My first Savage 99

[dogwood2]

Yesterday at the gunshow in Tulsa, I picked up my first 99. A previous owner had installed a recoil pad and sling swivels taking it out of the collector class and into my price range. It was manufactured in 1948 and is chambered for .250-3000. I also bought a period Lyman reciever sight for it. (The gunshow is a big candy store.)

I'm really looking forward to shooting it. My Model 70 in the same caliber has a 1 in 14 twist and will not shoot 100 grain bullets other than Win Silvertips. Do the the Savages of that vintage have the same twist?

John (Dogwood)

[kimwcook]

Excellent, now drop and give me 20 for no pics.

[Hobie]

You will wonder why anybody put a recoil pad on that rifle.

[dogwood2]

I will have my son show me how to post pictures tomorrow. I really like the shape its in. It looks good, but not too good to use. Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do with the recoil pad?

John (Dogwood)

[pdentrem]

My Savage 99 has no issues with Winchester 100 gr pills. It usually does about 1.5" at 100 meters for 3 shots. It is of about 1928, an earlier vintage. I assume that it has the same twist.


And as Hobie says Recoil pad? Why? Likely the stock has been cut down. Measure the pull. If it is still as the picture shows then you could likely remove it and put back the regular buttstock plate.

butstock.jpg

[dogwood2]

It appears someone cut the stock an inch or so. How much trouble and expense to replace the old recoil pad with a new solid pad and buttplate?

[pdentrem]

Since it is not a collector item, just get a new buttstock. Quicker and in the end cheaper. Otherwise it is just a simple woodwork job. Fit a piece of the right type of wood, shape to match the original stock and refinish the stock, install replacement plate.
It is your choice but I would just replace with NOS or a good match buttstock.

[guido4198]

It's a 1 in 14. If you reload...you'll find any number of 100 gn. combinations that shoot well. It's not a "bench gun"....so trying to wring 1-hole precision out of it might be frustrating. You can also get a lot of pleasure from cast bullet shooting in a .250 M-99. "Loaded down" with cast.....it makes an awesome squirrel rifle..!!

[dogwood2]

One of the reasons I wanted the rifle was to have some fun experimenting with various loads. From my reading in the net it seems some guns with the 1-14 twist shoot heavier bullets and some don't. My Model 70 does not. Is there a decent deer bullet in the 87 grain class?

I suppose I can find a cast bullet that will work in my 99 and my M. 94 .25-35. In any case, each gun is a new adventure.

I will try a picture tonight once I get technical assistance.

[Boreman]

DW2
You done good. You will really enjoy that rifle.Believe that vintage rifle has a 1-14 twist,mine does.

[Pete44ru]

You just might want to check the LOP a little more carefully.

Savage Model 99-EG's were issued with a LOP of 13", and Model 99-R's 13-1/2", both measured from the center of the trigger to the center of the BP. (straight out of the 1946 Savage catalog)

I bought a pristine, 99% original issue condition 1953 Model 99-EG last Summer for about half it's value because the LGS owner had scoffed at the short LOP, saying someone had cut the stock.
Knowing better, I snatched it up.

.

[M. M. Wright]

The old 99-F I once owned had the 1 in 14" twist and shot 100 grain bullets into about 6" groups at 100 yards but would put 87 grainers in groups the size of my thumbnail. Don't remember the load, (I could look it up) but it was with IMR 4064, and the 87 grain Sierra bullet.

[walks with gun]

Great find, I'm hoping to see pics of it with that tang sight. I'd just put a new thicker pad on (cheaper).

[tman]

While not exactly recoil sensitive, i find that my 99A in .308 WCf kicks harder than my .308WCF BLR, which is actually lighter than the savage. This is with the BLR's recoil pad removed and replaced with a homemade steel buttplate. Perhaps it's stock design?

[pricedo]

You will wonder why anybody put a recoil pad on that rifle.

My wife shoots one of the original Remington Model 7 bolt actions in .308 Win. with the 18.5" "wand" barrel.............nuthin too it.

The gun weighs in a 5.5 pounds with the 1.75-5x33mm Bushnell Trophy scope I mounted on it & my hand loads with 165 grain Nosler Partition spitzers are quite vigorous.

Why would anyone need a recoil pad on a .250-3000 Savage pushing bullets weighing from 75-100 grains???

[dogwood2]

My pictures ended up on the original post.

[Pete44ru]

You have a Model 99-EG, and it would have been issued with a LOP of 13", measured from the center of the trigger to the center of the buttplate.

The end of the buttstock would have been originally cut in an S-contour, to match the equally contoured issue steel buttplate.
Hopefully, if the LOP from the trigger to the juncture of the wood & recoil pad is close to the 13", you can add a flat Savage BP from other models (gun show vendors, etc) to restore it, and not many "experts" will know the diff.

It's a nice rifle - I like it.

.

[Hobie]

Is there a decent deer bullet in the 87 grain class?

The 90 gr. Sierra Gameking was suggested to me by several people who SHOULD be knowledgeable.

[dogwood2]

It just happen to have a partial box of the 90 grain Sierras I've been shooting in my bolt gun. I'll give them a try once I get my reciever sight mounted.

I don't know much about Savage rifles yet. Where does the EG stand in the lineup? Is it considered a desirable variant or does model designation mean anything?

[Goat]

If you intend to shoot deer sized game with it and it does not like the 100gr bullets then the Sierra 90gr bullet that Hobie suggested is indeed a game bullet and not a varmint bullet. I used it for several years in a 25/06 at over 3400fps and found to do well as long as you stayed away from heavy bone. During that time I took about 25 whitetail deer without a loss. Others I have read say the Speer 87gr pill was/is a game bullet for the 250/3000. I had a Savage 99A that another member here ended up with but when I had it I shot one deer at about 60 yards and it was a bang-flop with the Sierra 90gr bullet.
Goat

[Pete44ru]

After 1925, the Model 99 was improved slightly, and made available in various grades, different from previous designations, and know as A, B, C, D, E, F, & G.

In 1938, Savage trimmed the number of different models available, known as EG, F, G, H, K, R & RS - some being solid-frame, other the same rifle with a take-down frame, others a featherweight or heavier frame, or stock config, etc, etc, etc.

The M99-EG is simply a factory designation for a solid frame, PG-stocked rifle with schnobble forend - the most common & popular Savage 99 found today.

.

[pricedo]

Excellent, now drop and give me 20 for no pics.

Unless there has been custom work done that makes a particular gun conspicuously singular or unique I never clutter a board with pics that can be generated in prolific numbers by using GOOGLE.
With Adobe Photoshop & similar software around a photograph or image these days is evidence or proof of nothing.
Everybody knows what a generic Savage Model 99 looks like.
I used to post a lot of photos when I first started visiting gun forums but after a few months the posts were marred by ugly "image deleted or moved" notifications by Photobucket............... so unless a gun has been customized or modified in a way that makes it stand out in the crowd I don't post pics.

[DougB]

Excellent, now drop and give me 20 for no pics.

I used to post a lot of photos when I first started visiting gun forums but after a few months the posts were marred by ugly "image deleted or moved" notifications by Photobucket............... so unless a gun has been customized or modified in a way that makes it stand out in the crowd I don't post pics.

I have yet to post photos on Photobucket precisely for that reason. I like to post images directly on the sight itself no matter what forum I visit.

[pricedo]

It would be nice if somebody could talk Savage into making another run of Model 99s.

If they're going to stick a bunch of legacy-marring lawyer safeties on them then scratch the idea.

For years the gun manufacturers were making guns with ridiculously heavy triggers.

Who doesn't remember the horrible 6-10 pound Ruger triggers of the 80s & 90s?

Now they're trying to outdo each other in regards to how many disfiguring lawyer safety switches they can stick on a new gun.

And all to address a problem that doesn't exist.

I think stats will show shooting has always been a relatively accident free sport.

[airedaleman]

[quote="pricedo"]It would be nice if somebody could talk Savage into making another run of Model 99s.


This isn't going to happen. Savage had some prototypes manufactured in Spain back in the 80's and decided that, even making the 99 overseas, the project would not be profitable.

Look at a 99 - a pretty complex piece of machinery - and imagine what one would cost today.

Ain't gonna happen.