Please Advise on the Lever Action Savage 99 in .308...pics?

TheHobbyist

TheHobbyist

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My best friend offered to sell me a Savage 99 in .308; and I was hopeful you'all could provide some advise or suggestions.

Price has not really been talked too much about. I want to ensure I pay him fair price though and have a "square deal".

The rifle is in exceptional condition. My "gut feeling'' is that it is 1920s ( +/- a decade).

My thought was it would make an excellent hunting gun with open irons, a "flat shooter", and fun practice at the hunting club target range. The .308 appeals to me as well because it is proven and the ammo is readily available.

Any advice? What should I look for? What is a fair market value to offer my friend?

Pictures? :D;):)
 
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^^^Wow. Thought it was around longer. Goes to show you can never assume.

Given the above, I would estimate it was an early model sometime in the 1950s.
 
I really don't know much about pricing on the 99s any more. They started going up about 10 years ago or so. I know that if I saw one in the store for 400 bucks it would go home with me, 500 I'd think about it, and 600 it would have to belong to someone else.....I'm sure more intelligent folks than I will chime in shortly.
 
Good condition, in 308: I would consider it about the same value as a good, basic bolt action in the same condition. factors to consider: cartridge counter, quality of wood, unique or scarce stock, bases/rings/tang sight.

Here in the west, they are getting to be worth a premium. Just about any 99 in any caliber would start around $500. One in my local shop is priced at $2500 ( long barrel, 303 Savage, octagon barrel, cartridge counter, nice checkered wood). Beaters start around $300-$350. Lots of guys still use them for elk out here. I have an old 300 Savage (my wife's first gun) that I'm gonna put something like an old Weaver on and maybe use for elk.
 
Any .308 Winchester Model 99 with the internal rotary magazine and walnut stock start at $400 for a well worn model and go up from there in my area. The 99 is super strong and usually extremely accurate. They made a couple of models with detachable magazines which seem to be less valuable.

I've been looking to buy one myself and only seem to find old collectable .303 Savage models, beat to heck .300 Savage models or "Bubba Gunsmithed" .308's. My LGS just sold a 90% late 1950's 99 in .308 with an original Weaver K-8 scope for $799 and it was only on the rack one day or I'd have laid it away.
 
Best bet for checking prices is to look at several online gun sale sites.
Some 99s listed will be sky high so discount them. Some will be real beaters and cheaper, so compare condition with the one you are considering. The middle ground might be about the right price.

Saw my first 99 long ago. It was in .38-55 with octagonal barrel, and
cartridge counter. Almost no finish left but still had a certain something about it. I would like to find one in .250 Savage when I have some
loose cash. Unfortunately they all seem to be priced out of my
reach even when I do have some.
 
BearBio / Steamloco thanks for the input and advice!

"cartridge counter, quality of wood...". Yep. It has those.

I have been very interested in these Savage rifles for awhile and my best friend offered this one to me. He has others he uses for hunting and collecting.

Honestly it would mean a lot to me personally to buy his rifle. I want to be respectful in offering a fair market value and consider myself fortunate for the opportunity.

Stories? Pictures?

Kind regards--
 
id give 500 for a nice 99 in .308 all day. a little more if it was .300 savage.
 
If the safety is on the lever, as opposed to the tang, it is worth more. If it has sling swivels added, the value goes down. If it is drilled and tapped for a scope, oither than from the factory, the value goes down. I suggest you go to 24hourcampfire.com and locate the Savage Collectors lounge for better advice. They can answer all of your questions.
 
Buy it. I have only one, early 1920s edition, takedown, in .303 Savage. Not too often seen anymore. Savage quit making them as production cost was too high to make a profitable product. I know in the 60s, maybe later, Savage made a 99 with a detachable box magazine instead of the rotary type. It is a very strong action, unlike its main competitor, the Model 94 Winchester, and it can use spitzer bullets. It's superior in every way to the Model 94.
 
Just at gunshow today, I always look at Savage 99's , Winchester 88's, and the 99's were around 5-600. I don't remember seeing any in 308, but they'd sell here in Texas because the Savage is a good rifle and .308 is good/ plentiful.
 
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I don't know what current values should be. But the 99 is the finest rifle made! not that i'm prejudiced!!.... I have a 99C in .308 (box mag)..
I'd post a pic, but photobucket decided to "improve", and now I can't access their site at all.....
Shoot him an offer and have him counter.. meet in the middle.. you won't be sorry....
My 99 is "my rifle".......
 
Do check the serial number. Those numbered less than a million are considered more desirable much like the pre 64 model 70's and for a lot of the same reasons. If it falls in the mid to late 50's time frame, there are a couple of models where the winchester calibers are highly desirable. Beyond that it's all about condition, condition, condition. Around 5 years ago, I saw a model "F" in 243 sell at a live auction for $500 and thought was quite a bargain at the time. Again, the serial number was less than a million and it was in pristine condition with hang tags. If I saw that deal today, I'd jump on it.

One note of caution, the steel butt plate 99's in 308 are known for being rather brisk in recoil and many of them had rubber recoil pads installed. This wasn't factory until later models. Also, D&T should be factory (you can tell by looking at the stamp on the front lug) but sling studs weren't installed by the factory on the early models.
 
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Sometimes I do some basic gun disassembly and cleaning for friends. My lawyer brought me his granddads that had gotten wet in a flood. Had mud and stuff all over it. Took it apart and it cleaned up pretty good. Took it out to shoot it and decided right then that I was going to have one. It was hard to give back.
 
What model is it? A 308 pre million serial number could be an EG, R, F, or a T. Makes quite a difference in price. A post mil 99 in 308 could be an E, F, A, CD, etc. The Winchester calibers are a bit more desireable than the Savage calibers, given all other things equal. Added sling swivel studs, stock compasses, and other add ons will decrease value. The stocks on 99s seem to want to crack right behind the tang. Short of that, there are no other inherent problems with 99s, except that the very first 308 and 243 chambered guns didn't feed well. About serial # 900,000, Savage addressed this problem with a lengthened reciever.

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I like 99s!
 
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Here is mine with period Redfield Scope. Gave 250 for it 3 years ago as she is with extra mag. She is a heckuva a shooter. I believe mine dates to the early 60's. You can tell she was well used and loved.

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