Savage 99

[Doug M.]

So, he did some research, and the caliber issue was not a trivial consideration. After that, he started looking at Winchester model 88 lever guns in .308 and fingered out what specs/age would appeal. By fluke, he went in to a local gun shop and found one in good shape, with 3 magazines and refinished furniture in nice shape. Not cheap, but the ability see/inspect was worth a bit. He snagged it.

 

[vinn]

a vintage 99 in take down model is a vintage collectable

 

[Claymore33]

I have my Grandfathers 1899 B in .303. Great gun . My father shot his first deer with it in 1936.

 

[DWalt]

I also have one. Ammo is difficult to find, but cases can be easily formed from .30-30 brass. Base diameter is a little small, but it works OK. It is not difficult to find reloading die sets in .303 S.

 

[Drm50]

I also have one. Ammo is difficult to find, but cases can be easily formed from .30-30 brass. Base diameter is a little small, but it works OK. It is not difficult to find reloading die sets in .303 S.

I shot a bunch of 303 in blow out 30/30 brass with pulled bullets out of 7.62 NATO FMJs. Cheap goofing ammo. Got started once with a tracer that slipped in the mix.

 

[DWalt]

I shot a bunch of 303 in blow out 30/30 brass with pulled bullets out of 7.62 NATO FMJs. Cheap goofing ammo. Got started once with a tracer that slipped in the mix.

I wrap a couple of turns of thin strips of masking tape around the reformed .30-30 case bases to act as a centralizer for the first shot. I have not had any case failures so far. Lead bullets seem to shoot well in my 99. Over the years I have managed to find two full boxes and several dozen loose rounds of old factory .303 S loads, but I don't shoot those. One nice thing is that the 99 doesn't care what bullets you use as long as the COAL is not excessive. I have even fired 220 grain RN and .30-06 fmj military bullets in mine. Factory loads were usually 190 grain RNs. And they had a good reputation for deep penetration on larger game animals.

 

[PALADIN85020]

The Savage 99 was an outgrowth of previous models invented by Arthur Savage. It was an ahead-of-its-time firearm in many respects.

The one I have is an EG model in .300 Savage, made in 1951 at the Chicopee Falls MA plant. The .300 Savage was later developed into the .308 Winchester and rivaled the .30-06 in performance. Ammo can be had, but it must be looked for.

These were generally not drilled and tapped for scopes until the late 1950s. I devoted a chapter to them in my book 101 Classic Firearms.

Details can be found here:

History of the Savage Model 99

John

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Not a Reloader - if I was in the market for a 99 it would be a 308.

 

[Jocko-44]

I have a 99 in .22-250. I am told this is a fairly uncommon caliber for a 99. Now would probably be a good time to sell since I don't hunt coyotes.

 

[S-W4EVER]

Not a Reloader - if I was in the market for a 99 it would be a 308.

That's what mine is, doesn't have the rotary magazine (which I think is pretty cool), has the detachable box magazine. Still a nice rifle though.

 

[Drm50]

I had two newer post 70 m99s. In 70s guy at work won a 99 in 358. Never shot it a guy that Moose hunts grabbed it right up. The other was a hardwood stocked, box mag in 308. It was one of last 99s manf. It wasn't pretty or smooth but shoot well enough for woods deer gun.
When I'm looking for one for myself I want spool magazine and safety on lever. That doesn't matter now, any 99 in decent shape is bringing good money.

 

[Pisgah]

I take a backseat to no man in my appreciation of the .300 Savage cartridge. That said, with ammo being hard to come by and about $2 a pop when you can find it, I would find a .308 to be a much more attractive option. Scope? Whatever floats yer boat. A fixed 4x will do pretty much anything the rifle's fit to do.

 

[DWalt]

I take a backseat to no man in my appreciation of the .300 Savage cartridge. That said, with ammo being hard to come by and about $2 a pop when you can find it, I would find a .308 to be a much more attractive option. Scope? Whatever floats yer boat. A fixed 4x will do pretty much anything the rifle's fit to do.

For a non-reloader, a .308 would be a better choice. .300s can be rechambered to .308 but I would never consider doing that to any rifle.