Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Seriously considering synthetic stock for the 99

Well fellows, I haven't been on here awhile, how is everyone?

After a stint in the hills for 9 days carrying dads 99 284, I realized I'm not getting any younger as my knees would ache me to sleep every night. I've been thinking of trying to lighten her up. I was successfull the second to last day settling for the smallest 4 point muley in the world.

This gun is a shooter and always will be, I hate the thought of using anything else to hunt with, soooo, anyone have any experience with the synthetic stocks? Are they any lighter? Any problems with accuracy? Any other problems? Etc.

In the mean time, I'll be hunting for wapiti next week, 31st through 6th, wish me luck!

Thanx in advance, Vern.

Can you even get synthetic stocks for a 99 anymore?? I haven't seen em. When they were available, I think the toughest part was finishing up the inletting.

While I'd never modify my M99, I wonder how much weight you could save by shortening the barrel as compared to a substituing a synthetic stock for the original wooden stock?

If you have a 24-inch barrel & take it down to say 22-inches... or even 20-inches... and hollowed out the wooden stock somewhat by increasing the diameter of the bolt-hole that goes from the butt-plate to the bolt holding the butt-stock to the action, you may be able to save more weight than going to one of those ugly synthetic stocks.

By doing this, you'd retain the good looks of a fine rifle & you might accomplish the same goal as going to a synthetic stock.

Playing the devil's advocate, shortening the barrel and removing some of the wood inside the original stock would probably change the rifle's "balance"... possibly making it a bit more "barrel-light"... depending on how much barrel you cut off. Of course, exchanging the wooden stock for a synthetic stock would do the opposite thing, i.e., you'd make it barrel-heavy.

However, if you exchanged the wooden stock for a synthetic stock AND shortened the barrel, you could possibly retain the rifle's fine balance.

In any case, "sensed" recoil would be increased due to the rifle's overall weight loss and the rifle's value may be considerably decreased by such modifications of the barrel & original stock. Whereas by substituing the synthetic stock for the original stock, you could always go back to the unchanged original stock with nothing lost.

Unfortunately, you're between a rock & a hard place.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do...


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Can you even get synthetic stocks for a 99 anymore??


http://www.mpistocks.com/99savage.htm

Wow, you can get a servicable 99E for the price of these stocks. Dayum!

Vern,

Congratulations on getting that mulie buck. Now your after elk! Good for you.

That 99 in 284 is a rare gun. Not only that but it was your dads. I would not change it. Also I doubt a syn. stock would save much weight anyway. Perhaps a smaller scope would be easy?

Instead shop for another rifle for the tough hunts. We all want more rifles!

There are some nice lightweights made today. My favorites are the M84M Kimbers.

They don't weigh much and they have many good features that I enjoy on a hunting rifle such as the M70 three position safety that locks the firing pin, CRF and a mauser type extractor.

Kimber 84M

A premil 99F in 308 would be a good equivalent of that 284, and would be easier to lug around than your 284. Would work well on muley's and elk also. And since the 284 was your dad's, I'd think twice before modifying it. Those modifications can't be undone (except for swapping the stock, obviously).

Save the 284 for easier hunts, take the 99F on hard marches.

changing the 284 would almost be a punishable crime ;;;
An F should fill the bill or an E .I know how you feel at 63 the old bod has trouble coping with past activites..a pound in the morning is like 5 lbs inthe afternoon.more pre hunting exersise walking {aka scouting areas} is good excuse..

Last ten years have an MPI kevlar stock on a premil 99F .250, perfectly satisfactory in every way. For a while owned a .308 premil with a standard MPI stock, not quite as light as the kevlar, sold it before shooting it. But still OK.

I have a 99-DL that I chopped the barrel from 22" to 18"
It actually shot better with the shorter barrel, but it
really messed up the balance and that can't be undone.
If you go that route, go slowly.
Doc