Savage 99E--the undiscovered rifle

My 99

I have a 99 that was my Grandpa, Dad and now mine. It is in 300 savage and I have killed deer with it my whole life. Mine has a very good trigger and has never had issues other than it has been run through me and my brothers and has a few dings. Great gun,,,,,,,,,,,

99's are great rifles. It's a shame they've been out of production for so long.

Up here in the northeast they START in the upper $700 range and keep going, and going, and going...

Got two .300 Savage 99's from my father. One is the one I cut my teeth on a a teen, and the other my dad gave me a few years ago that he always used to hunt with (he has given up hunting now). Took a lot a deer and elk with both guns. One was a 99 made in 1950 and the other is a 99F from the 60's (feather weight edition). Both are tapped w/Vari X II 3X9 Leupolds on them.


Here's web site to find date of manufactures up to 1950-
www.savage99.com/savage99_dates.htm

I always wanted a Savage 99 and a Remington 600 in .308Win. Last year just before my wife and I were wed she purchased me a 99-E in .308Win. Tell me I didn't pick a good one...

I mounted an old but clear 2.75x Redfield on the little carbine and shot it a lot getting ready for the rifle season. On about the fourth trip out with it something in the scope broke and rattled around. I did not get a deer with it last season. This season it is wearing a Burris Timberline 4x and is shooting fine.

M'bogo

In my estimation, the "perfect" whitetail deer/black bear set-up is a Savage 99 chambered in .358 Winchester. Trouble is, last I heard not only are used 99s starting to fetch collector-like prices but the .358 caliber brings a premium.

Good new guys. Savage is reintroducing the 99 next year in three grades starting at $650. No word on the cartridges it will be chambered in, but they will have rotary magazines and walnut stocks. I got this from the Savage Collectors Forum on the 24hourcampfire. One of the members got a tour of the Savage plant from Roy Coburn and he told about the reintroduction.

As for the 99, it is one of my favorite rifles. I have a 1956 99F in 300 Savage that is as close to the perfect deer/bear/hog rifle as anything I have ever seen. Balance and pointability are second to none and it is accurate to boot.

That is good news -- if they don't let quality slip, or introduce things like locks.

Late to the party, as usual, but I'll chime in. A 99E in .308 was my very first centerfire rifle. Traded it long ago...<stifles a sob>

"Great news! It's one of the greatest levergun designs of all time."

Huh? Name one better.

No, not shabby. Pretty darn good. But they don't surpass a 99savage. The 99 is THE pinacle of lever action design, imo.

Ah, I have all three, although my 1895 is the most recent version. The Savage 99 doesn't have the smoothest lever throw out of all lever action rifles in the known universe, but that's about the worst thing you can say about it. In 300 Savage, it's like a Visa card that's just for deer.

ETA: I had no idea that they were so desirable; I saw one in better shape than mine this afternoon for under $600, in 300 savage with an old weaver tube on it. There's another in a more local shop, tucked back behind the Wilson Combat AR's, but I'll have to go check the tag now.

Good new guys. Savage is reintroducing the 99 next year in three grades starting at $650. No word on the cartridges it will be chambered in, but they will have rotary magazines and walnut stocks.

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Very interesting; thanks!

Savage has been building some top-notch guns lately so I don't expect the new Model 99 to be any different. I hope the go with the classic sleek lines, like my 1936 version, rather than the blockier frame of later versions.

One thing you all should consider--this is a design that is 110 years old so you would be mistaken to expect modern performance from the rifle. My dad gave me my M99 when I started hunting in 1975. I shot my first deer with it soon after. I thought it was the best gun ever. Now when I take it out, I'm shocked at how fast the barrel heats up and starts whipping around. After five or six rounds the groupings go from 4 inches at 100 yards to 18 inches or more, and that's from a bench rest. It makes a Ruger Mini 14 look like a precision sniper rifle.

When I shoot my Tikka T3 at that same range, my groupings start at less than .5 inches and when the barrel heats up they still remain under 1 inch. Cold-rolled steel is good. Free-floating barrels are good. Strong receivers are good.

Savage is reintroducing the 99 next year in three grades starting at $650.

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Please let it be so!

I've owned two 99s in the past: a pre-War 99T in .30WCF and a 1958 99EG in .308. I'd like one in .250-3000.

I picked up a pretty little E or is it EG model about two years ago at a gun show. I do not know much about the models. This one had good metal finish and very nice wood which after a bit of cleaning and application of my oil wax mixture glows. It is in 300 Savage and came with an old Weaver K-4 with Lee dot reticule. I have fired less than one box of factory loads through it, but just finished up a batch of 168 gr Sierra Match Kings and plan on seeing what it can do this weekend. Got this little gem for $425 out the door.

hesitate because I've never had the pleasure of owning a Win 86 or 95.
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Moving like an arctic lizard.

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I have all three, the 86 and 96 are both repros. The 86 is a 26" octagon bbl takedown and is very heavy. The 95 is in 405 Win and is not the easiest to load or carry. The Savage is probably the slickest action of all three. It would be hard for me to choose a favorite, I like the old classic rifles, even it some are modern reproductions in better metals.

What fascinates me is how this rifle rose to popularity then fell. I've seen many, many period photos of Alaska and Western US hunts from the '20's and '30's with Savage 1899's in the hands of those posing. Then something happened and after WWII they sort of fell by the wayside, replaced by bolt action rifles and semis. Savage kept making them, but they never filled more than an niche market as far as I can tell.

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After WWII, the market was FLOODED with cheap Mauser's, Springfield's, Mosins, and Garands; all of which are capable deer rifles. The design of the Savage 99 prevented it from competing economically.

That said, I want a 99. I keep hitting up the gun shows, but all i can find are 250 and 300 savage. I want one in 22-250 or 243.
If savage starts up production again, I'll jump on one.

I've enjoyed many successful hunting adventures with my 99 Savage .308, too. I sent it to MAGNA-PORT awhile back and muzzle jump is now zero. Much nicer shooting but no extra muzzle blast.

Good hunting to you.

TR

The Browning BLR strikes me as a sort of spiritual successor to the 99.

I also have a Savage model 99. It's a 250-3000 take down model - very cool!

I love all the "Leverevolution" ammo and the 308 Marlin Express - gimme a break... the solution is the Savage model 99!

I have a 1907 1899 takedown in .303 Savage. It does get shot, but not
much. It's a real grey rat, with no blueing left, or finish on the perchbelly stock. Action as slick as greased glass. (whatever that means) Shoots 190 grain cast bullets quite well for a century old gun. Ammo is tough to find, though. Pretty much a handloader thing, I guess.
About a month after I bought mine, my Dad gets a 1950's 99F in .300 savage, in mint condition. What a shooter! And gorgeous too! I'm jealous!