Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Iron Sights

I am considering the following sights for my Savage 99 Takedown. (not sure of my exact model, but I hope to find that out at the Savagefest East in PA in July). Just wondering if anyone has experience with these or similar sights. I am especially interested in what height front sight I would need. Thanks, Jim
REAR: http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/rear-sights/bullseye-rear-sight-prod27265.aspx
FRONT: http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/sights/front-sights/contour-glow-sights-prod8831.aspx

Without knowing the height to the center of the rear sight and the barrel diameter at each sight location it would only be a guess.

Your lowest setting on the rear elevator will want to leave the sight-line level with the bore centerline.

IME as a gunsmith and competitive shooter of open sights (muzzle loading, pistol & vintage military rifle) a barrel mounted rear aperture sight is slower and less precise than the standard square or even U type notch. FWIW.
Open sights can be highly accurate with practice. Last match I shot in vintage military with a 1911 Swiss, scored a 197/200 11X. Unfortunately open sight shooting is becoming a dying skill.
If you want aperture sights, I'd recommend a receiver mounted one.

Thanks Jeff, I probably need a gunsmith for accurate measurments. -Jim
Thanks Greg, I have had better accuracy hunting with aperture sights than with open sights. Since mine is a takedown, I like having the rear sight on the barrel. -Jim

Just put a tang sight on it and forget about it. I have tang sights on each of my takedowns. The barrel sights on the one is a fold-down that is just along for the ride. The rest have slot fillers in them. Life is good with tang sights on takedowns.

90 out of 100 gunsmiths these days are unfamiliar with the arcane knowledge of iron sight installation anyway. If you go ahead with your plan, just measure it yourself by using a cheap pair of dial calipers and compute the heights from the centerline of the bore. I also gotta say those bullseye barrel-mounted rear sights are just another gimmick designed to fleece the unwary. The closer you place an aperture to your eye, the better. As for those glow worm front sights, I don't like them either, but some do so I won't denounce them out of hand. Suffice to say they look out of place on a 100 year old rifle.

"Your lowest setting on the rear elevator will want to leave the sight-line level with the bore centerline."

Good info. Thanks.

I had a Williams tang sight and hooded (!)"glow-worm" front sight on a JES rebore 358-99E. It had VERY quick sight acquisiton, and was a bubba 99 delight to hunt with!

I too would vote for a tang aperture sight over the barrel mounted "ghost ring", because sight radius makes all the difference with iron sights. But the buy-in price of those bulls-eye sights make it a pretty risk-free experiment, if you don't add in the spent ammunition.

I appreciate all your comments. This old man who just this year discovered the world of Savage 99's probably should not make any changes at least thru the 1st hunting season.
I like maximum sight radius, however I am under the impression that for best accuracy on a takedown, the iron sights or scope needs to be on the barrel because the barrel never goes back on the receiver exactly the same. Perhaps if the barrel is never removed, the accuracy would be the same as a non-takedown?
Looking forward to meeting some of you at Savagefest East. -Jim

I'd offer that there's more potential movement of your head relative to the rear sight, than there is between the receiver-mounted sight to the barrel-mounted sight, takedown or not.

Are you planning on removing the barrel regularly?

Have you considered scoping it with a no-drill "Lightfoot" scope mount? They will eliminate any takedown opportunity, but they will also be a more dependable sighting system.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/7538723/Re_Lightfoot_Scope_Mount

It's a relatively cheap experiment so you might as well give it a try. In the meantime I'd keep my eye out for a good receiver or tang sight. I really don't like breaking takedowns apart as I think it can only lead to lossening things up. After all, in this day and age of trucks and cars it's not like you need to take a rifle down for easier transport on a bicycle, train or for much of anything else. And I don't succumb to doing it simply because I can.

Thanks Jeff, I like that Lightfoot Scope Mount.
Well, since it is a "takedown"....... I WAS taking it apart for every cleaning because it was easy to do. But you do bring up the good point that taking it down is not really necessary.

If the threads are tight (meaning you don't take it down all the time), the barrel should go back on awfully close to zero. But you are right, it's not guaranteed. A windage adjustable peep would be ideal, like a Lyman 30 1/2 or Lyman 29 1/2 or a Redfield 70LH. Just don't take the rifle down between the time you sight it in and the time you hunt it.

Like the top and middle ones here.

If you like I can send you a pic of the 3/4 inch 100 yard group I shot with the M99G takedown passed down to me from my Dad. Once I realized that I couldn't break it down because the "gunsmith" that drilled and tapped it for him when his eyesight started going south drilled the front holes into the barrel and I replaced the screws with shorter ones I've taken it down many times. That 3/4 inch group mentioned above was long after that. It will still shoot much better than I can and from time to time, given I do my part, it will still come in at 7/8 to 3/4.

Thanks, but no need to send your target pic. It is great to know that great groups are available with TD bbls.
Just a thought: maybe the "gunsmith" meant to drill/tap into the bbl to lock it in place? I have heard of people doing that with rifled shotguns, so the bbl is always exactly the same.