Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors The Savage CRACK

Given the design of the rifle, I really think that most, but not all, tang cracks on the Savage 99 come not from recoil and bad tang-to-stock-fit, but from side banging. I plan to do all my travels with hard sided gun cases on the 99's from now on for this reason. By shimming that lower tang as much as you did, I think it takes away from the guns appearance.

I have to agree also. Relieve the wood at the top tang and maintain good fit on the bottom and sides.

Seems like moisture content might have something to do with it. Remember that 99 that cracked sitting in my safe? I bought it from Missouri and unless I just flat out missed seeing it, two weeks later I took it out and it was plainly cracked.


Just guessin'.

As everyone here already knows, the Savage 99, unlike other lever guns, is hammerless, with a rotary magazine.
Because of the way the bolt works, there isn't much wood in the tang area.

That, combined with other factors such as the stock bolt working loose, wood drying out and shrinking over time, direction of wood grain in the tang area, oil soaked wood, and improper inletting from the factory, can result in the tang cracking from repeated firing.

Here is a way to prevent the majority of Savage 99 tang cracks, or stopping an existing crack from spreading.......

I didn't develop this method myself, but having tried it with good results, I've decided to post it here with pics to help out anyone who might be interested.

Basically you have to remove the buttstock and shim up the recoil lug on the lower tang.
When done right, this will allow some relief on the upper tang where the wood meets the metal.

Remove the butt plate and insert a 10" long flathead screwdriver to remove the stock bolt.

Be careful when removing the stock, make sure the screwdriver is not between the bolt head and the wood as this could cause a crack.

I use brass shim stock, (usually comes in rolls, from machine shops or tool supply shops)
Cut it to the right size using good quality tin snips and finish it off using a cutting wheel on a Dremel tool.
Bend it around the recoil lug so it fits in snugly between there and the wood.

Drill or punch a hole in the brass shim so the stock bolt will pass through.

Trim and taper all edges with a Dremel tool with the stone bit attachment.
make sure there are no sharp edges, steep edges, or burrs.

Make sure the shim is thick enough to provide the necessary relief on the upper tang, but not so thick that you can't bend it around the lug,
about .050 mm thick seems to work fine for me.

Put the buttstock on and tighten everything back up.

If anyone needs any more pics or info, or has anything else to add, feel free to contact me..


The classic Savage model 1899, a 1914 SRC in 30-30...
(matching numbers)



The Savage model 99 tang area that's prone to cracking...



Savage 99 recoil lug....



my homemade brass shim....



Brass shim bent around the recoil lug...



Brass shim fitted into the lower tang of the buttstock...



Buttstock re-installed, now with relief at the upper tang provided by the brass shim...

[img]http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t469/sully1899/savage99toptangwrelief_zpscf8dcbe3.jpg[/img]

Lower tang with shim in place between the recoil lug and stock...

[img]http://i1061.photobucket.com/a...angwithshiminplace_zpsb72b1d3c.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t469/sully1899/DSC00006_zpsc1730e20.jpg[/img]

1940 Savage 99EG in 303 Savage, ready to shoot with no worries of the tang cracking....
Maybe I'll take a deer with it this coming season!

[img]http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t469/sully1899/Savage99EG303_zpse4f92dca.jpg[/img]

I'm probably missing something here, but is there a reason why the shim couldn't be some kind of thin rubber material such as a very thin inner tube patch or the like? Seems like a rubber shim would not only provide space but a little dampening as well.

Maybe, but rubber couldn't get any harder than brass!

I'm with gnoahh on this, about not shimming, and wanted to add that most people are overlooking the importance of cheekpiece to receiver fit. If you've ever restocked a 99 you should have figured out that the design is based on recoil being shared equally on the recoil (bottom) lug and the flats of the cheekpieces that butt up against the receiver. In fact, when you're fitting the stock you have to iterate removing material from the top and bottom lug recesses and the cheekpiece flats. The way I do mine to prevent cracks is to get as perfect a fit on the cheekpiece flats as I can, get a good fit on the recoil lug, relieve the top lug by about 1/32", then skim bed the recoil lug and the cheekpiece flats. I'll use a black Sharpie to color the relieved wood to match the color of the top tang; it takes a magnifying glass to actually see that it's been relieved.

Sure, ideally the recoil should be distributed to all for contact points, with the lower tang taking the most, via the recoil lug.
But tolerances being what they are and the fact that different thicknesses of an organic substance like wood are probably going to dry and shrink to different degrees, that's unlikely to happen.

Plus, the fact that most Savage 99's weren't exactly chambered in heavy recoiling rounds like 300 win mag for example.
For the most part, you shouldn't have much to worry about as long as the lower tang is taking the brunt, which was what is was designed to do, and will do if you shim it.
Just remember to keep the bolt tight!

What size brass shim do you use, how do you attach it to the lower tang, and where can they be purchased from? I was just about to say the other day that I don't have any 99's with a tang crack, and now I see one of my 300's has a microscopic type crack starting, and I want to try this shim idea to prevent any further growth of it. Your feedback is appreciated.