Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

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Old No7
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Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by Old No7 »

A year and a half ago, I found one of my "grail" guns and bought a barely-used Savage 99A in the classic and venerable .250-3000, aka 250 Savage chambering. Fast forward to last fall, and it became the first-ever deer gun for me where I saw my bullet impact the "exact hair" that I was aiming at, as its mild-mannered (at least on MY end...) recoil allowed me to see the shot impact through the scope.

Savage 99A 250 05.JPG

3 Things were learned by me carrying the rifle last season...
(1) I love hunting with the 250 Savage in a handy yet effective rifle like the 99A!
(2) I didn't like the "orange" tones of the stock... Not at all!
(3) The dang thing was too "slippery"! I needed some grip...

So I set about to change #2 and #3 this winter...

First of all, the orange tones had to go -- so I stripped it, stained it with walnut, and then refinished it as noted on this image. I was really happy with the color change:

Savage 99A 250 Before-After 01.jpg

Then I looked at images of many factory-checkered 99s. but none were what I wanted -- or could afford (those fancy wrap-around, fleur-de-lis patterns like some have). So instead, I modified the checkering pattern from my older 300 Savage 99, which had factory checkering on it. As you can see, I wanted the grip's checkering to better fit the "acorn" raised panel before the receiver, and I also wanted "more grip" back closer to the action, as that is how I hold the gun while shooting. These are the patterns I sent to my selected shop:

Svg 99A Checkering.jpg

Without any further adieu, this is what just came back to me yesterday! (Showing you the before & after...)

Svg 99A Refinish 05.jpg

Finally, here's an image showing the before & after of the entire rifle in a woods setting:

Savage 99A 250 Before-After 03.jpg

Tim at Classic Checkering (click for link) did what I think is a terrific job on the checkering, and he was very easy and pleasant to work with too. I was also pleased with his pricing and turnaround time. He'd done the checkering on my twin's CPA/Stevens Schuetzen stock, so based on what I saw on that gun, it was very easy for me to select him for this job.

Overall, I am thrilled with how this project turned out.

Some may say "Nice, but any collector value was ruined..." -- and to that I'd say "phooey"!!!

I'm a hunter and she's a shooter, and she'll be going back out into the Maine woods with me for as long as I can still see & walk, and she won't be collecting dust in the back of a safe somewhere. And at least now, I'm much less likely to drop her by adding some gripable surface area to the stock, and she's much more pleasing for me to admire while I'm waiting on a big 'ol buck to appear. :wink:

I don't want to wish my life away, but gee... I can't wait until the deer season opener!

Old No7
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Last edited by Old No7 on Thu Apr 12, 2018 4:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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PaperPatch
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by PaperPatch »

Well done !
You were right about the orange tone...the walnut stain looks much nicer.

:wink:
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Old Savage
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by Old Savage »

Very nice, came out great. Best looking 99A I have seen.
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BenT
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by BenT »

Very Nice! I like everything you did. I have the same straight comb 99 I bought cheap because the wood was terrible. I am in the process of fitting new wood and hopefully will be set for deer hunting. What bullet weight did you use for the 250 on your deer.
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ollogger
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by ollogger »

That turned out to be a very well done job, the 99 A is one of my favorites!



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gamekeeper
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by gamekeeper »

Excellent upgrade, I wouldn't consider collector value either, you are the most important collector as you've already collected it.. :D
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by GunnyMack »

Absolutely perfect restoration/ upgrade if you ask me !
You nailed the wood color perfectly, the checkering is very fitting. I always thought the 99s were lacking in visual appeal but were ahead of their time engineering wise.
Well done!
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Blaine
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by Blaine »

Beautiful..... :mrgreen:
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Old No7
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by Old No7 »

Thanks to all for your reviews and comments. I honestly tried to make a "great gun even better".
BenT wrote: Thu Apr 12, 2018 5:41 pmWhat bullet weight did you use for the 250 on your deer.
I have all I need to start handloading for this cartridge, but it took so few rounds to sight the gun in -- and to get my deer -- that I'm still using the 1st box of Remington 100 gr Pointed Soft Point loads that I got.

Guess I'll have to start using this rifle for coyotes too; maybe even groundhogs.

Old No7
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JerryB
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by JerryB »

You have a great eye to plan out what you did. That is a classy looking rifle
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M. M. Wright
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by M. M. Wright »

Wow! Stunning transformation. I applaud both your color change and the checkering. I had one that would not stabilize 100 grain bullets but the deer dropped to 87 grain Sierras just fine. Can't recall what kind of fit caused by to let it get away.
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earlmck
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by earlmck »

Nice! Very nice! Thanks for the pictures of your upgrade.
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guido4198
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by guido4198 »

That looks good..!!!
As an aside...My .250 (1941 manufacture) handles 100's real well.
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Re: Savage 99A in .250-3000 - Stock Upgrade

Post by .45colt »

Awesome All Around. !!
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