Savage 99 trigger fix

[Denver]

My recently acquired 99 in 300 Savage has turned out to be a cast boolit shooter like none other I have. I'm getting 5 shot groups with it that are crowding an inch at a hundred yards, but it has a trigger pull so creepy and inconsistant, that I have to believe it could do even better. I removed the stock to clean out the years of accumulated dried oil and dirt, and it did help smooth up the works a bit. With the stock off, the workings of the trigger, sear, and striker, are easy to see why the long, creepy trigger pull exists. Anyone here have a working knowledge of how to do a "fix" for such a situation?

:castmine:

[Ed Barrett]

I've owned 5 99's over the years I only have one noe a 303 Sav. made in 1928 and they all had nice crisp triggers. Of course I never owned one made after WWII. When was your gun made?

[Denver]

I've owned 5 99's over the years I only have one noe a 303 Sav. made in 1928 and they all had nice crisp triggers. Of course I never owned one made after WWII. When was your gun made?

From the information I received, my gun was made in 1939. The only other 99 I've owned was a 99H that had no stock when I got it. I kept it for awhile trying to find a stock, but had no luck, so let it go in a trade. Never shot it, and don't recall what the trigger was like.

[JudgeBAC]

What load and bullet are you shooting. I am in the beginning stages of working up loads for a 1922 vintage Savage 99G in .300 and could use some advice.

[JDL]

Although simple, one has to be careful when working on a Savage trigger. Best advice is to just stone mateing surfaces smooth without removing metal. I recall some advised grinding the top of the striker to reduce engagement but, this surface moves as lock-up of the action is completed and can lead to sorrow. -JDL

[Denver]

What load and bullet are you shooting. I am in the beginning stages of working up loads for a 1922 vintage Savage 99G in .300 and could use some advice.

Judge,

My best groups have been with the Lee C312-1552R sized to .310 with Hornady GC and LAR Carnauba Red lube over 22 grs of RL7 and a Fed LP primer. Seat the boolit to keep GC in the neck. Also have used Lyman 311041 with good accuracy with above load. I was using dacron fiber for filler, but tried it without and my velocity spread decreased while velocity increased slightly.:confused: Thought it would be the other way around.

[Denver]

Although simple, one has to be careful when working on a Savage trigger. Best advice is to just stone mateing surfaces smooth without removing metal. I recall some advised grinding the top of the striker to reduce engagement but, this surface moves as lock-up of the action is completed and can lead to sorrow. -JDL

Yes, the movement of the mating surfaces when lockup occurs is what I believe causes the inconsistant trigger pull. If the lever isn't operated fully when closing the action, there is less engagement, resulting in a lighter pull. I noticed this the other day while shooting from the bench and single loading. A couple times I believe I didn't close the action with the same amount of effort, and got a surprise letoff.
Any info available for disassembly/reassembly of the actions?

[JudgeBAC]

Denver: Thanks for the info. I just found two Lachmiller molds one 311-169 and the other a 130 grain. When they come in, Ill let you know how they do. I suspect the 169 may be a tad heavy for the .300 but who knows, worth a try anyway. Thanks again.

[JudgeBAC]

Denver: Try www.Savageparts.com This looks like a good website for Savage 99 information.

[Maineboy]

Denver: Thanks for the info. I just found two Lachmiller molds one 311-169 and the other a 130 grain. When they come in, Ill let you know how they do. I suspect the 169 may be a tad heavy for the .300 but who knows, worth a try anyway. Thanks again.

JudgeBAC
I don't think your boolit will be too heavy. I shoot the RCBS 30-180-FN which weighs about 195 grains lubed and checked, the Lyman 311291 and 311041, and the Lee 180-RN in my 300 up to 2000 fps and they all do quite well. They do intrude into the powder space, but I can't see that it causes any real problems.

Denver,
JDL gives good advice about not taking metal off the top to the striker because it can lead to problems. I did it on my 1950s vintage 99 and had to replace it because it started firing when I chambered a new round. Lucikly I found some replacement parts on Ebay. Savage 99 parts are hard to come by, especially for older models.

[versifier]

IMO, stoning the surfaces should only be considered after one has first tried cleaning, and then polishing them. Sometimes just a really good cleaning with a decent solvent will help a lot - old oil/grease/dirt that has accumulated over the years is often the cause, or even a tad bit of rust. A little buffer on a dremel tool with some very fine clover compound in a light oil suspension (just like you would use to polish the feed ramp on a semiauto pistol) will be your next step after cleaning. Taking a stone to the trigger of a valuable old rifle is no job for a hobbyist - practice on an old milsurp that you can buy a replacement for if you screw it up. [smilie=1:

[StarMetal]

Versifier is right. Stoning is the last resort. I'll tell you boys something, after cleaning and polishing like Versifier said, a wee dab of STP does wonders for making the trigger pull better.

Joe