"Ralph had a couple experimental 99's that did not have the step at the rear of the receiver so the sides of the stock were thicker, it was thought that was to lessen the chance of the stock cracking by adding more support there."
He owned 2 of 3. Each was different. He had them at the 2012 Savage Fest.
Info card said they were in .308 Win. made in the 50's , redesigned receivers to remove the stress cracks. None worked, One had a bad crack.
