david58
Member
About a month ago, I swapped a SW 95 and $300 for a Savage 99 in .308, built in 1961. Has a 4X Weaver 'Scope, nice wood, and that wonderful patina of a well-used and loved rifle. It is going to need a new scope, as this past hunting season the previous owner managed to give it a knock and a bit of the glass spalled or flaked off the objective. Figure a Leupold VX-1, 3X9 will do nicely, and even as a budget Leupold, it will be a much better scope than the technology allowed for us to have in 1961.
So, me, a dyed in the wool open sight shooter (I have shot 1000X more rounds through muzzloaders than centerfire, though my wife's AR is helping me catch up), shooting this old scope, on an old rifle. First day out, I was pulling 2" groups at 100 yards, my best was about 1-1/2". Plus, I was ringing clangers at both 200 and 300 yards, although I had to hold about 6" high for the 300 yd clanger.
Sweet!
Now I understand why the Savage 99 is a collectable rifle. It is quite the shooter, a pinnacle in lever-gun development with the rotary magazine, and is easy on the eye. I have a sneaking suspicion that this will not be my last 99 - I had a goal of collecting one each of the basic lever guns, and may have found myself stopping at Marlin 336 and Savage 99. I love the rifles from the '40's and '50's, and seein' as I need a Marlin in 35 Remington and 45/70, and a Savage in 300 Savage and 25-3000, it may be a while till I make it to the Model 94 and the BLR.
So, me, a dyed in the wool open sight shooter (I have shot 1000X more rounds through muzzloaders than centerfire, though my wife's AR is helping me catch up), shooting this old scope, on an old rifle. First day out, I was pulling 2" groups at 100 yards, my best was about 1-1/2". Plus, I was ringing clangers at both 200 and 300 yards, although I had to hold about 6" high for the 300 yd clanger.
Sweet!
Now I understand why the Savage 99 is a collectable rifle. It is quite the shooter, a pinnacle in lever-gun development with the rotary magazine, and is easy on the eye. I have a sneaking suspicion that this will not be my last 99 - I had a goal of collecting one each of the basic lever guns, and may have found myself stopping at Marlin 336 and Savage 99. I love the rifles from the '40's and '50's, and seein' as I need a Marlin in 35 Remington and 45/70, and a Savage in 300 Savage and 25-3000, it may be a while till I make it to the Model 94 and the BLR.