More early results with the Savage 99...

[Sarge]

I fired a few more shots this AM to get an idea of what I might expect in accuracy/velocity from this .308 with its 20" barrel. Shooting was done early with the temp hovering at 16 degrees and a 10 mph west wind in my face. Yes, it was cold enough to be distracting and all the other standard excuses apply- iron sights, old watery eyes, old glasses, too much coffee, etc.

I have been buying up a few boxes of Winchester 150 grain Power Points. Bejing-Mart has an ample supply at the moment and they are priced within a few cents of WW .30-30 ammo using a similar bullet. This provides some 'get accquainted' ammo and WW's rifle brass has worked fine for me in other calibers; Power Point factory loads have been sure killers on game..Winchester rates this particular .308 load at 2820 fps, no doubt from a 24" test barrel.

From the 99's little 20" tube, my Chrony BetaMaster says '2708 fps' average for three shots, six feet from the muzzzle. I am not in the least disappointed. I have a light, handy .308 that still produces within about 100 fps of Winchester's figures, for their 150 grain factory load. I believe I can live with that. It also tells me that I can stick with the 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tips I have been loading in .30-06, and still expect good results on deer within any practical hunting range for the .308 cartridge. I scoot this same bullet to 2944 fps from Peg's .30-06 and it is a grenade on chest shots, inside 250 yards. 'Toning it down' to 2700+ from the lil' Savage won't hurt the performance on game at all.

The three chronographed shots, plus a couple of others, were also directed at an 8" picnic plate 210 yards downrange. The 99's creepy trigger trigger caused me some aggravation and a couple of the shots were called flyers. The good news is that I called the flyers correctly, and that the three 'good' shots were kind enough to herd themselves into 2 3/4" inches. This is plenty good under the conditions and consistent with my best, repeatable 200-yard shooting using iron sights, under the best of conditions. The logical conclusion is that my Savage 99 has all the accuracy potential I can use. I'm kind of anxious to get a good piece of glass on it, to see what it's capable of.

But I wouldn't think of glassing any rifle until the irons are entirely sorted out. I shot a little high today, which is of no consequence since the rifle is awaiting a new rear 'ladder' sight.


http://www.jeffsoutfitters.com/store.as ... egoryid=67

I'm generally pretty practical about my guns, but I made a little exception in this case. Some of the best fun I had as a kid was with old military Rolling Blocks, Springfields & SMLE's, hammering stuff way out there using the ladder sights. So, I've decided to add a little something to make this a 'fun gun' as well as a practical one. Once that is on and centered I'll match up a front bead that will get it 'on' at 200 yards. Then over time, I'll shoot at various ranges it out to 800 yards and mark correlating index points on the elevation slide. Shots beyond 350 yards will be relegated to 'fun' shooting.

So far, so good. I'm getting respectable ballistics and accuracy from a classic rifle design, which requires almost nothing in additional reloading components or equipment to 'keep it fed.' It's about to get a classic sight added to it. I think the 'cool factor' may be headed right off the chart.

[Hobie]

Makes me eager to get some trigger time with mine!

[Ben_Rumson]

Very cool Sarge!.. I'm gonna clock some Rem factory 150gr fodder out of my 99 carbine 300 Sav tomorrow.. I'll post the results too..

[Sarge]

Ben & Hobie- I'll be watching for range reports. I did find a 'Fly in the Syrup' with mine...

I mentioned earlier that I'd mounted a fine front bead on this gun, to replace the 'witch nose' that came on it. The existing front sight sat pretty far to the right, so when I mounted the new one I centered it neatly in the ramp. To get the rifle 'on' however I had to move the rear sight far to the left, to the point that the sight even hung slightly out of the dovetail. I didn't think much of it at the time, because bent sights are a common malady with old guns that have seen some use. With the initial chronograph work done and the aforementioned ladder sight on the way, I decided to yank the old rear sight out and see how badly it was bent.

I've got an old drill sizer that has a nice machinist's rule built into it. It is 0.020 thick, about 3x6 and has four perfect, square edges on it. Using that device, I checked the 'bent' rear sight several different directions and it checked straight- and perfectly square to the sight's dovetail. This was not looking good. I was having visions of bent barrels or off-center sight ramps, and my 'bargain 99' going across the table at the next gun show.

I figured a good way to check the barrel and ramp mounting was to back out two plug screws in the receiver, line the slots up with the barrel,and then lay the machinist's rule in the screw slots...once that is accomplished, you have theoretically established the centerline of the receiver. You then sight down the straight-edge and see if your front sight is leaning off to the left or right of it. I was relieved to find my front bead practically halved, when sighting down the straight edge. This confirms that the front sight ramp is mounted correctly, dead-on with the top centerline of the receiver.

There was only one place left to look and that was the rear dovetail itself. Squaring the long straight edge in the bottom of the dovetail revealed that it was significantly out-of-square with the centerline of the barrel, and it was consistent whether the front or rear edge of the dovetail was checked. I'm guessing this gun was made the day after the 1970 Christmas party, and that maybe the guy on the dovetail cutter that day had a bad hangover- or maybe a lampshade still on his head?

This of course ain't the 'end of the world'. The problem only manifests itself with rear sights that extend back from the dovetail. A fold-down leaf sight, such as the Marble's offering, would put the sight leaf directly over the dovetail and the problem would scarcely be noticeable. Mounting a receiver sight would get around it entirely. I haven't decided which yet but I'm sure of one thing- this rifle is not a candidate for a ladder sight, and I'll have to re-live my misspent youth with another gun. Oh well. Ammo & component prices are ridiculous, and I'll probably save quite a bit by avoiding shots at 5-gallon buckets, 600 yards distant.

[JReed]

Me thinks I see a reciever sight in your future. To bad squaring the dove tail would remove to much material anything you put in it would more then likely fall out after the first shot.

[Marlin .35]

Jeremy, it can be done!!!!! Lots, and lots, and lots of super glue!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Art

[Sarge]

I mentioned earlier that my ‘99’s rear dovetail was cut crooked and I didn't think I'd be able to use the ladder sight from www.jeffsoutfitters.com Well, I dug that sight back out and noticed that there was a LOT of meat on the dovetail. A light came on...I was going to have to fit it anyhow, so why not 'fit it crooked the other direction' to make up for the funky dovetail? So I gambled sixty bucks and it worked. I'm sure somebody with a calibrated eye can find a half-degree or two of discrepancy, but it's significantly better than before.

The first order of business of course was to get it to shoot and changing the back sight resulted in some experimentation with various front sights- which further resulted in nearly a box of nice WW .308 factory loads being sent to POI's ‘other than the selected one'. As it worked out, the main, big V notch got cut down to a v.

It works nice with a fine 'ivory' bead, using the same basic sight picture as my 1911- level across the top. It is fast and natural for an old pistolero.

When the rain finally broke I was able to get in enough shooting, to get the windage ironed out. Just at dusk I shot the neck off a laundry jug, and hit another one about an inch lower, at 210 paces. If it checks in good light as well, I'll call that a dandy 'hunting zero'.

I also found a lightly-used, straight-tube 4X scope with real decent optics in a pawn shop, that should look about right on a '99. $37 got me out of there with the scope, a nylon sling and a big bundle of dry kindling. The scope is a Norinco of all things but it's crystal-clear and the adjustments are crisp. We'll see how it pans out.

Just a few more pics and then I'll shut up…;)

The old 99E in all its budget glory; thin brown Decelerator pad, three-dollar gunshow sling, and all:


The Winchester Ladder sight from Jeff’s Outfitters was nicely machined, finished and bore a dark, even blue that was even better than the ad photo:


Of course, getting it from ‘there’ to ‘here’ required some hammer & file work- but nothing a little cold blue couldn’t fix:


Some of that ’file work’ included bringing the top of the hunting notch down about 0.020, so it would regulate at 200 yards. I managed to get a little oil on one side of the notch in this pic, but the finish survived the installation just fine. It isn’t entirely done either. I figure I’m about one light file stroke from a perfect 200 yard zero.


The fine, ‘long range’ notch works perfectly with a 1/16 ivory bead, over a 15 ¾â€

[Hobie]

Neat post and great pics.

You know, our tastes are too similar to be coincidental...

[Nath]

Thanks Sarge, good reading and educational.
Nath.

[2ndovc]

That looks like a REALLY cool spot!


Great rifle. Nice work fitting that nifty rear sight.

[Old Savage]

Here are couple of versions of how they look with straight tube scopes.

[Sarge]

Thanks, guys- Hobie, you are dead right. I love those old Colt DA's, too.

Thanks for the pics, Old Savage. I like the long Schnabel forends on those old classic 99's. The 4X I picked up looks about like your rifle at the bottom. That's probably where I'm headed with mine. I have days when I can still see pretty well, but throw in a head-cold or too many hours driving and my vision sure ain't what it used to be. It's heck getting old- until you consider the alternatives.

2ndovc, that is old family ground that has been set-aside for a long time. The critters think they own it now.

Nath- I enjoyed your other post about taking that lad hunting. Fine lookin' boy there, and it sounds like he's a fine shot too. Good for you both.