Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Another 99 needs help

I have what I believe to be a '53 EG. I shoot left and right and love lever actions for their ambidexerous nature. Based on their reputation, I've been wanting a Savage forever. I love the handling. The lever boss code stamp is weak, but there is another prominent and identically sized one on the reciever underneath the buttstock left lower left edge (forward) with a number and an "E" inside the circle. The rifle has been refinished with a nice matte blue and what appears to have a chromed or nickel bolt. The bore looks great and the action feels tight as if it hasn't been shot alot, but I haven't shot it yet. A couple questions:
1. I can't find a serial number. Has it been buffed off in the re-finish job? Where is it supposed to be?
2. The buttstock was chopped off for a short individual with a need for a recoil pad (crying here) so I need to extend it with a matched chunk of walnut. The buttstock got a good dose of gun oil over the years and I've washed it out pretty well with acetone, but it's still present to some degree. Is it a good idea to attempt to seal seal the inside and end grain wood with epoxy at this point? Or will I create a mess?

Reno, sounds like a 1953, do yourself a favor and just find another buttstock on e-bay save yourself time and agrivation messing around with the bobbed one. The serial number should be on the bottom of the reciever in front of the lever hinging area. Don

Reno........

The lever boss Code consists of the Inspector's number (first), then a letter indicating the year of manufacture, BOTH of which are iside an OVAL located on the lower, front side of the receiver on the protrusion into which the lever fits and rotates. So the LBC for a Model 99 made in 1953 with Inspector 14 reporting would look like this: 14E

Unfortunately, both the LBC and the oval are usually VERY lightly struck and, as a result, they are often VERY difficult to read. You may find that the whole oval and/or part or most of the LBC are not showing due to how lightly they struck the Lever Boss Code.

Since the rifle has been buffed out and reblued together with the stock cut off, Loggah has given you excellent advice as concerns putting a new butt-stock on your rifle.

As concerns the serial number, it is/was located on the bottom, front side of the receiver just behind the bottom of the forearm. Perhaps it can be brought back with acid and re-stamped again with its correct serial number.

Good luck and welcome to the Forum...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

If the serial number isn't on the bottom of the receiver, I'd be worried. Transferring that rifle could be difficult in the future.

But.. was the full serial number still stamped on the forearm as of 1953, or did that end a couple years earlier? Can still get the last 4 for sure from the forearm, if it's original.

What a knucklehead! I found the S/N (duh) 674xxx. I assume this is consistent with the stamp that I found on the reciever in a spot on the right side of the reciver (marked 12 E in an oval). The exterior LBC stamp is largely ilegible. I'd be okay with fitting a decent used buttstock if I could find one, but it might be easier to fit some new walnut to extend the one I have. How bad would it be to drill and tap for an AO ghost ring sight (not forward on the Savage stamp)? I tried fooling with a Marbles tang sight but had some issues...

Yep... "12E" solves the question of what year it was made... definitely 1953.