Savage 1899 lever

[cavemanforester]

I have a Savage Model 1899 in 250-3000. The lever is a little loose , and the firing pin strikes the primer off center. Are these problems related? If so, how do I remove the lever to work on it?

 

[rcmodel]

Google is our friend!
291,000 hits on "Savage 99 disassembly" like this one.

http://www.gunreports.com/special_r...-Action-Savage-Model-Hunting-Rifles167-1.html

It's really hard to say what is causing your problem.

Some Savage 99's are 100+ years old now, and some of them are just plain wore out.

The take-down models are particularly bad about loosening up and causing excess headspace.

Be aware that there have been many changes in internal parts over the years, and yours very likely will not be exactly the same as the instructions.

Disassembly, diagnoses, & repair is probably best left to a gunsmith if you have no experience with them. The spool magazine can be especially troublesome to put back together correctly for the uninitiated tinkerer.

rc

 

[cavemanforester]

Thank you! I'll see if I'm up to it.

 

[TCOV]

Is this a rifle you have had for awhile or did you just get it. I have had a few Savage 99's and liked most of them but had 2 in 250-3000 and they were just plain worn out. Similar problems to what you describe. Neither was very accurate and I believe the loose lever is a safety issue as some will not engage the safety latch unless they are tight closed. If you want to keep it it should be checked by a gunsmith familiar with the 99 action and see what they recommend. I just traded mine off and moved on. Some one else may have another opinion.

 

[cavemanforester]

I recently bought the rifle, started out with some stock repairs. I have fired around 10 rounds with no problems, but am concerned about the off center hits on the primer. Mostly function firing now, but the safety works. I read in the 24 hr campfire that you can sometimes get the loose lever to tighten by reducing the radius of the lever, so I thought I might try it.
The rifle is a 250-3000 takedown 1899, built in 1915, I believe. Gun has original wood, possibly reblued and engraved, set up with Beuhler rings, but had a tang sight at one time. very cool gun project, I just hope it pan out. I bought the gun to shoot, not worried about collector issues. I appreciate your opinion on this, and may consult a gunsmith.

 

[cavemanforester]

fixed

I removed the lever and pounded on t with a rubber mallot. The radius closed a few thousandths and did the trick. The firing pin still strikes off center however.

 

[Jim K]

It is likely that the firing pin is striking low on the primer. You can check that by using a magic marker to mark a case so you can tell where the mark actually is on the primer.

If the primer indent is low, it is probably because the bolt rails are worn, a potentially dangerous situation because it affects bolt locking. It is basically uncorrectable. It is hard today to find a gunsmith who knows those guns, and Savage has gone through corporate changes and has long since stopped working on them or providing parts.

There are several "tricky" areas to know about when working on those guns, including a "trigger job" that if done wrong will result in destruction of the rifle.

I know folks don't like to hear it, but sometimes, we need to retire a firearm to collector status and buy something newer to shoot.

Jim