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

And thank you Blair.

Read my previous post for your answer to this question.

Blair

I see one of the main problem with this thread is the quality of the pictures - you must know someone with a better digital camera that could take pictures for you - that would help a lot. I do not know 1899's that well but I do know that when they plated their pistols all the plated parts had a partial serial number on it so that it could be kept seperate because the parts had to be made under size to compensate for the plating - in a 1899 the breech bolt often is serial numbered anyway so that would be no help but if the lever is numbered that would be a tell.

I skimmed through all the early catalogs I have and all list the options almost exactly the same but nowhere could I find a description of what parts were considered trim - that may have to come from a specialty catalog like a wholesale or jobbers or a sperate brochure. Here is what is in catalog #60 from 1916~1917 -


I also have never had someone explain to me how to tell nickel plating for chrome, I do not know how to tell - how do you know the plating is nickel and not more modern chrome?

Gene

And...another troll is born...

A letter may not tell all special order spec. as the work order
cards for special shop work were lost!!!Now only work order #
may show up.

WOW... the simple fact is, the gun is refinished, when you have seen a few thousand Savage 99s, you can just tell, even from crappy internet pics, I promise. All of the foremost experts have ALL agreed your gun is refinished. so you think that someone refinished the bluing and stocks, drilled holes and added a scope but that high polish chrome on the trigger, lever, and maybe bolt are original???? Its just not sensible... those would have been the first areas to show wear. The few plated rifles that have been seen show that the plating wore easily. It just does not follow that someone would reblue a gun if it was not well worn and if so, it would have shown first on the lever, trigger, and bolt.

If the gun had special work done on it, you would at least get a reference to a work order with out what was actually done. You are unlikely to get such info in my estimate but go for it. It does seem the only way you will be satisfied.

Yeti, 25$ will tell you all you will ever know about your rifle!! you can speculate about every single part forever , and your still no going to know!!!!! Don

one of the main reasons i didnt pick up the plated rifle, i run across, price was right just didnt look all that good to me, and didnt think the work was done at the factory! tho it might have been. as the gun was well worn.

Again, from looking at those poor quality pics the plating appears to be chrome,not nickel. Old nickel has a kind of a faint yellowish tint to it. This stuff looks like it came off of a '56 Chevy. Judging from the poor looking (again, the impression I get from those pics) prep work on the lever under the plating and what looks to me to be chrome plating, I'll guess that thing was done when the receiver was re-blued. If the letter comes back and flat out says the lever was nickel plated from new it would be a moot point as it sure isn't now.

I'll bet you could have had your entire gun nickel plated at the factory (plus your wife and kids too) if you were willing to pony up the extra cost.

Like I said before, you got a decent deal. I would have been tempted. It'll make a better hunting rifle than 90% of stuff on the new rack today.

Here are two pictures of a gun I believe was likely factory nickel finished on the lever and plate... these are the only two picture I received and do the over all condition of this gun and the other that were for sale and the difficulty of working with the seller, I did not pursue any more pictures or information. the serial is in the low 12.xxx range. You can see how very little nickel remains. It was, im my opinion, clearly once a nice custom ordered factory 1899 that saw a LOT of use.

I also shrunk these pretty good so it might really be hard to see.