Any Savage Model 99 fans out there?

[doubleheader]

I have a Model 99c given to me by my brother after he returned from Viet Nam. It's always been my favorite deer hunting rifle and ones in good condition are quite a prize posession. Today my boss comes in and says he was down in his dad's basement and found one that was still in the box. He said it's a late 1960's vintage and he doesn't think it has shot but a handful of rounds. How lucky is that? Anyone else out there hunt with the Model 99? I just put a new Leupold 3x9 compact on mine.

[rebs]

I have an ols Savage rifle in 300 savage caliber, I am not sure of the model number, but it has a shell counter in the reciever. A small hole which shows how many rounds are loaded in the rifle. You pull down the lever and load in the top like a rotary style. It is in beautiful condition with heat treated lever. Does anyone know the range of the 300 savage cartridge ?

[Phil T]

There is a Savage collector's forum in 24 Hour Campfire. Lots of information can be found or asked for there.
I have an EG in 300 Savage.

[doubleheader]

Rebs,

Sounds like you have one of the earlier Model 99's as they had the counter you're referring to. Sounds like a really nice piece. Do a search for "SAVAGE MODEL 99" and you'll quickly come up with some neat history about your rifle. I added a couple sites below that you may find interesting. I'd love to see a picture Rebs. BTW, I see you're from Western NY, only about 75 miles north of my home in Warren PA


http://www.savage99.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.300_Savage

[doubleheader]

Phil T, do you hunt with your 300? I was planning on hunting deer with mine this year but here in PA you can only kill one buck and I managed to kill mine with the bow last Saturday. If I don't kill a bear with my bow I'll probably hunt bear with it. Have you killed some critters with your 300?

[rebs]

Rebs,

Sounds like you have one of the earlier Model 99's as they had the counter you're referring to. Sounds like a really nice piece. Do a search for "SAVAGE MODEL 99" and you'll quickly come up with some neat history about your rifle. I added a couple sites below that you may find interesting. I'd love to see a picture Rebs. BTW, I see you're from Western NY, only about 75 miles north of my home in Warren PA


http://www.savage99.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.300_Savage

it is in excellent conditon with no wear on blueing or wood, bore is clean as a whistle also. We fish Kinzua res a couple times a year for walleye. Usually stay at the de Soto House in Bradford. The Hotel has been sold and was not open last time we were there
I put a few pictures in my album

[doubleheader]

Rebs, she's a sweetheart indeed.

[Phil T]

I'll be hunting whitetail with mine this year.
The one I got had an incorrect buttstock, and hadn't been cleaned for years. It was whqat I call a farmer's gun. Owned for a long time, carried a lot, shot often, and never cleaned. I spent two weeks getting the copper and powder fouling out of the barrel, and had the butt replaced with an aftermarket stock of the correct pattern.
Since it wasn't a collector grade gun, I had it drilled and tapped and a scope mounted. After much trial and error, I finally found a handload that will keep five shots in an inch and a half at one hundred yards.
The Savage collectors(24 Hour Campfire) with the reference book said mine was built in 1952. Late that year, Savage drilled scope mounting holes in the reciever. 1952 was about the peak production year for the 99, the EG was their most popular model, and the 300 the most popular chambering. Mine's not rare.

[hgmeyer]

A .300 Savage with a 150gr Spitzer will have a muzzle velocity of around 2500 to 2600 fps. The .30-30 will have about 2700-2800 fps with a 150 gr. But, the .30-30 in a tubular fed Marlin or Winchester will be loaded with round or flat nosed bullets (although there are now soft plastic tips), so historically after 150-200 yrds the .300 Savage was as good as a .30-30. A .308 will have a muzzle velocity of around 2800-2900 fps. So, as you can see the Savage is about even with the .30-30 and only slightly slower than a .308. That said, as a deer rifle, the .300 Savage doesn't take a back seat to much in normal ranges out to 200 yrds. Sighted in at 200 yrds and it is never only 3.0 inches up at midrange... so it would be only about 4.0 inches low at 250 yards... As they say, that is minute of deer in any book. A good handload in 140 grains will improve that slightly and stretch out to 275 and a little beyond with a POA at the top of the back and enough energy for deer (1000+ft/lbs) at a comfortable 300-325 yards.

I have hunted deer all over the middle of the country with a .257 Roberts loaded with a 117 gr HPBT and have, when I did my part, a one shot kill at 275yrds with that load on a good sized (for Wisconsin) buck. The .300 Savage works just fine for deer.

[Dragonfly]

Rebs, I to have two 99s , one is a .22 High Power takedown model and the other is a 250-3000 takedown.
The .22 requires a quarter turn to remove the barrel and the .250 screws out to remove. Both are in 90%
or better condition and both shoot very well. I'm sure there are many other 99s out there that are still in use .

It was a pleasure to meet you and your wife at the Huron get together this falland to be invited to sit with you.


Dragonfly aka John

[rebs]

Rebs, I to have two 99s , one is a .22 High Power takedown model and the other is a 250-3000 takedown.
The .22 requires a quarter turn to remove the barrel and the .250 screws out to remove. Both are in 90%
or better condition and both shoot very well. I'm sure there are many other 99s out there that are still in use .

It was a pleasure to meet you and your wife at the Huron get together this falland to be invited to sit with you.


Dragonfly aka John

John
It was our pleasure to meet you and get acquainted with you at the get together.

[Opti-Mist]

I had a pair of them. A 99F that I bought new in 1960 and a 99D that an uncle left to me, both in .308 Cal. I had a Williams Fool-Proof peep on the D and a 3 - 9 scope on the F. Which one I'd carry for each hund depended on the nature of the hunt and the conditons. I sure liked those two.

[johnnyd]

I inherited a great .300 model 99 a few years ago. Its sounds to have been brand new in 1950. The gun was in great condition, perfect to be quite frank. I didn't give it much thought for the first year or so. Then as I was preparing to go deer hunting one year I decided to give it a run through just to see how it shot. I can honestly say that the heavens opend, angels sang, and a unicorn ran past. I now use it almost exclusively. I have taken 3 big mulies, a big bull elk, and countless wild hogs. Its my favorite gun. John

[BGunn]

I have a 99 EG .308 made in 1957.

Shoots GREAT, 5/8 3 shot group @ 100 yds. shown below.

Their going for very good prices these days.
Here's a list of the boss codes, and dates of mfg.

Picture of boss code location also shown below..

A= 1949
B= 1950
C= 1951
D= 1952
E= 1953
F= 1954
G= 1955
H= 1956
I= 1957
J= 1958
K= 1959
L= 1960
M= 1961
N= 1962
O= SKIPPED
P=1963
Q= SKIPPED
R= 1964
S= 1965
T= 1966
U= 1967
V= 1968
W= 1969
X= 1970

[bigwalleye1]

I've got a 99A in .308, and my Dad's got a 99E, I think, in a 300 Sav. It was watching him shoot that thing that made me buy one when I found one. I had a gunsmith once that told me every one he's ever seen will do 3 inches all day long, hot or cold, clean or dirty, with whatever ammo you can feed 'em, but every once in a while, once comes along that shoots about 5 times better tha it's got any business shooting. My Dad's will do 2 inches, and with mine I've covered the entire holes on a 5 shot group with a "real" silver dollar...

Deer in 3 states have come to religion or just surrendered when those guns came out of their cases...

I've fancied up, and been shooting a left hand Browning A bolt for a while, but the Savage will see the woods again next fall. My niece is going hunting with me, and she can't wait...

John,
I TOLD you I thought we had some stuff in common.....

[capnlee]

Reading all these posts makes me want to cry. I had a Model 99 that was made in 1927. It was a 30 30, which you don't see too many of in the Model 99. It was given to my mother by a friend who had used it as a saddle rifle in the cavalry in the 1930s. My mom gave it to me on her death bed. It was stolen when my house was burglarized a year ago and I have been sick ever since. I got insurance money, but some things just can't be replaced.

[rebs]

Reading all these posts makes me want to cry. I had a Model 99 that was made in 1927. It was a 30 30, which you don't see too many of in the Model 99. It was given to my mother by a friend who had used it as a saddle rifle in the cavalry in the 1930s. My mom gave it to me on her death bed. It was stolen when my house was burglarized a year ago and I have been sick ever since. I got insurance money, but some things just can't be replaced.

The rotten S_B that stole it probably didn't even have a clue and got no more than a drug fix for it and you were deprived of a family heirloom.
Thats a down right rotten shame. Thief's like that should be taken out behind the barn and dealt with up close and personal.

[capnlee]

Believe me...I have fantasies...

[Nick Kanauz]

I too have a Model 99R as was described with the revolving magazine with counter. You can go on line, enter the serial #, and it will give you the year and month it was built. Mine was built the same month I was born in 1950. It is a true tack driver. I have it sighted in at a 100 yds at 1" high and my groups are always the size of a dime. I saw one or more posts which said that it is comparable to a 30-30. Nothing could be more wrong. A 30-30 is THE original deer rifle, but mostly used as a brush gun, and accurate to about 150 yds. After that gravity takes over and you'd have to sight in 4-6" high at 100 yds to make a 200 yd shot with one. A 300 Savage round is 1" high at 100, 1" low at 200, dead on at 300, and 4-6" low at 400 yds. I use only Federal rounds and muzzle velocity is about 2685, at 300 yds it still travels at about 1350. Since I sight in 1" high to begin with, I aim dead on at 200 yds. I have taken deer out to 300+ yds, and as close at 15 yds with this rifle. I use a Tasco World Class 3x9 50mm scope, and have not had to adjust it for the last five years. You cannot go wrong with these lever action rifles. Also...look at the barrel on the left side by the receiver, and it will tell you the Model as well. Good hunting!
:rockit:

[fishyj]

saw a .300 Savage in a pawn shop today in NE WI. in very good shape. let me know if interested I can get you phone number and location.