Need your help - which deer rifle: Savage 99c, Winchester 88, or Winchester 100?

[Double-O-Dave]

Good morning:

I'm in the market for a replacement center fire, .308 caliber rifle to replace the Remington I just gifted to my son for his first hunting rifle. I have neither the need, nor the desire to be "tactical", nor do I ever plan on sniping people at any range. I am just looking for a center fire hunting rifle for (primarily) whitetail deer.

I have located three different rifles that I am interested in, and was hoping for some advice and feedback from my fellow Forum members on these rifles:

* Savage 99c, .308
* Winchester 88, .308
* Winchester 100, .308

I'm looking forward to your advice and suggestions.

Thank you,

Dave

 

[weatherby]

You don't say what they are chambered in ?
That may help some

 

[Double-O-Dave]

Hi Paul:

Sorry, I thought I was clear in my post that I was only considering .308 caliber rifles. I've added the caliber designation to my original post.

Regards,

Dave

 

[weatherby]

I'm sorry Dave......you were clear.

Reading comprehension wasn't up to par on my part.

 

[Alpo]

I'm not sure if the 88 and the 100 use the same magazine (I believe they do), but regardless, magazines for those guns are almost impossible to find.

Based on that, I'd go with the Savage.

 

[growr]

Savage 99 is about a classic as it gets and there is no magazine to lose!

I inherited my grandfathers 99 Savage chambered in 250-3000...grandpa always called it his "meat in the pot" gun....He was right!!

Randy

 

[woodsltc]

I would be leery of the Winchester 100 for hunting. While they are great looking & sought after by Winchester collectors I've heard too many stories about them having mechanical problems.....one of the reasons they weren't successful in sales vs the semi-auto Remingtons and Brownings.

Don

 

[murphydog]

Are you able to test-fire any of them, or have an idea as to their accuracy? If not, I would tend to lean toward the 99 as well.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

I would go for a Savage 99 .308 WITHOUT the detachable magazine. You could lose those and the solid 99 with rotary magazine with a counter to tell how many rounds are loaded is much better. And there's an endless range of styles as to weight, etc. I've heard the Win. Model 100 jams a lot, but don't know. The Model 88 has a trigger pull some don't like but I don't mind. Here's my pre 64 Model 88 in .284 Win. and spare extended aftermarket clip. The Model 88 has been called a gunsmith's nightmare.


Here's a 1955 Featherwight .243, also made in .308. 6 1/2 lbs.

 

[Bob T]

Savage 99 all the way. Been wanting one for years.

 

[hardluk1]

Savage 99c for sure .

 

[tennexplorer]

There was also a safety recall on the Winchester 100 about 20 years ago. If you choose that one, I'd make sure it had been checked.

 

[Valmet]

Another vote for the Savage here!

 

[Davinman]

personally, id go with a steel frame Browning BLR. thats one mighty fine "shootin iron" lol. i own 2, both in .358 winchester, one is from the early 70's, 1973 i think it has the humpback mag. the other one is from 1985 it has the flat mag. both are as good or better than a savage 99 in my opinion.

 

[kaveman]

Of the three listed I vote for the 88 by a wide margin. I wouldn't even consider the 100,.........I see more of these parted out than complete and there must be a reason for that. I've always liked the 99, but would not care for a 99c. The detachable magazine takes away what's 'cool' about the 99.

All three listed rifles have detachable mags, but the feature doesn't serve much purpose in a pure hunting rifle. I can't imagine ever needing, wanting, or carrying an extra magazine. I really believe it's just a marketing device.

I once had a 99 in .358Win. Nice enough rifle and I've always been a fan of the caliber, but it was just 'adequate' in fit/finish/handling. The older 99's are more appealing, but the older ones aren't available in .308. The 99 is certainly 'scopeable', but again that takes away from what it is,....at least to me. Maybe it's the .358W still speaking to me, but I've always been most comfortable with it as an iron sighted(preferably peeps), quick handling woods rifle.

My only 88 experience comes from a friend's rifle. Growing up, we palled around hunting/shooting/reloading and his number one rifle was a .284 model 88 like Wyatt's above. We both loved that rifle! He came from a family of left-handed shooters so we had a nice assortment of less common guns to shoot, being that his father had a fairly extensive collection. Probably around 50 nice quality hunting rifles and not a bolt action in the lot. The 88 was always the favorite. The .284 was a burner and a legitimate MOA rifle. I wanted one badly enough that I've kept a full case of .284 Winchester hidden away for the last 30yrs just in case I get a chance to buy one. For all intents and purposes, a .308 would do just as well.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Kaveman, I, too have a bunch of .284 ammo, hundreds of brass cases, dies, etc. It was the only caliber my dad reloaded. As far as Savage 99s go, the most common is the .300 Model EG (almost a .308!). Here's the one my dad gave me for my 40th birthday. A friend gave me the Stith (?) scope mount and I think I traded for the Lyman Alaskan scope. And the old family heirloom. The 1963 Winchester 88.

 

[2152hq]

I'd go with a Savage 99,,but not the detachable magazine model (isn't that the 'C'?)
A mid 1950's or 1960's Mod 99,,they'll be factory drilled & tapped for 'scope mounts if that's what you're looking for and in the commonly found 300 Savage round is what I'd buy.
They were nicely made rifles yet before the shortcuts began creeping into production.

It'll do anything the 308 will do in the deer woods and you won't ever have to wonder if that 'clip' fell out or got left behind.

You may already reload 308 and that's a reason to replace a rifle with that caliber. But a set of dies and you're back in business. S/Hdr is the same.
JMHO

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

The Savage hands down. A very class act. It's a proven design and a far better buy than the Winchester 88 or 100. I traded into a 99F in 300 Savage last summer, dating from the early 1950s.



Its first trip to the range surprised me with how well it shot with some fresh made 150 gr reloads.
Used it last December with good effect on Whitetails: two shots.. two deer.
I prefer the rotary magazine 99 to either the clip feed lever guns or the tube magazine type with the side loading gates. Clips are easily lost and expensive to replace and the loading gates are hard on my fingers.

John

 

[mauser9]

Hard to argue against the Savage. Heard they are reliable and super solid. Would like to extend a thank-you for members who took the time to post pics. Love to see these vintage models.

 

[gregintenn]

I'm a Winchester fan, and once had a model 100. Also a model 88. I no longer have either.