Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99F in .358W

I just acquired in a trade... looking for knowledge and opinions.

Assume about a 1959.

Lever safety. Hand checkered.

S/N 921,6XX.

Missing pistol grip end cap. Wood seems honest, usable and uncracked. Metal is far better than pictures show. Recoil pad is old and in need of replacement. Bore seems good.

Rear sight is not original in my opinion.

Lever is bright metal... seems odd.

Caliber is rare?

Thanks in advance on your opinions.

The recoil pad is non factory, the lever is refinished, poorly in my opinion. The caliber is desirable, maybe uncommon but not rare. It is premil so it has that going for it.

It's kind of what I would have been looking for a couple years ago as a hunter. Since I tore the retina in my right eye I've been sticking to low recoil stuff. I'm assuming the stock was cut for the recoil pad, bad lever work, pitting in the metal, and holes from sling swivels are all bad. 358 is good. Folks like the 358's. If it were offered to me in a trade, I'd kind of low ball it at a couple to three hundred, but I'm not looking for one. If it shows better than the pictures, who knows, folks like the 358's, Joe.

Couldn't say it any better than JoeMartin did. Excellent caliber for kicking butt on both ends. Would love to have one in a 50's R. Guess its an ego thing as unlikely will be doing any Bear/ Moose hunting. GW

Lever almost looks nickel plated as opposed to just stripped. If it's just stripped of the case color, I'd send it in to get it redone. Actually, I'd probably get it redone regardless. Bit glaring...

Repro pistol grip caps can be had, but fit is iffy (might need to be ground down some) and some don't have the dimple on the bottom to ensure it doesn't turn when tightened.

Would be a good hunter, though.

Reminds me of a .250 EG I bought years ago with a chromed lever and trigger. I traded the lever and some bucks to someone on the old G&K forum for a cased one.

Prolly cheaper to just look for a replacement lever and trigger than go through refinishing.

Or, if ya just want a shooter - take it huntin'.

needs a trigger,lever and butt pad, work on the holes in the wood .. I even rather have the trigger/lever cold blued than looking like that.. she's ugly but it will make a good hunter

plab

Inlet a small, round compass into the comb of the stock and it'll look right at home with that silvery lever. What the heck, it's a shootin' gun, not a piece of art. Hunt with it! A deer will never know the finish on the lever.
yooper

Everybody loves this treatment-

seems odd that the trigger has been stripped, I'd be careful to check the sear engagement hasn't been dicked with.

The 358W is not low recoil stuff. I have been shooting my 358's since 1966 and they kick even with 180's.

If that were described to me, I'd say no way. Seeing it in the flesh, however, it's pretty damn slick! I've heard Marlin 1894s and Win '92s/'94s described as "New York assault rifles" but that Savage could be global.

The 358W is not low recoil stuff. I have been shooting my 358's since 1966 and they kick even with 180's.

Since I tore my retina I have NOT been shooting anything that kicks. Actually the only thing I've shot since May has been my 22 HP. I'll use my 250 and the 22 HP for my first two deer. If it looks like I have a chance for four deer I'll give the 303 and 300 a go. But, I'm getting my left knee replaced Nov 3, so I might not get out much, Joe.

Slap a scope on it and go hunting. Awesome cartridge in a gun with a lot of history. I bet it'd have some stories if it could talk!

Shot her today... VERY MILD RECOIL. You guys had me worried to death that she was a real hard kicker.

Great trigger, a touch heavy vs. modern, but breaks great.

Very accurate. 2"-3" with irons at a good bit of range. Reckon she would hit tin cans at 300 with a simple scope.

Know little about .358W and why it died out, but I must say this gun would kill raccoons and coyotes and probably white tail deer here in Virginia all day long. Might even try a black bear if I am feeling steady on the shot.

Traded a pair of used truck tires for her. I am thinking now that I did pretty good.

You did fine. For some reason these guys think a 99F in 308 kicks hard and a 358 is a 300 magnum. I don't get it. They're pussycats.

My 10 year old son (#95 soaking wet) disagrees. Shot a 1/2 box of shells and had a lot of fun. He was shooting 200s, maybe that is why?

I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, I've shot a .358, .35 Whelen, and owned a M71 .348 for a bit. While recoil isn't way up there in the objectionable region, it's stiff and not for me. The arthritis in my right shoulder that makes shooting heavyweights bothersome to me was aided and abetted by the pounding I gave it through the years from recoil, or so my doc says. If I had a ten year old shooter under my wing I wouldn't be giving him a head start on a medical condition like this.

I can't tell you how many macho shooters I have known who bragged about heavy recoil not bothering them- trap shooters, goose hunters, Weatherby shooters at the range, etc. Every one of them displayed twitches and flinches that only bystanders could see, but who flatly stated that "recoil don't bother me none". Hah!

I'm a trap shooter,maybe 10K a year, sometimes 400 birds a day, 3 days in a row.
Recoil is not the problem, poor gun fit is.
Most dedicated trap shooters take the time to get their gun fitted, when they do, recoil goes away.
Same thing with your big game rifle, a poor fitting gun is going to slap the sh@& out of you, proper fit and proper loads will do wonders to your accuracy and shooting enjoyment..