How much love is out there for the Savage 99?

A

axemaster8

Member
Rating - 100%
10   0   0
Location
the end of the road
Over the past couple years I have come across a few of these Savage 99's, always in one of the proprietary savage calibers. I've come to admire these rifles and I'm thinking I should pick one up if I find one in a more common calibre.
What's the good, bad and the ugly on these rifles? What's known to wear out faster on these rifles, what's important to pay attention to while looking one over, known quirks. I'm just looking for first hand input on these rifles and their handling. If it makes a difference I am a southpaw.
 
I prefer the bottom tang safety guns.

I also prefer the small diameter cocked indicating pin. The "budget" guns with the bottom tang safety have the larger pin of the top tang guns.

The 99F guns had a 22" barrel and the 99E or 99R had a 24" barrel.

Pre 1910ish guns have a square locking bolt, which can crack with hot loads.

I like .30-30's with 26" barrels...got a nice rapid taper octogon and a round barrel.

Watch for the multibarrel sets- sometimes with .410 shotgun barrel.

Had a nice 1970s reissue 250 Savage for a few years.
 
Last edited:
Although easily avoided with some attention to the bedding, tang cracks are common. Rifles having cartridge counters can be out of time, and for those of us born with 3 hands, timing them is easy enough, although the fix is trickier of you only have 2. The 99 brought me to appreciate the .300 Savage cartridge, and so chambered, the rifle would shoot about 1.25 MOA 3 shot groups at 100, with 150 and 165 gr handloads, but there is little advantage in attempting to load heavier bullets, given the combination of 1:12 twist and modest velocity. If your heart it set on 180s, a .308 is the better choice. The .308 was also given a 1:12 twist in the 99, but the 180 gr .308 load has much higher velocity than would be possible in the .300. IMHO, the top classic cartridge choices in these rifles are: .22 Hi Power, .250-3000, and .300 Savage, I've never been able to warm up to the .303 Savage. While .243, .308, or .358 chambered 1970s production rifles produce superior ballistics in serviceable rifles, they lack the nuances sought by enthusiasts of the earlier rifles.
 
I SHOT MY 1ST mOOSE.
With a Savage 99 in 300 Savage caliber.
This was a long time ago in 1965.
I have shot moose bears wolves, fox with Savage 99's
I now have 2 Savage 99c's with the removable MAGAZINE in 308 Winchester caliber.
I will be selling one but will be keeping the other one till I die.
The last bear I shot was with the Savage 99C in 308.
They are really nice to carry and point naturally and are deadly.
 
There is a cult out there for these for sure :)
Guys that like them like them a lot and seem to have a few in their collections
Not something however that turns my crank
May be it is because I am left handed and they are not comfortable for me to shoot
Cheers
 
Some have the cartridge counter built into them .
Some consider those to be more desirable.
But, if they turn your crank then you will be the one to educate the masses who are less informed.
Have fun searching for your Holy Grail.
Rob
 
Look for pre million serial number which designates pre 1960 production. Double check with the Lever Boss Date code. After 1960 the production was cheapened some but by all means they were still excellent rifles.

If it is drilled and tapped for scope mounts make sure that the holes are not through the Savage 99 writing on the top of the receiver where the barrel joins the receiver. If so the rifle was not drilled and tapped at the factory, it's not the end of the world as long as it was done well; it just means any collector value was lost. Later (1950's) when Savage was drilling and tapping the receiver at the factory they moved the Savage 99 logo to the side of the receiver.

The proprietary savage cartridges are nice but they are quickly becoming re loader only chamberings. .243 Win and .308 killed them.

And yes look for the common tang crack which was a result of many issues including over oiling the gun. Don't over oil these guns use lithium grease in a few points.
 
Wares that Crazy Pewch?
Heez the expirt awn these ugly ducklings.................cou:.........................:nest:......................................:onCrack:
 
Do your research on the 99 before buying. There are many variations with some being desired by collectors and others just being nice hunting rifles. Be careful of dates of manufacture. People list these rifles as being manufactured much earlier than they actually were, all the time.
 
They are all good. Some better depending who you talk to

Don’t sell yourself short by ignoring the proprietary caliber like .300 Savage or 250 Savage
 
I have three - a real nice old 30-30 takedown, a not so nice .303 TD, and a not so nice .303 std, all old buggers.
 
3macs1 said:
There is a cult out there for these for sure :)
Guys that like them like them a lot and seem to have a few in their collections
Not something however that turns my crank
May be it is because I am left handed and they are not comfortable for me to shoot
Cheers
Click to expand...
This is precisely the reason I DO have one... mine's a 1966 Model 99 DL (machine turned bolt, gold trigger, monte carlo stock) with an aluminum round counter. Tang safety. .308 Winchester. It likes 180gr pills better than 150s. Carrie's like a dream, and has a lot of charm you dont necessarily see in modern firearms. My go to for sure.
 
I collect the damned things, so be very careful. They tend to multiply until you have 13 of them. Possibly more; I need to count them again. As mentioned, the tang cracks are the most common issue, but I always remove the buttstock and insert a thin shim (0.015" or so) around the stock bolt where the stock butts up against the receiver. This creates a small space at the top where there is no longer any contact with the receiver tang, and presto, no more worries about cracks.
I have dealt with a couple over the years that have a sloppy lever lock-up with the bolt in battery. Usually these will have developed the lever slop due to hot loads or other abuse, so some other parts may be badly worn in such rifles. It's not too common, and it's actually a much easier fix than many people believe, but it does take some know-how. If you find one with a lot of lever slop, it's usually best to not buy it unless you know how to fix it and what to look for.
I have taken nearly every deer I have shot in the last ten years with a 1919-built .250 that I resurrected from parts. It's my darling, and I love it. I'd say the models in .308 and .300 Savage are the most common to find in decent shape, and they will work great for pretty much anything you care to shoot. I know some lefties prefer the newer models with the tang safety, but I have also known a few lefties who adore their lever-safety rifles. It all comes down to personal preference as far as model and caliber. In my opinion, it's one of the best designs out there, and as long as they are taken care of, they should outlive you.
 
Lexthedestroyer said:
This is precisely the reason I DO have one... mine's a 1966 Model 99 DL (machine turned bolt, gold trigger, monte carlo stock) with an aluminum round counter. Tang safety. .308 Winchester. It likes 180gr pills better than 150s. Carrie's like a dream, and has a lot of charm you dont necessarily see in modern firearms. My go to for sure.
Click to expand...

Funny. I tried and could not do it. But I shot right for 20 years and had to switch to left also due to an eye problem
So really I am a righty shooting left
Cheers
 
I like them and wish savage would bring them back. However with some of the stuff savage is coming out with for colours and designs, I’d be afraid of how they will ugly it up.
 
Most guys have good nostalgia for it. It was my dads deer gun and I hunted with it for years.
Accurate well made rifles that deserve praise.
The .300 savage is still one of my favourite cartridges.
 
I don't know about love, but even with the crack that I never get around to fixing, I'm quite fond of this little rifle. A 1927 99H in .303 with a Redfield receiver sight. For most of the deer hunting I do, you couldn't find a more practical rifle. I also think a peep sighted 99 in a joy to carry, but that steel receiver gets mighty cold at -20 ;)

JRzO8un.jpg


Like the others said, watch for tang cracks. Pre 855,000 serial numbers are generally considered nicer. I've owned a few over the years and for unpractival loomy-ism reasons, prefer the Savage cartridges. I owned a 99F in .300 Savage topped with a Leupold M8 4x that would've done just fine for all the big game hunting I will likely do.

One thing I did find with the tang safety models is you have the mount the scope a little higher than I prefer to have clearance for your thumb underneath.
Cory
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom