Thinking about a Savage 99 in 300 Savage.

[Elkins45]

I might be able to pick up a Savage 99 in 300 Savage for around $400 (plus brass and dies) and am giving it some thought. I don’t know what series the gun is: the barrel just says Savage Model 99. It has the rotary magazine and is drilled for the tang sight.

Any thoughts on the guns or the cartridge? I don’t really need another cartridge to load for, but I do like the handling of the gun.

[northmn]

People either think the 99 Savage was the greatest thing since toasted bread or are rather indifferent. I had one, but I also shot left handed and the trigger guard safety was a PITA. I have used the 300 Savage on deer and my daughter has one in a bolt action she uses. Between us we have shot several deer with one. Its an OK cartridge. I say that because I have hunted deer for over 50 years and don't get much excited about calibers as I have used and seen deer shot with quite a few. Shoot a deer where it matter with a 300S and you will eat venison. If I had to hunt with one I would not complain as I would eat a lot of venison if I were forced to use one, but my shots do not exceed 200 yards anymore.
Personally, due to the safety and the trigger pull on the 99 I had, I would prefer a good bolt action in other calibers instead. If in good shape the price is not bad for one however.

DEP

[atr]

I have a 99C in .308...it is easy/light to pack in the field...points well...and fairly accurate..I get 1.25" MOA with either cast and Jacket...the trigger is a bit stiff but good for hunting purposes.
I think the price you quoted is very reasonable
atr

[pworley1]

Get it and have fun.

[markX]

Buy it! Great gun.

[Shawlerbrook]

One of the classiest leverguns ever made. The 300 Savage is very close ballistically to the 308 Win. If the gun is in decent shape that would be a steal around here. Buy it X2 !

[three50seven]

I had wanted a Savage 99 for nearly as long as I had been interested in guns. I was finally able to locate one at a decent price last Spring and bought it. It Was a 1950 model 99EG in 300 Savage. It was D&T with a one-piece mount so I put a new set of rings and a 4x scope on it. I bought some factory ammo and also all the components to load for it. Best I could ever get it to shoot was about 1.5" @ 50yds and that was with the factory ammo. The barrel also seemed to heat up very quickly, meaning load development took a considerable amount of range time. Combine that with the fact that it was long, heavy, and nearly impossible to load with the scope mount in place; I decided it was time for it to find a new home. I recouped almost all the money I had wrapped up in it, so all in all it was a cheap lesson learned I suppose. They were probably great guns for their time, but if you want my opinion, your $400 could be much better spent elsewhere. :cry:

[pertnear]

One of the classiest leverguns ever made. The 300 Savage is very close ballistically to the 308 Win. If the gun is in decent shape that would be a steal around here. Buy it X2 !

My sentiments exactly!

[murf205]

No Kidding, IF, it is in good condition I'd buy it yesterday! My friend has one in 375Win that is unfired and I cringe every time I look at it thinking how much fun it would be to cast for it and shoot it.

[kaiser]

I have a 99EG in a .300 Savage that, according to the serial number, was made in 1952. Mine has a 24" BBL and is not drilled for scope mounts (actually worth a little more than those drilled!). It has a Redfield aperture sights and will shoot 1 1/2 to 1 3/4" groups at 100 yards with its "favorite" load if I do everything right. Mine likes 150 to 165gr bullets and medium burn powders for decent accuracy and velocity. The magazine isn't very long, so long bullets (read 180spt or heavier) have to be seated deeper in the "short necked" case restricting powder capacity. It is a classy, well made rifle that would cost more than the market would bear if it was made today, so Savage dropped it some time ago and prices have continued to rise ever since. Some models, such as the "take-downs" command some of the highest prices, along with some rare older calibers; however, .300Sav brass is not hard to find, easy to load, easy on the shoulder while offering more "range" than the 30/30 class of cartridges. I have owned several 99's over the years in various calibers and can't seem to be without one - you need one too; for $400 is a "bargain" if its in good shape!

[Drm50]

The 99 Savage is a slick rifle. I have owned a couple dozen of them, most 300s. I have only owned
2 of the newer models. A clip magazine 308 & 243. Both these guns were scoped and shot less
than 2" at 100yds. I had no interest in them I like the pre war rifles with spool mags and lever
safety. The 300sav is no slouch as a woods deer rifle. Presently I have no 99s but am on the hunt
for a nice 250/3000 carbine. I have done a lot of shooting with 303sav-300sav & 250/3000 Sav
will not being target rifles they will out shoot most other levers, pumps and autos of the day. I
have never owned one that wouldn't do around 2" at 100yds. At $400 in nice shape I would buy
any 99 reguardless of model or caliber.

[hornet112]

Fun gun good caliber BUY IT

[saleen322]

The 99 Savage in 300 is a hunting machine. We currently have 2 Savage 99s; one in 300 and one in 30-30. The 300 will group 1.5" or better @ 100 yards and velocity on average is about 150 fps behind a 308 with a similar bullet and length of barrel. The 300 was my Dad's made the mid-50s and has a 4X scope using a Stith mount. You buy it and use it for 5 years and decide you don't like it; sell it for a nice profit. They are not making any more of them.

[starmac]

I think it was during the huge ammo shortage of 2008, I went to an auction where a guy was moving to a smaller place and selling off a lot of stuff, more or less an estate auction. Anyway he had several guns and probably over 10,000 rounds of ammo, many of them reloads, but brought big bucks. One of the guns was a pristine M99 in 300 savage, I just glanced and saw it was 300 and didn't pay it much mind as I already had one, so no particular interest unless it was a steal.
It brought 600, which I thought was a decent price for it.
I bought some reloading gear and later got aquainted with the owner while I was waiting for the auction to end and gather my stuff.
I ask him how he managed to have all that ammo and not one shell for the 300.
He said he had never shot it, nor had any ammo, he explained that his dad had bought it new in 1954 iirc and shot himself in the foot, right off the bat, so never shot it again. I reckon it was the guns fault. lol
Anyway he had given it to him several years later, but he was already set up with his bolt action hunting rifles and just never even shot it, made me wish I had bid on it.

[OverMax]

99s are a dandy rifles for those who like to move about quietly thru the woods instead of perched in a tree all day every day. Although due to the cartridges short neck it does take a little extra time learning the in's and out's of its reloading. It's lever Saftey is another item that takes a little time getting use too.
Both my 300's fire the same cartridge recipe. Are tipped with 170 gr. F.P. 30-30 bullets seated above a charge of IMR 4320 powder. (the preferred powder for the 300's use over all the other IMR powders combined.)

Keep in mind there is some on-going interest in collect-ability of the 99's. Discontinued and not as many made as the pre-94s. Garners a good chance the 99's will be more popular with the collectors one day verses the pre & Post model 94 winchesters.

[chuckerbird]

I'd wanted a '99 for many years. Finally bought one off Gun Broker last year. A 1954 EG in 300 savage. Probably paid too much, but it is in really good condition. I put a leupold VX3i 1.5 - 5 scope on it. Shoots right at a 2 inch group at 200 yards. Brass and bullets are available from Hornaday.
I highly recommend you get it if it is in good shape. If you can, look for a crack in the stock by the tang. I don't think it effects the operation of the rifle, just looks bad. Stocks are available, but pricey.

[Cheeto303]

You can't go wrong with a Savage 99 300 Savage. I've had one for years and love hunting with it. It still wears a Weaver B4 scope. Mine was made in 1955. My wife also has one. It was given to her by her father last year and was grandpas gun. She also got his original 300 Savage Lee Loader with it. My wifes was made in 1950. I wouldn't let it get away.

[Jedman]

That's a good price, All 99's were drilled and tapped for the tang sight. If no cracks in the wood and no other problems I would buy it.
I own 2 of them and can't use them in my home state for deer hunting because they are bottle necked cartridges so I just shoot them and hold on to them for the same reasons others have said.
Today how many rifles can you find that don't have any plastic in them besides the butt plate, are real polished and blued steel, case colored lever, all but a few with walnut stocks, and have all of the special design features they have that other leverguns don't and buy for $ 400 ?

Jedman

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I've got 300's, 308's, 243's, 303's, 358's and a couple of 284's, all Savage 99's of course -not a real collector - more of an impulse accumulator. I've got a couple 300's that will go MOA or better on good days. Benchrest technique is particularly critical with all leverguns, especially the Savage 99. Properly resizing to avoid over sizing cases is important. I use the Redding Competition shellholder. Most of my .300's and .308's chamber easily with the +.006 shellholder, a couple with the +.008. My .300's also have long throats, the short case neck is not an issue, I've had good results with the 311332, 311041, and 311407. I usually start with a .310 though .309 works in a couple and .311 in most. I do support the use and enjoyment of the Savage 99. Almost all my shooting and hunting is done with them, though I sometimes hunt elk with Marlin 45-70. My wife will hunt ONLY with Savage 99's, she uses the a 243 for prairie dog up to antelope, a 308 for practice and a .358 for elk. We rely on them to always work in very tough conditions.

[richhodg66]

I have several 99s and all the .30 caliber or bigger ones have been good shooters with cast. The 99EG in .300 Savage is the slickest and best pointing of them. Mine isn't drilled for scope mounts so I have a good Lyman peep sight on it. A better deer rifle does not exist.
211553

[Dan Cash]

Read this thread earlier today and had to dig out my ..300 EG Savage and shoot it. I have not mastered cast bullets for this gun gun yet so don't shoot it as much as some others but with 165 grain jacketed bullets it is a serious shooting piece of equipment. Surprisingly, the 99 or 1899 Savage was quite popular among Pancho Villa's gangsters during the Reveloution based on old photos I have seen. The closed action does keep out mud and dirt; mud and dirt which stops my 1895 Winchester.

[Texas by God]

I love them, too but none at present. I've had .22 HP, .250, and 30-30 model 1899s and a 99 EG with a gunsmith mounted JC Higgins 4X (Weaver). All except the .22 HP shot great. Classy rifles, indeed.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[William Yanda]

I like the idea of a rotary magazine, being able to utilize spire pointed ammo, and isn't 300 Savage the predecessor of the .308?

[rking22]

Dont think to long! I found a prewar one for 400 but had just that minute bought a M37 16ga, decided to think about it overnight. Yep, went back next day and it was gone gone gone... they dont make them anymore, grab it and see if you like it!

[reivertom]

If I had seen it, I wouldn't have had to ask anybody. I never see deals like that around here. You can't go wrong especially with reloading dies too!

[Walks]

That's a great deal. I have a 99A from before they lengthened the action & changed the safety. The .300 is a great cartridge. Buy it.

[TXGunNut]

I lucked into a similar rifle a few years back and like reivertom I wouldn't have hesitated to buy the one in the OP. The 99 isn't very popular around here but the 99 is a great rifle. The 300 Savage is an interesting cartridge as it did indeed inspire the .308 Winchester.

[ammohead]

A good buy if the bore is good. Another thing to look for is worn lands at the muzzle from overly agressive cleaning rod wear. This will ruin accuracy fast and is common on rifles that cannot be cleaned from the breech. The 300 Savage has a slow rifling twist rate and will prefer lighter shorter bullets over heavy long ones. This funny considering you will find a lot more 180 gr 300 factory ammo than 150 gr. I have seen moa accuracy with Hornady 135 gr spire points and 130 gr Barnes triple shocks. 140 gr x bullets from Barnes performed really good as well but my vote goes to the triple shocks. Accuracy with all of the model 99s that I have had the pleasure of loading benefitted from proper adjustment of full length sizing dies. You want the shoulder of the case to come up against the chamber shoulder fully without being compressed. Many of the savage chambers were cut generously. I think that this may be because the chamber can be a little difficult to keep clean compared to a rifle that can be cleaned from the breech. Adjusting your sizing die to remove any slop between brass and chamber with shrink group size considerably. And your brass will last longer for more firings. Buy it quickly or it will be gone.

[BPCR Bill]

I have wanted another for years, though not in the 300 Savage. I had a 99G Takedown in 22 Savage Hipower years ago, but like a dummy I sold it. I just picked up another in 250-3000, 99G made in 1930. It's a bit rough, but the wood is all good and not cracked. At 50 yards over the open sights it put five rounds into one inch. I love those guns, light and handy. Too bad Savage quit making them, but they were labor intensive to build. Not good for the profit margine if a company wants to survive.

[pls1911]

Bought my first centerfire 48 years ago...a little blonde stocked 99E in .308 with a mounted 4 power International (?) scope of unknown origin.
I've never fiddled with it other than careful maintenance boys give their cherished toys... have shot 125 grain through 180 grain rounds through it, and never missed a kill. Strange though, I've never shot it at paper and have no idea where it hits, other than where it's pointed.
Best $60 I ever spent.
Get the 99...you will enjoy it.

[Thin Man]

About 5 years ago a friend who works in Atlanta (that puts him 3 hours from me) told me about his co-worker who had just inherited his father's firearms. The father had a large collection of mostly rifles, with a few shotguns and handguns mixed among them. He had several (5-7?) Savage 99s in a variety of calibers, including a 358 Winchester. That one got my blood pressure elevated just thinking about it. The owner planned to sell off all of the 99s because he did not like the way they felt or operated. Silly boy! I pestered my friend over several months to introduce me to this new owner but his work schedule and the owner's did not coincide. After too much time had passed I heard nothing more about the co-worker and whether he had disposed of his unwanted items. Bummer. The next time I speak with my friend I need to ask the final outcome of that stack of 99s, just to remind him that I am still interested if they are available. One never knows.

[TNsailorman]

I had one time a .300 EG, a .308 Deluxe, and a .308 G. They were all great rifles but as usual, I just had to try something different and traded them for things that didn't pan out. Afterwards, I bought a much used and abused 300 EG from a fellow on GB calling himself BravoKilo and it was worst deal of my life. But that was not the rifles fault. I ended up selling that rifle to a guy in NY for a parts/fixer upper as he had a local gunsmith that had the parts and know how to repair the rifle. Told him the truth about the rifle and gave him a good price on it. The 99's are among the truly great rifles of our time, just too expensive to make these days. My first .300 EG would group 150 grain Hornady spire points into around an inch at 100 yards and that was with a 2 1/2 power Weaver scope from the 1960's. It loved a diet of RL 15 powder. I love those little rifles and I have a great trade on a Remington 700 Enhanced rifle waiting when I can find another one is really good shape(and that is getting harder and harder to do). my experience anyway, james

[Rodfac]

My experience mirrors that of TNsailorman...I have a 99 EG in .300 that will put three shots into less than an inch and a quarter at 100. It likes 3031, RE15 and 748 with either Sierra or Hornady 150 Spitzers. With a 1960's Weaver K4 it's about as retro as you can see in this part of KY. It's a bit heavier than I like, but that 24" bbl really keeps the velocity up. IF you find that your's is having grouping troubles, try taking the fore end off and inserting a neoprene "O" ring under the head of the screw. It's an old Savage shooter's trick that has worked on both of mine.

The 2nd one is in .358 Winchester, a "Brush Gun" '99 with a 22" bbl. Its stock was in rough shape and I gave less than $600 for it. The stock cleaned up nicely with tung oil, and we've killed 4 deer in two years shooting RCBS's 250 gr GC bullet. It chrono's right at 1700 fps and as you'd expect, it's in one side and out the other with KY white tails. Good blood trails there... It shoots those 250's so well that son #2 and I have yet to try it with jacketed bullets. Brass can be a problem, but they're easy to make from .308 by expanding the neck. Accuracy BTW with the RCBS 250 is around 2" at 100 yds.

HTH's Rod

[catboat]

Buy it.

There is a reason Savage doesn’t make the model 99 these days ( well a couple of reasons). First, they are expensive to make. Second, is that hunters today don’t appreciate the design and would rather have a semi-auto or some Uber mag/cartridge). With all that machining required to create an action in quality steel, fitting of a quality walnut stock today in the USA would result in a rifle costing WELL over $1000 ($1500++?). Just look at what a new Shiloh Sharps 1874 is going for today. When I see model 99 rifles for sale for under $600 , I just think, “ man that’s a lot of rifle for the dollar.”

The Savage model 99 was a huge advance in firearm design back 100+ years ago. The lever action was king of rifles from the late 1800’s, into the early 1900’s. Bolt action rifles were gaining ground in market share offering higher MV/“power” then tubular mag lever guns in the post WWI era. The Savage 99 was the best of both worlds back then. It offered: a powerful, smokeless centerfire cartridge (300 Savage), a very strong receiver made from modern steel alloy to handle the high pressure cartridges, the ability to shoot spitzers jacketed bullets (thanks to the rotary mag) for longer range energy benefits. It pretty much was/is a bolt action rifle in a lever gun platform. It’s a pretty spectacular firearm, if you think about it.

My dad had one in 300 Savage ( Schnabel fore end, rotary mag, pistol grip; EG version?) . It shot well ( he never really bench rested it for groups-just a shot or two each season for “a check,” but it would’ve hit a golf ball at 75 yards over the years ( woods hunting).

Working the action is a joy. It is a wonderful design, and well-made. You can get it for $400? Are you kidding me? Buy it NOW ( yesterday, if possible).

Shoot it, and appreciate it. You can always sell it- but you will at least have had the pleasure of working with a true classic rifle. Savage 99 rifles are very special firearms, holding an important chapter in the book of rifle design and hunting history.

[ole_270]

I have a 1953 M99R in 250-3000 that was factory drilled and tapped. It came out of Wyoming and belonged to my Sister-in-Laws father. It fed her family while she was growing up. Hadn't been shot in years when I got it and had a frosted bore. I've had no trouble getting varmint weight bullets to shoot real well and 100gr Speer Hot Cores don't do bad in it. Use the 87 Hot Core for my deer hunting.
My son picked up a M99EG in 300 a few years ago, 1954 manufacture if I remember right. He has a Leupold 1.5-6 VX3 on it. In just a short afternoon of trials we found a few loads that would shoot 1 1/4" or so at 100. Both have been good deer rifles, just have too many other rifles to play with to stay with just the one.