savage 1899 love em or hate em

D

dogger1

CGN Regular
Rating - 97.8%
177   4   2
Location
canukastan
going through many years of hunting with bolt actions , levers ana semis i kept bouncing back and forth never making a decision what i liked. i was always confused and heard arguments for each action or make. i got caught up in the magnum craze and the big bore lever actions.never fully satisfied. i recently did a trade for an octangular barreled 1899 f in 303 savage. i got brass and reloaded bullets for the old girl ,even went as far as pulling some 170gr silvertips from some 30/30s. was always thinking of trading or selling her as she is the ugly duckling in my safe.well today i went for a walk during open bear season . didnt see a bear so decided to take a few shots at some stumps. was i surprised! the gun is accurate and has a sweet trigger.the rotating mag is a piece of art and flawless . she is heavily battle scared and i bet can tell a few stories. did i say she is fast and like silk not at al clunckey like my winnies or marlins.im in love , so much so that i bought two more for the stable.that 303 savage is pretty much a 30/30 and underpowered but will be what i will carry for deer this year.ill carrey the same in 308 for moose and will post pics with game taken
when done , but for now all i can say is wow im surprised, plus ill have some nostalgia going out with that octangular barreled lever
 
Here's another example for you of a model 99 from days past. Mrs. Betty Wendle, the lady in the photo from Barkerville at the time, was well known for her exploits of hunting Grizzly, using a model 99 Savage in 22 Savage High Power!!

MrMrsJoeWendle.jpg
 
Personally I love how they handle, point and feel so I can totally understand the draw to them.

I currently have one I inherited from my father in law, it was his dads and is in 25/35 (6.5x52R) that dates to 1909... I haven't shot it yet (lack of ammo) and I really don't know what I'm going to do with it. But each time I pick it up I get even more attached to it... Damn it, lol.

Some have shown interest and then forget about it, lol.
I'd love to know what it's worth.
 
Last edited:
Hate'em!
The shape always reminded me of a spawned-out humpy salmon. :p

My dad was a '99 enthusiast and I was forced to slum those gawd-ugly things in various calibers until I could afford to buy my own hunting rifles.
The triggers were creepier than Michael Jackson at a public pool and I once watched the butt-stock of a '99F in .308 snap clean off at the wrist while being fired!
I do have an early saddle ring carbine in .30WCF that I hang onto for sentimental reasons as it's been in the family nearly 100 years.
If anything the Savage '99 made me appreciate how fine a rifle my grandfathers early Marlin 336 was.
 
I love them.Not a fan of the .303 cartridge but the gun was and is ahead of it's time.I've got a lightweight carbine in .300 sav that shoots MOA with 150 gr blue box federals.I love the marlin 336 as well.Can't stand rattley old win 94's though.I've had a couple and they remind me of a .30 cal daisy red rider.The new winny's......now that's a different story~
 
dogger1 said:
going through many years of hunting with bolt actions , levers ana semis i kept bouncing back and forth never making a decision what i liked. i was always confused and heard arguments for each action or make. i got caught up in the magnum craze and the big bore lever actions.never fully satisfied. i recently did a trade for an octangular barreled 1899 f in 303 savage. i got brass and reloaded bullets for the old girl ,even went as far as pulling some 170gr silvertips from some 30/30s. was always thinking of trading or selling her as she is the ugly duckling in my safe.well today i went for a walk during open bear season . didnt see a bear so decided to take a few shots at some stumps. was i surprised! the gun is accurate and has a sweet trigger.the rotating mag is a piece of art and flawless . she is heavily battle scared and i bet can tell a few stories. did i say she is fast and like silk not at al clunckey like my winnies or marlins.im in love , so much so that i bought two more for the stable.that 303 savage is pretty much a 30/30 and underpowered but will be what i will carry for deer this year.ill carrey the same in 308 for moose and will post pics with game taken
when done , but for now all i can say is wow im surprised, plus ill have some nostalgia going out with that octangular barreled lever
Click to expand...

The 99 is a great rifle and years ahead of its time, design wise. The .303 Savage is a great woods cartridge too though getting expensive to feed. If loaded with the original 190 grain bullets it will out perform the .30/30 on larger game as well.
 
Love em! My first hunt was with a .250 Savage in the 99 that my uncle loaned it to me.

Then he died and took up golf.
 
While I agree the 99s appearance was a little unconventional, it was ahead of its time at the dawn of the 20th Century. The carbine versions carried as nicely as a 94 Winchester, but had the advantage of being chambered for high pressure cartridges. The 99 could shoot flat when chambered for a .22 Hi Power or a .250-3000 and later the .243. It could hit like a hammer when chambered for wildcat cartridges based on the .284 Winchester opened up to accept .33, .35, or .375 caliber bullets. The rotary magazine was a radically new idea which proved reliable, although I suspect that the detachable box introduced late in the game was more popular amongst the majority of hunters who chose the 99.

Remember the add they ran about guy from Thunder Bay who got his moose with the first shot he fired from his new 99 in .308? I bet that add sold a truck load of rifles.

I didn't have a lot of exposure to these rifles, but I hunted one season with one, a .308, and came away with the impression that it was a user friendly hunting rifle, whose accuracy with factory ammo, though adequate, was uninspiring. It seems that even then I was predisposed to bolt guns, so I might not have given the 99 a fair shake as a shooter. FWIW, my impression of the 88 Winchester was similar, I just preferred the 88s lines. Perhaps the 99 just wasn't at its best chambered for the .308, which might have stretched the design parameters that were better suited to the .300 Savage. After all, really good accuracy was claimed by many who shot the .250 Savage version.
 
Last edited:
Love them. My grandfather always had one in .300 Sav in the farm truck for coyotes and antelope, and it was the first centrefire that I ever shot. I've loved the 99 ever since. I've owned as many as seven at one time, but now I've whittled it down to two: a .250 Savage and a .32-40 Win. Both are great shooters and work flawlessly. I agree that the lines are unconventional, especially with a straight grip, which I don't care for, but the pistol gripped versions look superb to my eye.
 
I've owned 3 99's over the years. Two of them were in 250-3000 and 1 in .375 Win.
All were rotary mag. models and they shot great and carried well. I still kick myself
for selling the .375. This rifle brings in big coin now!
:bangHead:
 
Calum said:
Personally I love how they handle, point and feel so I can totally understand the draw to them.

I currently have one I inherited from my father in law, it was his dads and is in 25/35 (6.5x52R) that dates to 1909... I haven't shot it yet (lack of ammo) and I really don't know what I'm going to do with it. But each time I pick it up I get even more attached to it... Damn it, lol.

Some have shown interest and then forget about it, lol.
I'd love to know what it's worth.
Click to expand...

Savage 1899s in 25-35 are rare. They definitely made them, but it's much easier to find them in the Savage calibers.

It's tough to make an accurate appraisal without seeing the condition of the rifle. I'm no expert, but seeing as how rare the chambering is and if the condition is at least good, you could probably expect around $600-800. If it sports an octagonal barrel or half oct. half plain and if the condition were excellent, you could add $200-300 more conservatively.
 
Recently my father gave his Savage 99 308 win to my wife for our 10th anniversery. Boy oh boy was it in bad shape. Or so I thought. I stripped the blueing and wood, shaved the fitting on the forestock and refinished it all (in red mahogany.....wifes choice) and 19 coats of cold blue in the oven. Then I put a Vortex Vioper 4-12 X40 on it. Wow. What a classy looking rifle. I tried 7 differnet loads for it, mostly older recipies. And none of them worked. Finally I tried the loads I use in my remmington tactical. 165 grain hornady interbond, win brass, cci primer, and 44g of IMR 4895. 3 in ..75 at 100 yards. First time she shot it unrested kneeling 125 yards in 1.2. She loves it. For me the trigger is way to heavy, but for her its perfect.....Great guns, way ahead of their time.
 
Ever pick up a rifle, shoulder it and swear it was alive and had a pulse? The 25/35 I'm talking about is like that for me.

I can't wait to find ammo for it and try it, I just wish it had come in 30/30 instead. $17 a box of 30/30 vs $54 a box of 25/35 (if one can find it).
 
Last edited:
Calum said:
Ever pick up a rifle, shoulder it and swear it was alive and had a pulse? The 25/35 I'm talking about is like that for me.

I can't wait to find ammo for it and try it, I just wish it had come in 30/30 instead. $17 a box of 30/30 vs $54 a box of 25/35 (if one can find it).
Click to expand...

one more reason to handload.
 
While I cannot claim a "love" for the 99 Savage, I appreciate the innovative design and vesatility of the action.
Adapted to high pressure loadings later on, it proved itself in the field.

I had an acquaintance who shot a lot of moose with one in 300 Savage.
I asked him once if he felt it was powerful enough to always take moose reliably.
[I was much younger at the time!]
He said NO, dead is dead, lol.

The interesting ones [to me] are chambered in 22HP, 303 Savage, 30-30, 25-35, 284 Win and 375 Win.

Eagleye.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom