Savage 99 lever drop

S

scot

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I just bought a 1964 Savage 99 in 300 Savage featherweight sight unseen off a online auction. The rifle is in very nice condition, appears to have had very little use, BUT the lever dose not stay firmly against the stock when uncocked. It does when cocked and safety on (tang safety). It even has a tendency to drop slightly when cocked, but will not fire unless firmly gripped against stock. As this is my very first 99, this has me scatching my head a bit. I've looked online and have seen references to "lever bite", "lever droop", etc.....
Any Savage 99 aficionados out there that would like to weigh in with their words of wisdom on this subject? Anyone experience this before, or even heard of it?? I've always sort of thought of 99's as being kinda unattractive, but now that I've got this one in my hands I really have to admit they are a really nice little rifle.
 
For the record, I am not a smith, but I have had one apart before. From what I remember about the design, I would consider a chamber brush. Probably have to pull the bolt out. I am thinking that there is gunk and the bolt isn't locking properly.
 
weasel1 said:
For the record, I am not a smith, but I have had one apart before. From what I remember about the design, I would consider a chamber brush. Probably have to pull the bolt out. I am thinking that there is gunk and the bolt isn't locking properly.
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Thanks for the input. I'm going to try and take off the butt stock this evening and take a look at the action to see how the inner workings all fit together on this little rifle.
 
Funny how the word #### (a male chicken, or what you do to the action on a rifle) gets flagged by the new system. That probably will need to be revisited as it will come up a million times on a gun sight....LOL!
 
scot said:
Thanks for the input. I'm going to try and take off the butt stock this evening and take a look at the action to see how the inner workings all fit together on this little rifle.
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Anytime. While what I'm suggesting might be the cause, it certainly can't hurt to have a look. Even if it's just to make sure things are all ok and give it a good cleaning/lubing.
 
My 1960 .300 Featherweight does the same thing. It is perfectly normal for some tang safety models 99. I tried every thing short of the lever hit with a mallet trick and it stayed the same. As long as the lever stays put when the striker is compressed you are good to go.
Darryl
 
madtrapper143 said:
My 1960 .300 Featherweight does the same thing. It is perfectly normal for some tang safety models 99. I tried every thing short of the lever hit with a mallet trick and it stayed the same. As long as the lever stays put when the striker is compressed you are good to go.
Darryl
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Thanks, that's really good to hear! As long as I grip the lever firmly (just like you would a win 94) the bolt is completely secure, so I do feel confident that it should be safe to fire. The loose lever is annoying however! The mallet hit trick does seem to be something that is talked about quite a bit online but I'd sure like to hear a first hand account before I go buggering up a really nice old rifle. One reference I found someone saying that quite a few of them came this way from the factory, so it isn't just a wear issue. If that is true I suspect my 99 is one of those rifles as it's had very little use. I'd still really like to find a way of correcting the issue, and I'd sure like to get the name of a gunsmith that really knows Savage 99's and have them go over it.
 
I am afraid gunsmiths well versed in the model 99 are pretty much retired and gone. Same as gunsmiths who know their way around a Winchester Model 12. Lot's of good info at 24 hr. campfire savage collectors forum.
Darryl
 
scot said:
Funny how the word #### (a male chicken, or what you do to the action on a rifle) gets flagged by the new system. That probably will need to be revisited as it will come up a million times on a gun sight....LOL!
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There seems to be too much of that on this site now.
 
"I am afraid gunsmiths well versed in the model 99 are pretty much retired and gone. Same as gunsmiths who know their way around a Winchester Model 12. Lot's of good info at 24 hr. campfire savage collectors forum.
Darryl"

That's exactly right. I've had many model 12's and they are kinda like a fine Swiss watch. They are robust, and work forever, BUT there are a lot of finely machined parts that need to fit perfectly and that requires someone who is really familiar with them. After finally getting a model 99, I'm thinking that they fit into that classification as well.
 
scot said:
Funny how the word #### (a male chicken, or what you do to the action on a rifle) gets flagged by the new system. That probably will need to be revisited as it will come up a million times on a gun sight....LOL!
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Use the werd "cawk".
Sounds the same iff'in you dewer right.
 
scot said:
Funny how the word #### (a male chicken, or what you do to the action on a rifle) gets flagged by the new system. That probably will need to be revisited as it will come up a million times on a gun sight....LOL!
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One way around it is to space the lettering... c o c ked
 
I did do a cursory removal of the buttstock to get a look at the workings, and have a little better idea of how things work. After reading various posts online it seems that the common remedy is to tap on the lever with a soft, non marking mallet/hammer. The comments commonly made refer to “closing the ark” to rectify the issue, but it sort of looks like the ark of the lever should be opened up a tiny bit vs. Closed. It also seems that the dismantling should go as far as fully removing the lever, and clamping it in a vice, vs trying to proceed while it’s still attached to the rifle. Anyways I won’t be doing anything until I have these next steps clarified
 
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