This time period is very confusing and we have attempted to clarify in the past but with little success. Here is some history:
- 1920 catalog and price sheet still lists what Murray calls the 1899-A as a "Model 1899 Solid Frame 26" Reg."
- 1922 catalog and price sheet list it as a "Model 1899-A" (not to be confused with what Murray lists as 1899-A)
- 1924 Retail Price List lists it as "Model 99-A" (note Murray refers to it still as the "Model 1899-A" which I say was an error)
- Sometime around startup after WWI there was a statement by Savage that the Model 1899 would in the future be referenced as the "Model 99"...but then sometime later Savage added the "...1899..." stamping to the receiver ring.
- Roe would sometimes send copies of the ledger page with a requested letter. I have some of these which allows us to see just what was written in the ledger book. I don't have any of the Leger page copies from the period in question.
- The price sheets starting 1922 and maybe earlier list the "A", "B", "C"...etc. designation and states that they should be used when ordering. The problem is that the 1922 PL call out "Model 1899-A". This is the only time I have seen the Model 1899-A vs 99-A used.
- At some point in the Ledger sheets the letter coding was added and I doubt that the item was listed as "1899-A" or "99-A" but simply "A". (note this is just speculation as I have not found a Ledger page copy from this period).
- Now to add to the confusion of Model 1899-A vs 99-A...etc. there are letters from the Historian:
1) Letter from 2007, "...your model 99...serial
193109...produced April 12,1919..."
2) 2165xx, produced 2/16/1920, lettered as a 99-F
3) 2292xx, produced 6/14/1920, lettered as 1899-Short Rifle, Take Down.
4) 2324xx, produced 8/20/1920, lettered as 99-D.
5) 236461, (late 1920) per JTC as the first "99-G". (ever seen the "G" listed as a"1899-G" other than in the 1922 price list?)
6) Then a 2014 letter on 2201xx, produced 3/22/1920, "...ledger book shows this rifle to be a 1899-B (not to be confused with the earlier 1899-B with octagon barrel)..."
Note that all of the above were produced before 1922 when the Price List first showed "1899-A, 1899-B, 1899-C"...etc.
What's right, what's wrong, I don't really care and am not sure we could all agree. I do prefer to call the post WWI with the Savage letter codes 99's vs 1899's just so we know what we are referring to. The big problem with this is at what serial do we use as a changing point? There is so much confusion and missing info on the subject that there still remains a big 1920 gray area (1920 being a big production period with all types of changes made within the model and across the board).
I don't think the above solved anything but hopefully it clarified what the problem is.
Last edited by Rick99; 06/29/16.
