Just inherited a 1949 Model 99 514xxx in 250 Savage that originally belonged to my father. He lent it to my uncle, his BIL, over 40 years ago. He was a South Dakota rancher and it became his favorite gun. It was his truck gun and he shot everything from prairie dogs to mule deer with it. This uncle is my favorite uncle, an old time cowboy, an icon to me from my earliest memories. My father passed 13 years ago and I always planned to ask my uncle, if he was ever done with it, and his son wasn't interested, if I could get a shot at bringing it home. I never got a chance to ask ask him and he passed very unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago.
Last weekend, after my uncle's funeral, we were sitting around telling stories and celebrating his life. My cousin pulled me aside, handed me the Savage and told me that his dad told him that if anything ever happened to him the gun was to go home with me. I don't have words for what that means to me. It spent 40 years as a ranchers truck gun, the stock and forearm are in surprisingly good shape, but the bluing is almost completely worn away. I plan to use it so I'm thinking of having it reblued and getting it back into service.
