LONG KNOWN AS THE HEARTLAND of American firearms manufacturing, the Connecticut River Valley once counted Colt, Remington, Savage Arms, Smith & Wesson, Sturm, Ruger & Co., Winchester and others among the residents. Today, many of those revered gunmakers have moved to friendlier political climates in the southern United States. Among them, though, Savage stands out.
Arthur Savage’s gunmaking enterprise began in 1894 in Utica, New York. By way of purchasing Stevens Arms of Chicopee, Massachusetts, Savage established a foothold in “Gun Valley.” Beyond building its own line of products, such as the Model 1899 lever-action, Savage was an active participant in America’s wartime efforts. It built Lewis machineguns in World War I and an array of armaments during World War II such as the No. 4 Lee-Enfield lend-lease rifles for…