Savage Bringing Back Model 99?

DocRock said:

I had a Savage 99E carbine in 308 and was underwhelmed. A 99 had long been a wish list rifle. I settled for 99E with beech stocks, pressed checkering, no round counter and chambered in 308. It would not reliably extract 7.62x51 brass or 308 Win brass loaded to anything above moderate in the load tables. Recoil was brisk, to put it mildly.

I still want an older 99 in 250 Savage, but those are quite dear. But a new 99 in say 6.5 or 6 CM might tempt me. A 35 Savage would be rather cool as well!

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I forgot about the 250 Savage. That would be a neat combination.

I’ll take one in 6.5 Creedmoor please!

horsemen61 said:

I’ll take one in 6.5 Creedmoor please!

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Although it might turn off traditionalists, the market may respond better to a takedown, detachable magazine version. Most of the AR chamberings would fit in a short-throw 99 action, and are not too powerful for a rear-locking bolt.

By swapping barrels and magazines, you could accommodate .223, and .300BLK. Add quick-detach bolt heads and 6.5CM, 7.62X39, .308, and .30 Carbine should all be doable on a single receiver too.

Of course, if ATF succeeds in requiring most parts to have SN's and all serialized parts considered a "gun" then the whole swapping ability becomes a non-starter. For ARs too.

This.


“Savage experienced some hard times shortly after the Model 99 was dropped. Ron Colburn took over the company and made a drastic move to drop every single product except the Model 110. Everybody said he was crazy, but he saved the company. Savage today is healthy, vibrant, and is building good guns.

Once Ron’s brilliance became apparent and Savage began growing and prospering we all asked when he would bring back the Model 99.

“Never,” he said with his Irish brogue. “It’s just too expensive to make because it requires a lot of hand fitting of parts. Besides, the market isn’t there anymore. I wish it wasn’t true, I dearly love the rifle, but that’s reality.””

And this,

“The same question came up with the current owners during a press conference in early 2020 and the Savage folks provided the same answer almost by rote.

Most recently I contacted Jessica Treglia, Sr. Brand Manager at Savage Arms. Here is what she said:

“We have no current plans to bring back the M99. The cost to manufacture this gun would push the price above $1500 and would not be well received by our customers and thus the volume would not cover the cost to tool up to make the rifle. That said, a lever action is not in our current plan but is on the long term one. It will not, however, be a M99.””

https://www.outdoorlife.com/story/guns/life-and-times-of-the-savage-model-99/

Make the notion seem like little more than wishful thinking. I know things change but that was their position just last year.

NIGHTLORD40K said:

Although it might turn off traditionalists, the market may respond better to a takedown, detachable magazine version.

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You know, it's interesting. My first 99 was my .308, bought from a friend. I always thought they were cool levers, but largely unpractical. I bought it with the intention of giving it a test drive, not really caring for it, and selling it off... and what did it matter, it wasn't in a 'true' lever-action cartridge... I mean, really... a .308 lever gun? Boy, was I wrong.

A Savage 99 in 6.5CM? Build it, and they will come....

The 99 is one of those rifles I wish I'd bought years ago and kept. But as much as I like the idea of owning one from a practical purpose they don't do anything current production guns can't do. Even if they offered a faithful reproduction of the original at a reasonable price I don't think I'd buy one at this point in my life.

I read that the last production 99 receivers were made in Spain.

As said, modern machining could bring it back.

bearman49709 said:

I've owned a Savage 99 and a Winchester 88 both in .308 Win. I would take another Winchester 88 over a Savage 99.

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Yep I still have a 99 in .300 Savage and a 88 in .308 and the 88 with the DM outshines the 99. That being said The triggers in both are just heavy as heck and almost impossible to tune because of the way they were made. Awhile back there was one guy around that could tune the 88 trigger but he is no longer around...

I have an old “classic beauty” 99F in .358 w/ cartridge counter. Great rifle!

Count me as interested! I'll take a 6.5CM over the .250 any day of the week. I wish my own .250 (Ruger) was a 6.5CM.

My Dad hunted in Africa with a .250-3000 (he was in the oil exploration business and spent years in Africa.) When speaking of the .250-3000, he would say, "The 87 grain bullet is better than the 100 grain bullet."

The problem is that Charles Newton (who designed the .250-3000) optimized the rifling for the 87 grain bullet in order to obtain the magical 3,000 fps muzzle velocity. If Savage brings back the 99 in .250-3000, please let them bring it back in a 1 in 9 twist, not a 1 in 14.

odds of a new 99 coming out? Slim and none

My first centerfire was a 99F in .308.
As was stated above, recoil was snappy.
I had to sell it to pay bills and keep a roof over my head back in 1989.

Stay safe.

I’d like to have a new 99 in 308, especially with modern production methods. Might be a bit pricey, but worth it to me.

I believe one poster said that his contact with Savage indicated that there was no interest at Savage in bringing back the 99...that it would be north of $1500 if they did...

That said, I'd not be interested in...and for the patient, there are 99's out there, in good/great condition, for sale. Best regards, Rod