Another question that occurs to me is what caliber/cartridge was proposed for the Savage rifles and/or carbines for Diaz' forces?
We all know that the various rebel factions later used LOTS of .30-30 WCF arms, including a few '99s. But I'm not aware that Don Porfirio's army or rurales used that cartridge at all, at least officially (Federal officers carried whatever they fancied--and could afford; sometimes even Savages).
So was Savage offering .303s to a regime that had never used them? And was familiar with the caliber but mostly in the hands of those about to become its mortal enemies? Or, were they planning to modify the '95 to take 7x57 Mauser, the Mexican Army standard, which would have required a heck of a rework and production delays?
Puzzling.
