Shorten my 99 in .308......yay or nay?

nomad 68

nomad 68

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Hi all. I have a later model 99f in .308 (1964) that I am thinking of having cut back from 22" to 20 and reinstalling the front sight. I know it is considered sacrelage by some to alter a 99 but these have little collectibility due to the numbers of them produced. It would serve my purposes far better bobbed to 20" and utilized for stand hunting and bush whacking.The rifle is in good shape but not mint. I tried to sell but got no sniffs and figured I might as well get some use out of it. What do you think? Cut or not?
 
If that's what your looking for - absolutely. I have two cut to 18.5, love them: one 300 Sav and the other 250-3000. Great for bush, atv, snowmobile whatever. Had them done over 30 yrs ago, still going strong.
 
Really.......22" cut to 20"....?? Would that make any real difference in handling or portability? I can see if you wanted to go from a 28 or 30" down but from 22-20"? I had a 26" rifle in thick bush and to be honest I never felt it was an issue. Matter of fact it pointed quite well for offhand.
 
Leave it and buy a winchester 20" carbine. I hate to see a no longer made gun altered just because. If the barrel was bulged or something .......... well that is all you can do.
 
You didn't sell because nobody cares enough to pay a reasonable price. Cut it to 18.5". I cut my 375 from 25.5" to 20" with the front sight remounted for under $200. Far cheaper than another rifle. I find many posters on CGN love to spend an OP's money.
 
A 26" barrelled rifle is brutal to drag through the bush I hunt. The weakness of almost all field shooting positions in my areas negate the extra velocity a 4' rifle package brings. 308 loses very little velocity in a short barrel anyway.
 
I already have a factory 99 with a 20" barrel in .300 sav. While only 2" in the difference, it seems a lot more handy to carry in the bush. I handload 150 interlocks over varget in it and the bark is not bad. I wouldn't go less than 20" because muzzle blast becomes a factor below 20. Won't be buying a 94 win as I don't care for them. Thanks for the feedback everyone.
 
I'm hear you in what ya saying, and from a non collector-practical hunters view, it sounds like a good idea to modify an already owned rifle into something a bit more handy for the purpose its to be used..

do something cool, an go 19 or 19.5 of barrel and see how you go :D unique, right.. not many 99s with such barrel . as mentioned the loss of inch per barel isn't a factor just the end noise but guns are loud...
WL
 
nomad 68 said:
Hi all. I have a later model 99f in .308 (1964) that I am thinking of having cut back from 22" to 20 and reinstalling the front sight. I know it is considered sacrelage by some to alter a 99 but these have little collectibility due to the numbers of them produced. It would serve my purposes far better bobbed to 20" and utilized for stand hunting and bush whacking.The rifle is in good shape but not mint. I tried to sell but got no sniffs and figured I might as well get some use out of it. What do you think? Cut or not?
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What have you got for a scope on it?
 
nomad 68 said:
A 2-7x33 Leupold but thinking of swapping for a 1.5-5 or something along those lines. Then again, I like the 2-7.
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Switching for a 2-7 to a 1.5-5 won't make a huge difference. I was wondering if you had a larger scope like a 3-9 on it and was going to suggest a 1.5-5 or 1-4.

I personally wouldn't bother getting it cut. The gains would be minimal. Why not just use the 20" 300 Savage you mentioned?
 
SuperCub said:
Switching for a 2-7 to a 1.5-5 won't make a huge difference. I was wondering if you had a larger scope like a 3-9 on it and was going to suggest a 1.5-5 or 1-4.

I personally wouldn't bother getting it cut. The gains would be minimal. Why not just use the 20" 300 Savage you mentioned?
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Your probably right. Despite being a bolt action guy, the majority of my time deer hunting I have the .300 sav with me. Just love the way it carries.
 
That particular rifle is a 99E economy carbine. The scope is not worth squat. The stocks are birch which is probably why they are painted and powder coated metal? Better deal? Not in my opinion.Regardless, i'll keep what i have rather than give it away. The cut and crown wont cost me a dime as we can do it at work.
 
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