Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors "Special Order Nickel Plated Trimmings" on M-1899

This ain't a fairy tale but it remains to be determined if the ending is just pretty darn good or absolutely fantastic.

Maybe an 1899 Expert can help me figure a few things out and decide.

I just bought a 190xxx (1917 Vintage or so) 250/3000 (take down) 1899 Deluxe that is almost new appearing at a flea market booth, paying a "good deal" gray rat price for a shooter. I did so thinking it was in really good condition, but re-blued and non-original in more ways than having a mounted scope (the for sure bad news). And, if the rifle was hot, it came from somebody with good ID and willing to include it on a bill of sale.

Now, with it at home and in good light, disassembled and wiped down, I'm not so sure it has been re-blued. All lettering is crisp under magnification, the bore looks NEW with no evidence of wear, barrel threads are perfect, screw heads are perfect, there are no signs of mechanical wear, and crisp edges remain crisp in tandem with perfect near bluing. If this rifle has a metal refinish job, it is probably the best I have seen. And metal condition corresponds to the stock's condition and its checkering and butt-plate with matching numbers and in convincingly original finish. There are a couple of minor handling dings in the wood and just a hint of oil discoloration to the wood in the expected places. Except for a couple of nagging details, you'd think the rifle has been in loving and attentive storage, left mostly unused, oiled and wiped down annually for 95 years.

The main nagging detail is that the lever, trigger and breech-bolt are brightly (and perfectly) nickel plated! That said "refinished to me" and since the rifle was tagged with a much higher than gray-rat price (more than I would pay for a shooter)I started to walk away. Whereupon, the rifle became a "story gun."

Here is the story. The Seller stopped me, saying I was the first that had looked carefully, and then not tried to tell him the rifle was refinished, not worth anything in consequence, and try to beat him down to a low-ball price. He then said that he really wanted to get rid of the rifle and leave, that the rifle was indeed original, and that since I had not insulted him, he would sell it to me for the low ball offer he had previously received. I handed him money. He then said the rifle was one of four identical 1899's (except for chambering) that, per his father, were special ordered new by his grandfather, all including the "chromed parts". He then said the rifles passed to his father in the 1950s or 1960s that his father added the scope, but that he did not recall his father ever using any of the Savages and that he had never fired the rifle himself. The scope and mounts are of the right vintage for the latter claim. Only once I got home and dated the serial number did all of this at least make potential chronological sense.

THEN I LOOKED IN MURRAY'S BOOK (Page 5-10) and saw that "Nickel Plated Trimmings" were among the special order options for 1899's. Could these in fact be the lever, trigger, and breech-bolt? Except for the scope, is this Savage in astoundingly good condition possibly also as original from the factory? Love an opinion from an expert and/or pictures of "Nickel Plated Trimmings."

Pictures man, we need pictures!!

I need batteries for the camera!

how long does that take?

I did see a 30-30, 99 one time that had the trigger, leaver,sights and the tang sight, and butt plate,Nickel, or silver plated, the rifle was well used, could have gotten it for 350 too!

Sorry about poor pictures.

Breech bolt picture

Slowly learning how to do these pictures

And right side

And a broader view of the left

Hopefully above picture paint the story & someone can tell me if the Nickel Plating is from the factory.

Yeti, I cant speak to the metal work but one of the things I have learned on this forum is that seeing metal on the top and bottom tang usually means the stock has been sanded. Ive seen pictures of right rifles that show a little metal but when I see metal showing top and bottom, both sides, I think "the stock has been sanded". Shiny checkering,or finish in the checkering is another thing that says refinished to me.

That being said, I hunt grouse with a chrome plated AH FOX 16ga and the grouse dont seem to mind

too shiny, can really see redo on the left side, and the forearm.

Good observations all and of course the question of "originality" is mute given the scope and sling swivels. This alone probably kills any serious collector value.

But the "originality" of the nickel plated parts vis a vis "special order trimmings" shown in Murray's book remains of great interest because I am increasingly of the opinion that this Savage is in the exceptional condition expected of a near-mint firearm. I think originality (save scope and swivels) is a genuine possibility.

I can perhaps account for the "shine" by noting that the stocks smells of a recent linseed oil rub and that I wiped an oil film over metal before photos. Other than noting I don't see anything obvious that suggests the stock was sanded versus 90+ years of wood shrinkage, I have nothing to add here. What I have done is look inside and out without finding any of the usual signs of wear that re-finishing usually fails to cover. This is true of lever mechanism, screw heads, TD threads, and barrel. The finish on the butt plate appears as new. But more importantly, there are no dings or dents or rough spots on serration edges as normally occur the first time a butt is rested on a rock. Finish under the butt and under the forearm is consistent with the stock exterior. In the forearm, the nut holding the front sling swivel breaks this finish and is probably contemporary with addition of the scope circa 1960. I can't rule out refinishing on my own. But if it was done, it was done 50 years ago, was done awfully well, and was done to a rifle that had been lightly used at worst when it was refinished.

Plus, I was told a story by an identifiable member of the community that accounts for the rifle's ownership through 3 generations from new. We all know what stories are usually worth, especially presented by a seller trying to justify his price. But the seller offered the rifle to me for what would be considered a good deal on a battered gray rat (per brags on this forum!) before he told me the story, and had nothing to gain other than a degree of vindication. The one thing I am pretty sure of is that nobody else in America bought a shooter 250/3000 in equal or better condition this month for less!

So does anyone really know what "Special Order Nickel Plated Trimmings" are?

And

Would a Factory Letter indicate such "special order" properties?

only way to find out is check with Calahan and suggest that he check ser to plus and minus five on either side to see if other rifles were ordered and shipped at the same time .probably cost you a little more but the history would be interesting

. The part of the stock that I circled in red...that is the obvious part that sugjests sanding. As to srinkage, its a stock, not a cold scrotum.

Considering the story you got, I'd throw out the $25 to get it lettered. My guess is that you got a pretty shooter, but find out for sure.

Do the numbers on the stock match the receiver? Might be another reason for the wood/metal not to fit as well as they should.

one thing I am pretty sure of is that nobody else in America bought a shooter 250/3000 in equal or better condition this month for less!

Hmmmm..whenever I find myself conjuring those far reaching and emotional justifications, ...

That guns been dolled up.

Looks like its been totally redone to me. JMO. Don

It's been redone. Metal and all.

Right side of the stock cheek looks like it was sanded a lot more than the left. Also the metal does not look like original Savage finish for the time period.

Would be a great shooter though if it shoots straight. I'd rather use that than a newer one.