.250 caliber, 22" barrel. A letter from Savage Arms Company dated January 10, 1917 specifically refers to this rifle serial number
156371.
"The fancy .250 rifle which we have in stock has a beautiful piece of circassion walnut in the stock and forearm and has engraved on one side of the receiver a woodland scene with four deer and on the other side a mountain scene showing a hunter and a bear. It has the new full carved pistol grip with a very fine grade of checking and a matted barrel but no elevated rib on the barrel."
"We made for exhibition purposes at the Panama Pacific Exhibition last year several highly engraved and checked rifles. Perhaps you saw them when you were there. A great portion of these have been sold, but there is one in particular which has a beautifully finished stoned action which we still have and perhaps you would like to add it to your collection."
Accompanying this magnificent exhibition Savage is an unprecedented series of five letters to Mr. Noel from Chester A. Smith representing the Savage Arms Company. In addition there is an original target, tested on 3/24/1917 with 10 shots in the black. Target with typed notation, "Ten shots with .250-3000 rifle, serial number 156371 at 75 yards. Specially tested for P.J. Noel."
On March 27, 1917 this Savage was shipped to P.J. Noel. The shipping receipt reads as follows:
1 Rifle M/99 .250-3000 Savage #156371 (214) Price $145.Circassian WalnutChecked Grade CEngraved Grade EStoned ActionMatted BarrelSights Ivory bead, 6B, 1BThe original check for the rifle in the amount of $154.48 is included.
The historical archive serves to enhance this magnificent rifle to the degree that it is a one piece Savage exhibition in any collection of the very finest Savage 99 rifles. The engraving on the receiver is of a particularly high order and equal to the finest works by any of the Ulrichs. The quality of the wood is finer than Winchester's 4x.
**Requires C&R or FFL
Condition
The condition of the Pan Pacific Savage is, as with all of P.J. Noel's rifles and pistols, unused. The wood retains nearly all of its original high-polished factory varnish. The checkering is as crisp as the day it was shipped. The Pan Pacific Savage does have some minor patches of corrosion from poor storage, particularly on the left side of the receiver and the take down band. The right side is notably free of the storage issues and is practically pristine. The barrel retains nearly all of its brightly polished original blue. The full matted rib does have one minor spot just beyond the rear sight. The lever retains nearly all of its original rainbow cased colors. The buttplate is pristine. The checkered trigger retains nearly all of its original finish. The engine-turned bolt shows no wear. The bore is pristine. The action functions perfectly. Further superlatives are unnecessary to describe this exhibition Savage. The original correspondence, target and shipping receipt are included.