savage 99 rebore or reline

[stephenj]

A good friend of mine has an early savage 99 rifle in .303 savage .
The problem is the bore is terrible the last few inches are smooth from poor cleaning pracices .

With that being said ...the rest of the rifle is in beautiful shape and well worth any money spent
To fix it and as actual full lenght take off rifle barrels are near impossible to find .. unlike carbine barrels . The dilemma is ... rebore or reline .

Personaly i like the idea of sending it to jes reboring and turning it into a .35-303
The owner isnt against the idea ... but also would like to keep it as a .303 .
But neither of us knows if a liner will work in a higher pressure cartridge like the .303 .

Costs are pretty similar so thats a wash ... thoughts ?

[dragon813gt]

Send it to JES.

[Dryball]

Why not just rebarrel it? Depending on which barrel manufacturer you choose the cost could be about the same.

[stephenj]

Rebarrel realy isnt an option ... it is pretty important to him to keep it as origonal as possible .

If it was mine it would already be on its way to jes and id have a .35-303

Id love to hear some opinions on relining ... especialy on the holding up to the pressure

[021]

Or 38-55. May have problems getting the rotor to feed a bigger bullet though. They use different rotors for different calibers.

[Dryball]

Sorry, I should have read better. Relining will not pose any problems. Typically it's done with locktite or some kind of epoxy. I'm not a math wizard but considering the length and circumference (total surface area)...that's quite a bit and doable.

[pietro]

.


I would suggest you contact Redman's ( http://www.redmansrifling.com/relining.htm ), and consult about relining the bbl to .303 Savage - which is by no means a high-power chambering, but basically a .30-30 (ballistically).



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[BeMan]

You may want to try looking on the "savage collectors" forum at www.24hourcampfire. All the savage 99 collectors/spare part owners, etc reside there. Fellow that goes by user name "Lightfoot" has many 99 parts. I have an old 1899 in .303 that I love. Shoots 180 gr round nose like a house on fire. Best of luck.

[yooper]

Personally I'd look to reline it. As has been suggested, Redmans has a sterling reputation for relining old barrels. When completed, you can hardly tell anything's been done to the original rifle. For your friend, with a beautiful rifle w/bad bore, it's a no-brainer IMHO. As for hunting deer/bear in N America, the .303 Savage will do anything that needs doing.
yooper

[MaLar]

I believe your 303 Sav could be relined just fine.
It is a lower pressure cart so you should have not problems.
And you get to keep all the markings on the barrel.
If done well enough There should be no loss of value.
If you find a good smith he can do it so it won't even show.

[pietro]

.

Just a thought - R U SURE the rifling's gone, and not just lead-filled ?

Cleaning out lead is a LOT less expensive than a rebore and/or a relining job.


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[dragon813gt]

If done well enough There should be no loss of value.
If you find a good smith he can do it so it won't even show.

Relining kills the value to a collector. If you sell one and knowingly don't disclose that part, well you aren't a very good person. Both options kill the collector value. So you might as well make it exactly what you want.

[3leggedturtle]

A 35/303 with a long neck to hold a Seaco 250gr FP boolit. Send to JES he is quick and will call back within 2-3hours after leaving a message.

[LeftyDon]

.

Just a thought - R U SURE the rifling's gone, and not just lead-filled ?

Cleaning out lead is a LOT less expensive than a rebore and/or a relining job.


.

I was thinking the same thing!

[guicksylver]

Savage 1899 and 99's are probably my favorite rifles.

Having had several dozen through the years I can tell you this;

1. Stick to the original caliber.
Relining may hurt the value slightly to a collector BUT changing the caliber will kill the value completely.

2. Relining will give you a known bore diameter, .303 Savage were all over the place.

3. Like Winchester 94 relines it may (will) increase the value to semi collector/shooters like myself.

4. Relining maintains all the markings on the outside of the barrel.

5. If you have a Win. 94 or Savage 99 in lets say 40% exterior condition and questionable bore but tight action
and you have it reblued, it is ruined, but if you have it relined you have a shootable firearm in original condition.

6. Most relines end up shooting quite well. Check out Lever guns web site.

The above comments are just my opions based on my experience as an old dealer and shooter.

[Good Cheer]

I consulted on having a WW1 Mannlicher 6.5mm x 53R carbine relined and was told that such a high pressure cartridge (huh?) could not have relining.
So, as with many things in life, I'm very sure I do not know.

[Dan Cash]

Reline it. John Taylor, john@johntaylormachine.com, a member of this forum, has relined a 1895 Winchester .30-40 for me and it is a real shooter. His price and turn around was very reasonable.

[DeanWinchester]

Rebore. How about a .338-303? That'd be pretty cool too.

[dragon813gt]

5. If you have a Win. 94 or Savage 99 in lets say 40% exterior condition and questionable bore but tight action and you have it reblued, it is ruined, but if you have it relined you have a shootable firearm in original condition.


This has always baffled me w/ firearms. I will compare them to vehicles. Just look at what rebuilt cars bring at auction. They easily go for more than one in original condition. Barring a few rare examples of stock ones. I see no difference w/ firearms. Which is why I'm ruining two 99s. One was already ruined by JES w/ a 358 rebore. The other is a 300 Savage. Both are getting rebluing, color case hardening, stocks and sights. I'm building the rifle I want. Just like people do w/ cars. If it's done right, which is always the key, it shouldn't hurt the value. But for some reason in the firearm world it does. I will never understand this.

[richhodg66]

If it's someone else's rifle and he wants to keep it original, then the decision has been made. Keep it a .303 by having it relined. Good relining jobs are so close you can't tell without very, very close examination.

Besides that, the .303 Savage is a good caliber and easy to load for. When I got mine, brass wasn't hard to find or particularly expensive and neither were dies. Once you have that, pretty much any loading that works in the .30-30 works in the .303. There's just something about a rifle like an old '99 that begs to be kept in a vintage caliber like that.

[Gtek]

Options are- 99 Trapper, re-line, re-bore, barrel you will never find or fit/ Huh. I think I would Jesse, 35 THUMPER. Front you, back 303 and you both win. And if he does not like it what kind of friend would you be if you would not offer to take it off his hands.

[TXGunNut]

First question; does it truly have significant collector value now? IMHO there's a difference between an old classic and a collectors' piece. I have no use for collector guns so would do what it takes to make me happy, the likes and tastes of the next owner don't concern me.

[starmac]

First question; does it truly have significant collector value now? IMHO there's a difference between an old classic and a collectors' piece. I have no use for collector guns so would do what it takes to make me happy, the likes and tastes of the next owner don't concern me.

Right there is the answer. I am wondering if there is even enough meat in the barrel to make a 303/35 out of it. Has anyone ever done one?

[muskeg13]

I am wondering if there is even enough meat in the barrel to make a 303/35 out of it. Has anyone ever done one?

This is pretty interesting. I have an old 1899H TD with a fairly rough .303 Savage barrel. Not a collector piece. Not much invested. The 20" featherweight barrel is 0.57" at the muzzle and has a .308 bore. Does anyone have info on a .35-303 SAVAGE wildcat? I believe the 35-303 on the JES website is based on the .303 British, which would be very close to a .35 Winchester, and would be too long for the 1899/99 action.

[muskeg13]

I have an old 1899 in .303 that I love. Shoots 180 gr round nose like a house on fire.

BeMan: Can you share your best 180gr load(s) for the .303 Savage? The best I've worked up so far is 34.5gr Varget and a 180gr Hornady RN for 2099fps.

[OverMax]

Having a barrel re-bored to another caliber. Frankly your friend would want to keep that idea as his last resort. If your friend wants to keep his rifle in original 303 condition. Why not. {Good thinking.} My suggestion: have a local gunsmith examine the rifle first before considering any bore work being done period. Check first >what qualifications that gunsmith has: Gunsmithing school he graduated from and/or other formal Trade training before doing business with him. Doing so insures your friend is taking too and considering advice from a Trade professional.