Elaborating a bit
In 1971 Savage Arms came out with a Model 71 Favorite to commemorate the famous Stevens Favorite. The 71 was only sold for one year. It was a copy of the old Favorite but parts are not interchangable. The 71 has a gold washed hammer and lever. Also a brass front sight and a brass butt plate. Also has an Octagon barrel and a medallion inset in the stock commemorating Joshua Stevens and his company. The wood is walnut and the receiver case-hardened. Came in special packaging and styrofoam case. If you like a little bling it is a beautiful speciman. Lovely classic lines in my opinion. Then, due to so much demand, Savage started making the Model 72 which was identical to the 71 with walnut wood, octagon barrel, case hardened receiver, etc but without all the brass, gold, medallion etc. This was called the Crackshot. The 74 (Get it?) Savage came out with an economy model to be like the 72. This had hardwood, not walnut, a round barrel, and the receiver I think is some sort of aluminum alloy or at least the lever is. The 74 was not made that long... I suppose lack of demand because the 72 was made for several years ...I think into the 1980s. Even though it was an inexpensive model I think the 74 is much harder to find than is the 72. But if you are a shooter you probably do not care. Currently a nice 72 is close to $300 and a 71 is around $400 or so. I bought a 74 a couple of years ago from a guy who had used it for his grandkids. He sold it to me for $100. It was well used and the hammer had been replaced because it had been broken from use I guess. I hardly shot it before seeing that a family with kids got it. So, maybe this is a $150 rifle if well-used...but a nice one might be in demand by Savage and Favorite collectors and might gain a premium if in nice condition.
Late entry Posted several hours later on Nov 1, 2013: The real value of something is what someone is willing to pay for it. So, to help answer thoughts about the value of this rifle I will tell you all this: Just a few minutes ago I found on a gun auction site, Auction Arms, a Model 74, described as "in NRA excellent condition" had been posted just a few hours before I found it. The seller, a dealer, had $35 set as beginning auction price for bid and had a buy-it-now price of $124.99 set on it. I snapped it up for me to go with my Stevens Favorite Type rifle collection. The photos show this to be in very nice used condition and I feel lucky to have found this as a collectable (and to shoot some). These do not show up often, and while they are not the greatest gun in the world they are scarce in my opinion. Anyway, FYI for everyone.
