Odd that only 3 or 4 of the posters on this thread mention a Savage 99. From the day it was introduced....102 years ago....it was superior in design when compared to Winchester, Marlin and other lever actions. Stronger bolt, closed/covered hammer, an exquisite spooled magazine with counter and the ability to shoot pointed/spitzer bullets, side ejection (which allowed the use of scopes long before they were considered essential), nice handling in both shooting and carrying, etc., and so on.
And they certainly aren't any harder to reload for than any other gun, particularly the 30-30 with its legendary (notorious?) neck issues. On various visits to Alaska settlements, the 99 in 300 Savage, is almost ubiquitous in use for caribou and seals; many of the natives I talked to re-load their own. Those Alaska 99s were almost every-day tools, and despite their rough looks....that's really rough looks....worked every time (FWIW, they all wore peep sights).
The design of the Savage 99, for those who care, was one of the first Art Deco mass-produced items. Very elegant, yet superlative performance, even discounting Arthur Savage's penchant for hyperbole.
Further, since there were literally millions produced, it's relatively easy to find one. Most of them are in caliber 300 Savage, of course, but many in .308, 358, 243, and so on. All good "brush" calibers, since we know (don't we?!) that, say, a 30-30, is just as easily diverted by sticks and branches as any faster bullet in the same caliber.
Savage quality suffered in the last few years of production, with many being made using strange parts combinations, and mystery wood stocks. The switch to detachable box magazines meant cheaper production costs, but not necessarily better. But that's another story.
Anyway, don't forget to consider the 99!
