Savage 99 Chamberings

[TXGunNut]

I'd like to add a 99 to my stable but I'm not a collector, just an accumulator. I'll only buy it if I can shoot and hunt with it. I'd prefer a non-Savage chambering but am intrigued by the .300 and .303 Savage. Which of the proprietary chamberings is feasible from the readily available brass and boolit perspective? Or should I just confine my search to a .308 or .30-30?

[cdet69]

If you prefere the non Savage chambering the 308 Winchester would be the way to go. The Savage model 99 realy shines in this cartridge.

[TXGunNut]

Ran across a pretty decent takedown in .308 several months ago. Passed on it beause I don't load for that cartridge. Silly me.

[Olevern]

I think they made them in .358 and 284 as well.

[Bushwacker Berg]

300 Savage is still readily available and can be found in factory loads and brass is easily found. The 300 Savage is the predecessor of the .308 and really shines with 165 grain bullets. They are also the easiest to find, they made a ton of them.

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the forum, Bushwacker Berg! I've seen a more than a few .300's, just didn't know why. Latest one had some pretty awful owner-applied checkering but the price was right. Decent rifle other than that.
.358 sounds like my idea of a good time, Olevern. May even have a mould or two for that.

[muskeg13]

The only 99 I currently have is a 1899H .303 Savage carbine made in 1913. I haven't shot it much since rebuilding it from a bundle of parts I got at a gunshow for $125, but it seems very accurate, well-made and handy. Recoil is light, even with a crescent buttplate. The .303 Savage sounds more powerful than it actually is, since it's clearly a 30-30 class cartridge, but that means it can be used to hunt anything you'd hunt with a 30-30. The .303 Savage has a longer neck and wider body/base diameter than the 30-30, so the two are not interchangeable. Despite claims that early .303s had a bore diameter of .311, every one that I've heard of (mine included) takes commonly available .308 projectiles. With the 1899/99's rotary magazine, spitzers pose no problem, but you have to watch overall cartridge length. I have decided to use 180gr RN due to their shorter length so they don't have to be seated so deeply in the case. Correct, ready to fire, cases can be obtained from Grafs and Buffalo Arms. The .303 Savage was the first cartridge the early 1895 and 1899s were chambered for. http://www.savage99.com/ammo.htm

[john hayslip]

I have three - an earl takedown 303, a 250-3000 now known as the 250 Savage, and a fairly 30-30. The 250 was the first commerecial bullet to break 3000 fps (supposedly) and they did it with an 87 grain bullet which mine shoots very accurately but heavier bullets start getting iffy in the accuracy department. The 30-30 and the 303 have basically the same internal capacity so 30-30 data for either. The longer neck on the 303 should make it a good case for gas check bullets as the check is going to stay in the neck. The only problem with the 303 is finding cases. Graf had some relatively inexpensive Norma cases a couple of years ago and I loaded up. Currently in negotiations to trade excess. The ones Graf has currently are really expensive.

[Guesser]

My current 99 is a 1936 vintage 20" barreled, solid frame carbine in 30-30 Winchester. I got it some years back and just laid it aside for 10 years. Then I had sold off all my Marlins and Winchesters and decided I should try the Savage. What a fantastic piece of machinery by comparison to the afore said M's & W's. The Savage is a much better shooter than either or any of the other two brands and that is with J-words and cast.

[Duckiller]

A Savage 99 in 250-3000/ 250 Savage is a great hunting rifle for deer sized game. All sizes of deer. I have one with a constantly lengthening head space. Am told it is too expensive to fix. I need to find another one with fixed head space and a reasonable price.

[square butte]

Let us not forget 25-35 wcf, 32-40, and 38-55. All tough to come by.

[dnepr]

I have a .303 and a .250-3000 , haven't played with the .303 yet but the .250 has taken about a half dozen deer since I have owned it

[Bushwacker Berg]

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/cpl9838/Guns%20and%20Gun%20Stuff/IMG_0816A.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/cpl9838/Guns%20and%20Gun%20Stuff/IMG_0821A.jpg

Here is my little collection of Savage 99's. I have two in 250 Savage, three in 300 Savage, two in 30-30 and the one without a stock is finally finished in .303 Savage but I haven't taken a new photo yet with it's new/old replacement wood. The ones I hunt with the most are the .250's and the .300's. They are a great rifle. I would like to say my favorite lever gun, but I like them all.

[gnoahhh]

Ran across a pretty decent takedown in .308 several months ago. Passed on it beause I don't load for that cartridge. Silly me.

Virtually impossible for it to have been a .308. No takedowns were ever made in .308 as the last takedown was made prior to WWII, long before the .308 came on the scene.

Prior to chambering the 99 in .308 starting in the late 50's, all 99's shared the same receiver dimensions, from day one. To accommodate the .308 (and .243, and .358, and later the .284) they had to alter the internal dimensions of the receiver, leaving the exterior dimensions the same. What that means is a receiver made prior to the changeover can't handle the .308 without extensive, near impossible, modifications. In other words, you won't see any pre-war takedowns chambered in .308.

I guess, after thinking about it some more, that one could re-chamber a takedown in .300 Savage to .308 Winchester, but it would then be a single shot as you would never get the .308 to fit and feed in the magazine. Another thing to consider is that the very earliest Savage 1899's had soft receivers. Sometime before WWI they changed the heat treating to make them tougher, a necessity when they introduced the .250-3000. Chambering one of those early receiver'ed guns in a high pressure cartridge like the .308 would be a fool's errand, doubly so if it were one of the real early ones with the square bolt mortise.

For all around hunting, the .300 Savage is mighty hard to beat. For all around cast bullet experimentation, the .303 or .30/30 is hard to beat- and a darn good hunting cartridge to boot. I know a guy who routinely uses an iron sighted .303 Savage to fill his sheep tags out in Montana.

[-D-]

One mornings work last fall with my 50s vintage .300. Three of the five I marched into the freezer last year. Yeah they work nice, real nice.

[Artful]

I you run into a Savage 99 in 375 bigbore - grab it. I turned on down an am still kicking myself

[MattOrgan]

I have a Pre-war carbine 99 in .30/30 with a Marbles tang sight that is my favorite lever action rifle and maybe my favorite rifle period. Shoots cast as well as jacketed, light, short, easy to carry,
Elegant. Had a very early half octagon .25/35 99 rifle that I wasn't smart enough to keep. I find the Pre-.308 99s much nicer to look at and shoot.

[TXGunNut]

Virtually impossible for it to have been a .308. No takedowns were ever made in .308 as the last takedown was made prior to WWII, long before the .308 came on the scene. -gnoahhh

Interesting, there was more than one nice 99 in the rack that day and a buddy bought the takedown the next day. One was a .308 and one a .300. There was another as well :!: but it didn't interest me much for some reason. He's a .308 fan and we both fall victim to acute CRS from time to time so anything's possible. I owe the old geezer a call, guess i better check in with him. It seems my local Cabelas bought at least one collection of 99's several months ago and they bring them out a few at a time. Most seem to be well used but taken care of. Had a reasonably priced 300 last trip the checkering "job" resembled a Boy Scout woodworking project.

[TXGunNut]

I you run into a Savage 99 in 375 bigbore - grab it. I turned on down an am still kicking myself

Can't recall seeing or hearing of such but I will. I already have the brass and dies covered for that cartridge. I almost bought a 375 Marlin once but it was a bit rough and they wanted $7-800 or something silly for it. I couldn't convince them the price was wrong so they sold it to some sucker by the next weekend.

[Artful]

The 375 was added to the Savage 99A chamberings in 1981 and I believe that they were discontinued in 1982 or 1983.
Few 99-375 are seen as they don't come on the market often.

edit to add googlage


1980- New .375 Winchester Big Bore cartridge added to the Model 99 Brush-gun. Only offered one year in this model.
This Model 99 in .358 & .375 discontinued at the end of the year.

1981- The .375 Winchester chambering is added to the Model 99A Saddle Gun.

1982- The Model 99A Saddle Gun is discountinued at year's end. It is the last of the straight-gripped Model 99s.

[Gee_Wizz01]

I have a 99 in 243 that my parents gave me for Christmas in 1963. It was purchased new and the checkering is embarrassing. I would be ashamed to sell a stock that looks like that. I wished I would have gotten one in 250, but all they had were 243, 308, 300 and 284. I still have it and it has killed quite a few whitetails. I have a friend that has an 1899 take down with 2 barrels, a 25-35 and a 30-30. It is outstanding condition and shoots like a dream. As far as the calibers go, don't forget the 22 Savage HiPower.

G

[gnoahhh]

That's another of my favorite Savage chamberings- the .22 High Power. Mine will shoot lights out, but ammo crafting to get it to do so is a PIA. I also have a 3-barrel set custom takedown I built- .22HP, .30/30, and .25/35 Ackley Improved. I also have a 4th spare barrel that'll get bored out to .35 for a .303/.35 wildcat, but it is a heavier barrel off of a short rifle and hence requires a different fore end which is what is holding up the project. (Well, that and the custom .30/40 Krag project, too!)

[Hardcast416taylor]

I have a 99 take down in .300 Sav. that originally belonged to Brace Breemer - the original Lone Ranger when it was on the radio. The .300 will definately do a number on game up to and including moose and elk. I favor a 150 gr. "J" bullet load but have tried cast thru it.Robert

[starmac]

My old takedown 300 has served me very well for 30 some odd years. I had (chose) to pass an a decent 250 at the gun show this weekend for 450.00. If it was during my work season I would have jumped on it, if it would have been a 358 or a 284 I would have found the money too. lol

If by luck the 250 didn't sell at the show, I do know the guy that had it and may be lucky enough to pick it up in a couple weeks, as I don't need it, but would like to have it. Plussss I have already got the dies just in case I found a decent one eventually. lol

[telebasher]

I have one in 243 and a 22-250.

[blackbike]

I`m looking at a 300 savage 99(?), LNIB, serl# 705xxx, lever lock safty, but I cant find the sufix letter on it.
Can anybody give me any info. on this, I think it was made in the 50s?
Thanks bb

[OverMax]

Have had a few 300s. Still have my very first one acquired in 30-30 yet. A 1899 take-down. Horrible trigger pull and all I still love them rifles. So much so I still prefer to hunt deer with one over my 94s and 36 Marlin. That old 300 shell just seems to get the job done time after time.

[Thin Man]

I bought a 99 in .243 from a local shop about 15 years ago. Wow, was it dirty, nasty, rusted, overall very neglected. Took a while getting it cleaned up and found the bore was worse than the outside. For a person to abuse a rifle that badly is bordering on criminal conduct. I mounted a 3-9X scope and tried to get responsible groups from the rifle. It didn't like any 100 grain loading so I dropped back to the 85-87 grain weight. Groups got better, just not as good as they should have been. Took a doe with it one year just after a rain storm, 1-shot kill. The next year a hunting buddy saw it and offered me more for it than I had in it. If it had grouped better he could not have bought it, but it would not. I told him about the rough bore and group limitations. He argued this rifle would make him a bad-weather toy, raised his offer, and carried it home. I remember how easy the rifle carried and came to the shoulder and still miss those features. Haven't seen another one available at reasonable prices since then, but some day...

Thin Man

[square butte]

I have a friend who has one. His house was burgled and his 99 was stolen. It was recovered by the police about a year later. It looked like yours when he got it back. Criminal Conduct Indeed !

[kidmma]

Blackbike- buy it if you're interested. that sounds like a good one.

Alot of the 300s were re-chambered to 308. That could be what happened to some of those takedowns. People can't leave well enough alone.

[midnight]

One thing to be aware of with the 250-3000 chambering is that Savage used a 1in14 twist on these barrels. 100gr bullets seem to be the max in these barrels and even then there are a few that don't shoot 100gr bullets well. I don't have a 99 in 250-3000 but I do shoot a Model 1920 with the 1-14 twist and it shoots 100gr bullets to "minute of deer".

Bob

[Gray Fox]

I just today picked up a 99C-detachable magazine model in .308. It's going to take some work to clean it up, but since it came with an old Bushnell 3-9 Broadfield scope @$450 I think I did OK. Does anyone know what the twist rate is on these barrels? I was planning on trying some 185-200 Lee boolits in it, but there is barely enough room in the detachable mag for the 150 grain FMJ dummie rounds I made up. I suppose I'd have to seat them a bit deeper than I'd like to. GF

[Artful]

1:12 as I remember in both 300 savage and 308 WCF.

I'd try boolits under 180 grains for best accuracy.

[Springfield0612]

.300 savage model 99 was my first hunting rifle and other than a .50 cal black powder is the only hunting rifle I hunt with. Use it for deer and elk. I got it from my dad when I turned 15 and my son will get it from me. Ammo is available and it is very easy to reload for as well.

[starmac]

300 ammo is readily available here, it sits right between the 30/30 and 308 shells at sportsmans, at almost double the price. I know it is a supply and demand thing, but it still gripes me to see it priced that way. It cost pretty much the same for components, and when ammo is in short supply, there is 300 on the shelf after the others disappear. lol

[Curlymaple42]

I think they made them in .358 and 284 as well.

They did make then in 284 Winchester. I shot my first deer with one in fact! Only one commercial load though from Winchester.

[starmac]

IIRC they were even chambered for 375 win, I know some also had 410 shotgun barrels.

[451whitworth]

1:12 as I remember in both 300 savage and 308 WCF.

I'd try boolits under 180 grains for best accuracy.
and some of the older 99's have a slightly more leisurely twist than standard. My 1920's vintage G model is a little over 1-13" and will shoot the RCBS 30-150 FN great at 2400fps. Any 170gr. cast bullet quadruples group sizes and shows oval bullet holes in the target.

[gnoahhh]

Blackbike- buy it if you're interested. that sounds like a good one.

Alot of the 300s were re-chambered to 308. That could be what happened to some of those takedowns. People can't leave well enough alone.

Nope. See my post above why .300 takedowns can't be re-chambered to .308.

[rexherring]

I've shot a few and liked the .284 the best. A real deer whomper with the correct handloads.

[atr]

I have a 99 in .308 Win.....potent and easy to carry....has not failed me !

[TXGunNut]

Looks like I need to keep an eye out for one in 300, had no idea ammo was still readily available. OTOH if I run across one in .358 I'll be one happy (and likely much poorer) camper. I like the round counter magazine and a D&T receiver is pretty much a must-have for me these days.
Any other features to look for...or avoid? Are the triggers really horrible? Is there an easy fix?

[Artful]

My trigger wasn't bad from the factory - I did pay the have my bolt jeweled but that was a personal thing.

Older guns with safety in the lever, I'd watch for excessive head space as some of the older guns tended to spring and stretch brass.

[M99SavNut]

I put a .308 barrel on a .300 receiver (before the internal mods done in the late 50s to accommodate the .308/.243/.358 cartridge family, i.e. moving the back of the magazine area originally designed for cartridges with max. 2.600" length to take those with 2.800" length) and couldn't get it to feed at all, even with .30-30 bullets loaded 2.6" LOA. Went back to the .300 Savage barrel/cartridge and all was well with the world once more. Maybe changing or modifying the cartridge guide would have worked, but I never, at that time anyway, thought to try it.

Perhaps those who had successful conversions from the .300 Savage to .308 Winchester were folks who converted later guns (Serial #s 900,000 and above) which had the magazine length and other internal mods necessary to handle cartridges longer than the earlier M1899s/M99s would handle. From personal experience, the earlier ones simply wouldn't do it.

I have .303s, .30-30s, .300s, and a bunch of the newer chamberings and love them all. The longest shot I ever made on a deer was with an older M99 in .300 Savage, and the second-longest was with a M99 in .284 Winchester. How Savage was able to shoe-horn the .284 Winchester into the magazine box is in itself a wonder, but that aside, using the 125-grain Winchester soft point bullet in the .284, both shots with the .284 were killing shots; however, I lacked patience to wait the few extra seconds for #1 to take full effect before sending #2 on its way. My wife was the witness, and she would never, ever, stretch the truth on my behalf, don't ya know..... And, used a 1925-vintage M99 in .30-30 to (legally) put a large doe in the freezer in mid-January of 2013, with cartridges loaded in 1991. With the newest 99s being some 30 years old, who says age is a handicap?

Jess

[onceabull]

Highly ranked among the "treasures" gathered up ,and still with me is an Original Box full of the Winchester Factory 125 gr 284 Bullets..from way back when the Olin Co. stll cared enough to sell things like that... Onceabull

[M99SavNut]

onceabull, many years ago I bought 5 boxes of Winchester 7mm Magnum ammo (at a bargain price, to be sure) just to get the 125-grain bullets they were loaded with. Pulled the bullets, adjusted the powder charge a bit, re-loaded them with 130-grain Speers, and gave them to a friend. And then found, on eBay, 4 full boxes of W-W 125-grain component bullets that I treasure, but am using, or will be using, when I run out of the 7mm pulled ones. This may be considered by some to be a disorder, but I figure it's a low-grade one and is, after all, directed toward a worthy purpose. yeah, right.....

Jess

[starmac]

TXgunnut Sportsmans warehouse almost always has 300 ammo and new brass too, at least they do here.

[TXGunNut]

Saw 8 boxes on the shelf @ my local Cabela's yesterday, only 99 on the rack was a 303 that seemed way overpriced @ $999.

[starmac]

The gun show here last weekend, was one of our smaller ones. I only saw one M99 and it was the 250, but the price was reasonable at 450. I would have jumped on it, but was short on funds.(normal)

I am not sure why, but the last 6 months, I have been seeing want to buy adds in different classified adds here for M99's. I have never really seen this before.

[Bushwacker Berg]

It seems like the 99's are gaining in popularity the last few years. There was a time when even a 250 Savage could be had easily for $350-$450 in most parts of the country, they are now generating twice that on the market. Not that they don't deserve the raise in cost, just seems funny how the market suddenly decides it wants to focus on Savages for a while. Maybe its because Winchesters are out of everyone's price range.

[Deltak]

Brass and bullets are not difficult to find, in this modern-day era of the Internet, but that is probably where you will need to go to find what you need. The 300 Savage is not dead - Hornady still manufactures bullets specifically for that cartridge. Sometimes Midway even offers "similar" bullets at a deep discount, sold as "blemished bullets."

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/114443/hornady-interlock-bullets-300-savage-308-diameter-150-grain-sst-box-of-100

[TXGunNut]

Welcome to the asylum, Deltak. I'm only concerned with brass these days, any new rifle projects will involve cast boolits for the foreseeable future.

[yooper]

While it's not a standard '99 chambering, or any other standard chambering, my favorite shooting 99 started as an early 250-3000 TD. I bought it "right" because it had a bad spot in the rifling a couple inches from the muzzle. I had a GOOD 'smith rebore it to .277 and recut the chamber to take a 300 Savage case necked down to .277. What a great shooting little cartridge! A few years back, when my eyes were a few years younger, I could shoot 5 shots into one ragged hole at 100 yds with the tang peep and standard front sights. I haven't had it to the range since I got my chronograph, but that's a project in line for this summer. I really enjoy the 99's.
yooper