I think you need to keep in mind that not all 99s exhibit cracks so we need to make sure that 10% of the pie does not seems like 90% of the pie simply because it is talked about all of the time. Also, keep in mind that some of these 99s are very old and even 99s made in the 50s (the last of the glory years) are nearing 70, give or take. And by any measure that is old (present company withstanding). The point has also been made on this forum that some of the cracks could have been caused by years of oil soaking into the wood. I personally feel that some cracks can be attributed to guys who just could not resist taking their rifles apart for no better reason than they could (a particular form of OCD that can have negative affects on any mechanical device). But then again, the vast majority of 99s are just plain old and have been exposed to a number of things beyond the effects of time itself.
Last edited by S99VG; 03/13/17.
