On the subject of the stock cracks I cannot still get my head around the issue.
Not only am I very very new to the 99, only had mine a few weeks (although first fired one over 30 years ago)
I am new to this Forum, so expect a bit of flak coming my way for this...eek.
But it really is the most bizarre thing I have heard, commercial suicide, and the worst reputation in the gun industry, pumping out guns for nearly a hundred years with a huge design fault/flaw, Savage would be a laughing stock.
A bit like a car manufacturer selling cars where 70 odd percent of the front windshields bust out...but still sell them, never modify the design, not only would it cost you a fortune in rectifying the issue your reputation would be in shreds too.
Is there any 'from new' 99 owners here?
My guess is the from new guns probably never cracked for years and years, but wood loses moisture over time.
Premium manufactures, as we all now, age wood 10,12 years or more but on a more modest price gun, no way, not on this or anything else in this price bracket.
Ageing the wood for so long means the wood has settled down, should hold that residual state for the future, something a 99 would not have the luxury of.
I had an old Winchester 1887, made in 88, great gun, wood was almost proud in areas of grain, almost dehydrated in its look.
Would a drink of organic, plant origin oil, such as boiled linseed oil cure the problem, it has certainly been used on gun stock for many years.
The 99 is such a well engineered gun maybe it literally lasts too long, well, too long for the wood design, we are using them 50,60 or 70 years later, that poor dry wood, yes a bad design, the new guns had fresh non aged wood, certainly not long enough if it was, probably worked just fine for a while, years, again any from new owners here to say when their cracks appear, excuse the pun...
Every other 99 we pick up, everyone looks there first, crazy situation.
It is like making a fire, you stamp on wood, the old stuff almost shatters, no moisture, the wood is very weak, but if we try on a new storm fall piece, we almost bounce off it, the moisture in the wood is retaining the woods structure and more importantly strength, and it is certainly resilient to breaking/cracking.
