1920 in .32 and from 1913-1920 in .380. The "hammerless" model 1915 was made from 1915-1915 in .32 and from 1915-1917 in .380. The model 1917 was made in .32 from 1920-1926 in .32 and from 1920-1928 in .380. (It is not uncommon to find these models listed under other model names, such as model 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, etc -- these are all mis-identifications, and typically refer to a model 1907, sometimes to a model 1915, and occasionally to a model 1917.)

All of these (as well as the .45 military prototypes) have the date "21 November 1905" (in some version) stamped on the top of the slide. This is the date that Elbert Searle was awarded a patent for his automatic pistol design, which was the basis for all the Savage automatic pistols. The date has no connection to the pistol model or manufacturing date.

Each model is easily identified -- the model 1915 looks like a model 1907 with a grip safety extending out the back of the grip and (normally) no cocking burr or spur. The model 1917 has redesigned frame with widened, somewhat triangular grips. The model 1907 is the "standard" Savage pistola. The last two versions of the model 1907 used the same slide with 28 narrow serrations as the model 1917 that replaced the model 1907, and this sometimes confuses people into thinking that they are model 1917s. The same is true of the cocking spur that was standard on the last version of the model 1907 and both versions of the model 1917, but had been an option on earlier versions of the model 1907 (instead of the cocking burr usually found on the model 1907). Even the "hammerless" model 1915 could be, and occasionally was, ordered with a cocking burr or cocking spur in place of the shroud that normally covered the cocking lever (which, of course, meant those pistols were no longer "hammerless").

The value of a .380 Savage automatic depends on the model, version, and condition of the pistol. In general, the .380 are worth a bit more than the same model, version, and condition in .32. There were six versions of the .380 model 1907, one version of the .380 model 1915, and two versions of the .380 model 1917.

The .380 model 1907 and model 1917 are fairly common, and tend to sell for about $200 to about $500, although special order versions (factory nickel, silver, or gold plated; factory engraved; special features), and pistols in exceptionally good condition or with special markings (Canadian military acceptance marks or railroad police marks, for example, may sell for much more than this. A small number of model 1907 pistols (with known s/n) were sold to the Columbian military; pistols with these s/n command a premium from collectors.

The .380 model 1915 is the most rare production Savage automatic made, since only about 3900 were built. These currently tend to sell from $500 at the low end to well over $1000, again with much higher prices for special order, exceptional, or specially marked pistols.