I’m pulling guns out of my safe to share them with you and give them a little social distancing. This rifle is a Savage 99 H. It is a high polish pre war 20” barrel take down from circa 1915 in .303 Savage cal. It obviously has led a sheltered life but what appealed to me most was the beautiful buttstock. The stock does number to the gun and I’m sure the original owner wanted to pay a few dollars more for an upgrade to the wood. I love the early high polish and case hardened Savage 99’s. The .303 Savage was in the 30-30 class of cartridges. Bill
Last edited by s&wchad; 04-29-2020 at 03:11 PM.
Reason: Photos merged
I sure do admire the beauties you've allowed to wake from their slumber.....
The High Class Remington and now the Special Savage, you sure had a good eye when you began your selection process. Can hardly wait for the next goody to appear, thanks!
Although I do not own one yet, I have always loved the Savage 99s. Yours checks a lot of boxes that I really like. My eyes are aging, but I do not like scopes on lever guns, so that Lyman tang sight is about perfect. The wood is gorgeous, and it is a take-down.
That’s a beauty. In the 1990s there were Savage 99s and Remington Model 8s and 81s in every pawn shop and used gun rack around here for $175 to $275. I was amazed how common they were and I bought a couple. Then soon after that prices skyrocketed.
That’s a beauty. In the 1990s there were Savage 99s and Remington Model 8s and 81s in every pawn shop and used gun rack around here for $175 to $275. I was amazed how common they were and I bought a couple. Then soon after that prices skyrocketed.
Was selling guns up to 91. It got to the point if we sold a sav 99, win 94 or Mar 336 out of used rack we would close and go have a beer.In 80s it was more like $100. Rem 8,81,14 and 141 in same boat. Worse if one chambered for obsolete ammo.
I have a very similar takedown M99 in .303 Savage with the same tang rear sight, but mine is not in such high condition and the wood is fairly plain. I was shooting it a couple of weeks ago, as I hadn't been out to play with it for 3-4 years. I form cases out of .30-30 brass. The .303 Savage case has a little fatter base, so I wrap two turns of 1/4" strip masking tape around the .30-30 base ahead of the rim to act as a centralizer for the first firing. After that, the tape is not needed. .303 Savage cases can also be formed from .220 Swift brass, but it's a lot more work than using .30-30 brass. There was also a .410 barrel made for the takedown M99, which made it into a single shot shotgun. I saw one of those barrels once.
There is really no significant difference between the ballistic performance of the .303 Savage and the .30-30. But the factory .303 loading used a heavier 190 grain bullet which provided better penetration in larger game. I have loaded 220 grain bullets in the .303, and they seem to stabilize OK.
I owned a Savage 99 in Cal. .300 Savage for a time and It was so pleasant to shoot. Unfortunately, when the .308 Win was new and found its way into the the Savage 99, purchasers rapidly lost interest in the .300 Savage chambering and it was eventually dropped from the offerings. After all, isn't bigger automatically better?
I owned a Savage 99 in Cal. .300 Savage for a time and It was so pleasant to shoot. Unfortunately, when the .308 Win was new and found its way into the the Savage 99, purchasers rapidly lost interest in the .300 Savage chambering and it was eventually dropped from the offerings. After all, isn't bigger automatically better?
There is very little ballistic difference between the .300 Savage and the .308. In fact, the only dimensional difference between the two is that the .308 has a longer case neck and a slightly shallower shoulder. One of the simplest case conversions is converting a .308/7.62 NATO case to .300 Savage. Run a .308 case thru the .300 FL die, and trim the neck shorter. The .308 is the direct descendant of the .300 Savage because after WWII, Army Ordnance considered the .300 Savage as the perfect candidate for a new, shorter, and lighter military round, except it wanted a longer neck for better bullet support for use in automatic weapons. The .308 caught on with civilian buyers mainly because the military had adopted it (as the 7.62x51mm NATO), not because of its superiority to the .300 Savage. Passing up a good Model 99 (or any other rifle) chambered in .300 Savage just because of its "antiquated" caliber is not too smart. So long as you have a set of .300 Savage dies, and can find .308 brass, you can always make all the .300 Savage ammunition you will ever need.
There is very little ballistic difference between the .300 Savage and the .308. In fact, the only dimensional difference between the two is that the .308 has a longer case neck and a slightly shallower shoulder. One of the simplest case conversions is converting a .308/7.62 NATO case to .300 Savage. Run a .308 case thru the .300 FL die, and trim the neck shorter. The .308 is the direct descendant of the .300 Savage because after WWII, Army Ordnance considered the .300 Savage as the perfect candidate for a new, shorter, and lighter military round, except it wanted a longer neck for better bullet support for use in automatic weapons. The .308 caught on with civilian buyers mainly because the military had adopted it (as the 7.62x51mm NATO), not because of its superiority to the .300 Savage. Passing up a good Model 99 (or any other rifle) chambered in .300 Savage just because of its "antiquated" caliber is not too smart. So long as you have a set of .300 Savage dies, and can find .308 brass, you can always make all the .300 Savage ammunition you will ever need.
No worries about 300 Savage, it's still factory loaded. This is my late 40's Model 99.
True enough, it is still loaded and available. But it's not widely distributed and can be difficult to find. When I got my first Remington Model 81 in .300 Savage about 10 years ago, I found no place in town that carried .300 Sav ammunition, didn't see any even at gun shows. That was when I started making my own. I did luck into finding around 50 .300 Savage empties at a gun show cheap several years ago.
Most of my .300 Savage shooting is done with lighter lead bullet loads. Shooting full factory-power reloads in a Remington 81 can be a little unpleasant.
Nice Stith mount on your 99. They used to be made here in San Antonio. Factory was in the basement of a downtown building.
Got a 1941 and a 1946, both in .300. Great caliber, maybe 150 fps below .308, but not enough to make a real difference. Especially since I don't hunt. I have plenty of brass, too.
Both of mine are in high condition with just about all the case hardening remaining on the lever and they shoot great. Plain walnut stocks, nothing fancy at all. I put tang sights on them because that's how I was introduced to the 99 years ago. When I got my first one, it had an old 4X Weaver scope on it and shot very well; can't remember how tight, but very well.
That's a beautiful gun. I've got a pair of them in .303 Savage, an 1899B (1904) and an 1899H (1914). Neither are takedowns or anywhere as nice as yours. Is yours marked 99 or 1899?
Mine in marked Savage Model 99, and has an old Weaver post 2.5 parked on it. I also have a Remington Model 81 in .300 Savage. I've not purchased a die for it yet, but am planning on it soon..
I'm well stocked in factory ammo for my two rifles. How hard is it to find .303 Savage ammo?
I think I read that the change from 1899 to 99 was made in the 1918-20 time frame. I'm not sure anybody sells .303 Savage ammo currently. I piced up over a dozen boxes at a pawn shop in Ft Smith, AR about 15 years ago for $10/box. I shot a couple of boxes and I'm still reloading that brass.
True enough, it is still loaded and available. But it's not widely distributed and can be difficult to find. When I got my first Remington Model 81 in .300 Savage about 10 years ago, I found no place in town that carried .300 Sav ammunition, didn't see any even at gun shows. That was when I started making my own. I did luck into finding around 50 .300 Savage empties at a gun show cheap several years ago.
Most of my .300 Savage shooting is done with lighter lead bullet loads. Shooting full factory-power reloads in a Remington 81 can be a little unpleasant.
Nice Stith mount on your 99. They used to be made here in San Antonio. Factory was in the basement of a downtown building.
Thanks for the heads up on the mount, I was wondering who's it was, it seems to be unmarked.
Around here we call that “employee grade” wood. I was born and raised in Utica. My great uncle worked at the Savage plant assembling, of all things, Thompson sub machine guns. I once worked down the road in Ilion at a little factory called Remington. When a employee with good taste wanted to buy a rifle, he walked over to the wood shop, bought the foreman a cup of coffee, and picked out a mid grade stock for his soon to be assembled rifle. That’s not to say that customers didn’t order special wood for a price, it’s just what we locals refer to it as.
Another interesting tidbit....many local homes once burned funny shaped firewood in their stoves. Piles of stocks that had mistakes or cracks were available free.
At Savage there was a courtyard where the employees would eat lunch when the weather was nice. There was a small man made pond there. When the plant closed and the pond was drained what do you think they found? Enough steel gun parts to fill a tractor trailer. Not kidding. Employees were dinged for mistakes...if the foreman could count the parts. So at lunch the bad parts were discretely deposited in the pond before the shift was over.
I have a 99T in .303. An absolutely fine firearm. Also many older Remingtons.
Most of my .300 Savage shooting is done with lighter lead bullet loads. Shooting full factory-power reloads in a Remington 81 can be a little unpleasant.
I wonder what it is about the Remington 81? I've got one in .35 Rem and it is painful with full power loads. My other .35's are no problem.
The Remington 8/81 are recoil operated rifles. During firing the barrel and bolt slide rearward. That assembly weighs maybe 5 pounds? When it comes to an abrupt halt at the end of its travel the “kick” hits your shoulder. So basically you are experiencing the recoil of a 5 pound gun, not an 8 pound one. Noticeably different. Same thing with the Browning Auto 5, Remington Model 11 and 11-48.
I am sure I am over simplifying this explanation, and I may not be entirely accurate, but you get the idea. I sold my Remington 11 and 11-48 12 gauges because I just couldn’t stand the abuse any more. I would never sell my Remington 81s. I’m not quite that dumb.
I'm well stocked in factory ammo for my two rifles. How hard is it to find .303 Savage ammo?
Not quite unobtanium, but difficult. I have picked up three old boxes of Remington .303 Savage over the years at gun shows, and some loose rounds. But I do not shoot those. For the most part I re-form .30-30 brass as I previously described (see #9 above). I got a set of Lee .303 S dies, but I don't know if they are still in Lee's lineup. There may be some custom loaders who offer it, but I don't know of any.
Bracebeemer,
Your Model 99 is a stunning example of a very innovative rifle. Thanks for sharing.
Why I consider the 99 innovative?
1. Rotary magazine
2.cartridge counter
3. No exposed hammer
4. Cocking indicator
5. Safety
6. Safety locks the lever also
7. Easily uncock gun (when unloaded) by holding trigger while action is open then gently closing action.
8.balance of rifle remains relatively unchanged regardless of how many shots you fired.(can’t say that with tube mags)
9. Pointed bullets no problem. (again, no tube)
10. Easy to swap chambered cartridge for another while magazine full.
11. None of that high nickel steel that Winchester was always bragging about...where the bluing flakes off on those older guns.
Savage and Remington’s bluing and polishing were the best on old rifles in my opinion.
Savage had an active ballistics department back then. The .303 Savage, the .300 Savage, the .250-3000 Savage, the .22 Hi-Power Savage. All excellent cartridges for their intended purposes.
Thanks for tolerating my posts, I know I’m a bit opinionated when it comes to old American made rifles from Central NY.
Last edited by bigmoose; 04-30-2020 at 03:07 PM.
Reason: Spelling
Bracebeemer,
Your Model 99 is a stunning example of a very innovative rifle. Thanks for sharing.
Why I consider the 99 innovative?
1. Rotary magazine
2.cartridge counter
3. No exposed hammer
4. Cocking indicator
5. Safety
6. Safety locks the lever also
7. Easily uncock gun (when unloaded) by holding trigger while action is open then gently closing action.
8.balance of rifle remains relatively unchanged regardless of how many shots you fired.(can’t say that with tube mags)
9. Pointed bullets no problem. (again, no tube)
10. Easy to swap chambered cartridge for another while magazine full.
11. None of that high nickel steel that Winchester was always bragging about...where the bluing flakes off on those older guns.
Savage and Remington’s bluing and polishing were the best on old rifles in my opinion.
Savage had an active ballistics department back then. The .303 Savage, the .300 Savage, the .250-3000 Savage, the .22 Hi-Power Savage. All excellent cartridges for their intended purposes.
Thanks for tolerating my posts, I know I’m a bit opinionated when it comes to old American made rifles from Central NY.
Also, at least vs. the Winchester M94, the action is far stronger. In every way the 99 is the superior lever action rifle.
I have been thinking about the wood on the OP's Savage, and the wood on the 1899 I posted. Now mine was delivered to a corporate officer, and has very special wood, but is not as nice as the OP. if mine is "big wheel" wood, and the OP is "employee wood", then it cost more than a cup of coffee for a foreman. It must have cost at least a pint of the good stuff!
Beautiful!!
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