Regarding tang cracks, most of the 99s that have gone through my hands had them. I'm talking 10-12 rifles. The only one that isn't cracked is my 1955 vintage 99 F in 250-3000. I'm guessing there's not enough recoil to crack the wood.
My buddy has two 99s, a 99 R(possibly RS)in 300 Savage he bought used when he got out of the army in 1963 (he's 81), and his uncle's 99F 308. The R gun is a 1950 vintage piece, and it had a pretty good crack. It isn't a collector gun as it has been drilled and tapped and had a recoil pad added (badly), so epoxy wasn't a spoiler. I like to bed the upper tang, lower tang, and the two side pieces. The other rifle, which his late uncle left to him, also was cracked. When I removed the buttstock I found that one of the little "fingers" which fit into the side of the receiver were broken off. The wood is of poor quality and actually broke off. I made a piece to replace the missing piece and again bedded all four places where the wood meets the receiver. Of course, the receiver was full of sticks, dirt, etc. and I cleaned it thoroughly.
