Savage 99

[Doug M.]

Not my knowledge set at all, so I thought I would ask here.

My division chief is considering finding/buying a Savage 99, partly for feral hog hunting. He is inclined to the .300 Savage, for reasons he finds sufficient.

What can anyone tell me about where to seek one, ammo, and the like. Obviously a low power scope or red dot is a winner. My background leads me to the Aimpoint products, and I know little about scopes except how to spell "scope".

Any insights are welcome.

 

[Drm50]

Savage 99s have jumped in value. The biggest part of them I encounter are in 300Savage. Classic deer gun, will be good hog gun too. A decent gun will run $600+. The collectors want stock examples. Any recoil pads, sling swivels or non factory holes knock them out of big money. The older models with spool magazines have better fit & finish than late box magazine models. In the older Cartridges 300 Savage can still be found.
If you can’t find a 99 locally I’m sure one can be located online. There are many variations so you best research to pick out the model you want.

 

[985Plowboy]

I have a 1956 Savage 99R chambered in .308 Win mounted with a fixed
4X crosswire reticle Weaver K-4 scope.
I consider it just about the very best of the breed for a hunter who appreciates 99’s.
It’s accounted for several whitetail deer and feral hogs here at the farm.

.300 Savage ammo will be difficult to source. I expect online only, if there.
The pre-1960, Chicopee Falls made with a serial number below a million are the most sought after by collectors.
I can’t remember what year the factory began drilling and tapping for scope mounts but early versions are not.
A website called 24 hour campfire has a Savage collector thread full of good info.
You’ll have the best luck finding the rifle online.

 

[ColbyBruce]

99’s have a cult following, and I found it to be regional as well. Years ago I had two; a .22 Hi-Power and a .303 Savage. Fortunately I had ammo for both guns. I shot them a few times then listed them for sale in an old publication called “The Atlanta Advertiser”. I had no interest in either of them. I carried them to a few shows, no interest. Leaving the last show I met a recent transplant from PA. He bought them both.


The older 99’s that have the cartridge counter feature usually are so gummed up and need a thorough cleaning. I would try to find a vintage Weaver K 2.5x scope to mount on that model rifle.


.300 Savage is a good cartridge but elusive to find when ammo was plentiful and reasonably priced. My brother has a Remington 81 in .300 Savage and I believe paid $42.00 per box for ammo recently.

 

[mauser9]

Great rifles I admit. My friend bought one back around 1980 when still produced. Have to ask if he still owns it. I know it was chambered in .250 Savage and had an Indian's chief head carved into the stock. Not sure which exact Model 99 it was. Too bad so much of the good old stuff not produced any longer. True still some nice used examples can be found.

 

[Buick]

I can readily understand the allure of a model 99; they are fine rifles. Ive owned 3; currently have a nifty little 99A in .250 Sav. I recommend that the OP's boss consider a .308 caliber instead of the .300 Savage. Performance is basically identical and the .308 is much easier to find.

 

[rockquarry]

The 99 is not my favorite, but I've had three. One of the them was a .308, another was in .300 Savage. Ballistically, there is not a great deal of difference between the two cartridges. If you're a handloader, the choice is of little importance. If you're not a handloader the .308 is much better only because of ammo availability.

About 1950, a 99 in .300 Savage with a 2.5x or 4x Weaver scope was pretty much state-of-the-art in lever action hunting rifles.

 

[Wyatt Burp]

Savage 99s have jumped in value. The biggest part of them I encounter are in 300Savage. Classic deer gun, will be good hog gun too. A decent gun will run $600+. The collectors want stock examples. Any recoil pads, sling swivels or non factory holes knock them out of big money. The older models with spool magazines have better fit & finish than late box magazine models. In the older Cartridges 300 Savage can still be found.
If you can’t find a 99 locally I’m sure one can be located online. There are many variations so you best research to pick out the model you want.

I was really into these when you could find them piled up in pawn shops for $175-$300 in the 1990s. I think everything stated above is spot on. I won’t get near one with a box magazine, but will tolerate the later tang safety. There are so many versions and .300 Savage is available for most of them except the earliest ones. the most common encountered is the Model EG. I have one in .300. Also a 1955 Featherweight in .243. I would haunt every local pawn and gun shop on a regular basis and they will be found. But $600 as Drm50 said will probably be the minimum for a shooter grade gun. Here's my .243 with some of my dad's woodcarving including the rifle's stock. He did that in the early 60s. This gun weighs about 6.5 lbs.

 

[DWalt]

There was never a better lever action rifle than the 99. The .300 Savage is the ballistic twin of the .308, as it is its parent, the main difference being the neck length. For some time, .300 Savage ammunition has been a little difficult to find, especially at present. But not to worry if you are a handloader. All that is needed is a set of .300 Savage dies. One pass of a .308 (or 7.62 NATO) case through the .300 S FL die, then cut and trim the neck to length. I have made hundreds of .300 S cases that way. I prefer not to use Federal cases as the neck wall thickness is a little too much, every other .308 case brand I have used is OK.

While I have personally never tried it, I have read that firing .300 S rounds in a .308 rifle works fine. It would require unusual circumstances to do that.

 

[SS336]

I have a 99G made in 1952 which I am quite fond of. It’s very accurate with a Lyman tang sight. It’s a 300 Savage and is pretty similar to .308 with a 150 grain bullet. The spool magazine limits bullets somewhat so if a heavier bullet is required one has to seat it too deep.
It helps to be a reloader. It’s a classic lever action that will surprise many with it’s accuracy.
Interesting footnote for a couple of years during the Korean War the brass rotor was replaced with a Case hardened one which mine has.

 

[CH4]

If you can find it, 300 Savage ammo is running $3+ per round. Great hunting round for Elk and smaller game. I have a 99 and M70 in 358 Win. A great hog thumper. A great anything thumper.

I only have two remaining 99s.

1941 99RS 300 Sav with factory receiver sight and sling 99%
1977 99 Brush Gun .358 Win unfired

 

[Drm50]

I just sold a nice 99EG this year in 250/3000 Savage and dies. Also a Rem 81 in 300Sav. and dies. I sold two boxes of Win 300 Sav in last year for $40. That is the going rate in this area for 300Savage ammo.
Back in 1980s and 90s we had 99s in used rack all the time. As post 64 Win 94s and Marlin 336s. They were all tuff sales. Had a buddy who belonged to hunting club up in Pa. Any 99 in 300 Sav or Rem pumps in 35 where instant sales up there. When we sold one in shop, took afternoon off and celebrated.
When Savage was circling the bowl in 80s they turned out some junk. The last 99s were no exception. No customer service and they quit supporting their warranty repair stations. We just quit handling Savage to avoid the hassle.
The last I remember of 99s was Sile Dist having close outs on 99s in 375 Win, I think price was $199@ if you bought 3. I didn’t buy any. Now 375 is most sought after 99 in Ohio. 375 is legal deer gun.

 

[2152hq]

I've got one left, a Model 1899 in 30-30.
It's a C-Grade,,that just represents a 1/2oct-1/2round bbl

A grade was full round bbl
B grade was Full Oct bbl

It has it's orig Lyman folding Tang sight, Lyman 2 leaf folding rear bbl sight and the orig Savage No5(?) front sight.
No finish left on to speak of but excl bore and great shooter.

I've had a couple 300Sav mid 1950's rifles. Standard whatever Models they are.
One was SwissCheese D&T'd with 9 extra holes all over the top and left side of the frame. Couldn't figure what a few of them could have been for. Different sizes, etc.
$100 bought that one. Filled the holes so you couldn't see them, Polished and rust blued. The markings re-cut. Wood was untouched. Perfect bore.
Still doing Deer duty to this day in the hands of a hunter.
Made him up a hundred rds of 300Sav brass from 308brass like Dewalt describes. I gave him the dies with the rifle.

 

[fishcreekrim]

Some guides with dogs have a no scope rule. It is not clear if this could come into play.

 

[rock doc]

I have no history with truegunvalue.com. I was curious about the current value of my .300 Savage 99G (takedown) and came across this web site.

Mine dates to 1923/24 sn 251390. I haven't hunted with it in over 45 years, but it's fondled quite often. For me, the target and sights align perfectly when shouldered. Obligatory photos attached.

From truegunvalue.com

WHAT IS A SAVAGE 99 RIFLE WORTH?
A SAVAGE 99 rifle is currently worth an average price of $947.26 used . The 12 month average price is $973.84 used.

The used value of a SAVAGE 99 rifle has risen $128.07 dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $947.26 .

The demand of new SAVAGE 99 rifle's has risen 3 units over the past 12 months. The demand of used SAVAGE 99 rifle's has risen 45 units over the past 12 months.

ESTIMATED VALUE
*Using 80% condition for calculating used Values.
*Caliber, Barrel Length, Generations, Sub Models may all affect item price. Make sure your search is specific enough to get the correct value.

 

[Greyman50]

Long time friend in Texas has every type 99 but the super rate military one. Forget how many safes he has filled, took him years to get them. We used to shoot them at our hunt club in mountains of Va when we lived there years ago.

 

[DWalt]

As I remember there is (or was) a display of several very fancy engraved models of the 99 at the Frasier Museum in Louisville. I have understood that the Frazier has removed many of the guns it formerly had on display (and there were lots of them) for political reasons and greatly de-emphasized weapons. Maybe someone on here from Louisville knows if that is true.

 

[Gene L]

I've got two, one made in 1941 and the other in 1946. I put a scope on one of them and it shot fine, but the scope ruined the carry ability so I took it off and put on a Marbles tang sight on both of them. They're both in excellent shape and I like them a lot.

 

[ky wonder]

Savage 99s are excellant guns, savage was ahead of his time, that was the first gun with a rotary mag, he designed a pistol that competed and came in second against brownings 1911, but his pistol had no screws in it any where.
He invented the radial tire, I am a fan of old savage guns, 300 savage is still available

 

[mauser9]

Great guns for sure. Wonder how much they would cost if still made today with nice walnut and the old bluing process? Glad there are used examples out there to be had.