Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Want a 99

Hi, I would like to buy a nice but not to nice 99, I am looking for A rifle with A good bore and wood, I am good with it being drilled for top mount base, but don't want holes all over the place from different ideas of how to mount a scope. I would like a 250 but they seem to fetch more money and the rifles are in worst shape then the more common 300 sav. So what is the going rate on A solid 99 made before they put big lumpy birch stocks on them, my search of locale gun shops has not turn up to much, with the guns being beat and chopped up, that leaves me with ordering one on the web which I have not done, any ideas on what,where,how, to do that. Thanks

Take it easy and wait for one for a decent price. If I got another 99 it would be drilled and tapped for a scope.

What with this internet and the gun auctions and dealers its much easier to find something.

One of the sites has 148 M99's for sale tonight.

Your going to pay a big premium for any 250 Savage Model 99. Model 99's in 300 Savage cost about half as much in 250.

Thanks, I would rather A 300sav. in good shape then A 250sav. in poor shape for the same money. Do I have to expect cracks in the stock. I am looking for A hunting rifle that I want to scope so top weaver mounts would be fine and reduce price I assume. So what should I pay for a lets say 99eg in 300sav?

The 99's I have are .358 W. chambered which kicks and they may be hard to find also.

I see a lot of 300 Savage chamberings and thats an excellent round. Don't pass up a 308 or 243 either.

I prefer the tang safeties that I have. Keep looking. They made a lot of them.

I have a first edition 1899 250 savage with a perch belly and checkered trigger takedown. Excellent bore dies brass and a lot of reloaded ammo. Needs a home as I never shoot it. I has a custom scope mount. Can send you pics pm me an e mail.

I've got an older "user grade" 300 Savage. Stock shows some hunting marks, nothing tragic. The bluing is more than OK but there is some faint & minor freckling on the barrel. Case colors still visible on the lever. It has been drilled & tapped for scope mounts. Not an A model but has the "thin" stock and is checkered. PM me a email for pics.
Cheers

Driftless, to answer your inquiry...

For a "pre-Mil" (rifle's with a serial number LESS than 1 million in .300 Savage and probably an "EG" model with the classic Schnabel forearm), expect to pay $450 & up for a "decent rifle" (in 70%-75% condition) with a good bore up to $650 to $800 for a rifle in "very good" (90%-95%) to almost "new" condition. A Model 99 in this category would be made in Utica, N.Y. or Chicopee Falls, Mass.

For a "post-Mil", one with a serial number MORE than 1 million and made in Westfield, Mass., expect to pay from a low of maybe $250 for a rifle in fairly rough shape, but with a decent bore, to as much as $550-$750 for a Model 99 in 95% condition to one in like-new condition. A model like this would be made in Westfield, Mass.

The selling price of either a "Pre-Mil" or a "Post-Mil" will greatly depend on the rifle's
CONDITION. Let me repeat that... "CONDITION" !!!

A rifle with a crack at the tang isn't a terrible thing as this is somewhat common with Model 99s. However, a Model 99 withOUT the crack is definitely worth a bit more.

Note the name of this Forum.... "Savage Collectors"... and realize that "collectors" will pay MORE for an older ("Pre-Mil") Model 99 than for a "Post-Mil"... and use that to realize that even a "Post-Mil" Model 99 is STILL an excellent hunting rifle of superior quality compared to other lever-action rifles.

In fact, a Model 99 (a Model "C") with a tang safety and a removable magazine is actually (in my mind, at least, because I'm a "hunter", not a "collector") somewhat superior at a "hunting rifle".

However, even a guy like me (a "hunter") would STILL rather have a "Pre-Mil" (and I do have one) than a "Post-Mil"... since the "Pre-Mil" Model 99s tend to be a somewhat better rifle (quality-wise) with somewhat more "hand-work" done at the factory than the "Post-Mil" Model 99s.

That said... if $$$ is considered and you want a HUNTING RIFLE, don't shy away from a "Post-Mil" Model 99 in either .300 Savage or .308 Winchester... it is still a whole lot higher quality than any other level-action, center-fire rifle in any other brand.

As concerns the .300 Savage cartridge vs. the .308 Winchester cartridge, just look at the .308 as a .300 on "vitamins" since the .308 is loaded to a much higher chamber pressure which give it a slight advantage in velocity over the .300 Savage cartridge.

And don't shy away from a Post-Mil Model 99 as a "hunting" rifle. The tang safety and the removable magazine offer a distinct advantage over the older Model 99s. The tang safety is more handy than the safety on the lever and the removable magazine allows a hunter to very safely remove all the cartridges in the rifle withOUT lever-ing them through the action as one has to do with the older models with the rotary magazine. So... for hunters, there ARE "advantages" to a "Post-Mil" Model 99 in addition to being less expensive for similar rifles which are "Pre-Mil" models.

Incidentally, the .308 Winchester was design FROM the .300 Savage cartridge.

That said... figure the .300 Savage is an excellent 250 yard cartridge... and few hunters can accurately shoot (i.e., place a "killing shot") any further than that due to bullet drop at the longer ranges.

I'm not talking about an "expert" rifleman who practices a lot at ranges greater than 300 yards, but rather I'm referring to the "average" hunter who shoots his rifle once or twice a year at his local rifle range to insure his rifle is still "sighted-in" and then, goes hunting.

I hope this information helps you to find "your Model 99"... any Model 99 is a high quality hunting rifles... sleek, handy, beautiful looking and an excellent product.


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

A decent Model F in 300 Savage will do all you need it to do and not bust your budget. Slightly handier in thick woods than the EG or the R models due to a shorter barrel (22 inches vs 24 inches). Somewhat lighter too. Some of the F's have a fluted comb and looks better than those without the fluting IMO. I don't think any EG's or R's had fluted combs. Could be wrong about that.

A post-war 99EG in .300. They are nice and relatively plentiful. Sometimes I think most things I see beyond the 99EG in .300 are just another expression of snobbery - just kidding. But frankly everyone should have one in their collection, regardless of how grand or humble it is.

Thanks one and all. I was given a 99 in 250-3000 from my father in law, it looks like it was dragged behind a truck on a gravel road and the bore is real dark, but I used it on a few doe hunts and really liked how it handles. It got me thinking these rifles are the real deal, as woods deer guns. The couple deer I shot with it died to one shot, but there was another round in the chamber before I was out of the recoil. Thanks again this is the kind of stuff I want to learn, my view of the 99 as A first string deer gun and not just A old time rifle used on casual hunts.

This ^. One of those (my Dad's from '57) is what got me hooked on 99's when I first started hunting. They're easy to recognize as they have a boss in the barrel where the rear sight sits. Factory D&T so no extra holes needed.

Post mil's are good hunting guns, my 358 from the 70's is still working just fine. BTW, there are plenty of post mil's with the rotary magazine, not just removable mag models. There is no need to completely cycle the action when emptying it, halfway is enough to catch the next round and then eject it, the bolt never needs to close completely.

Dale

Where are you located. I am in SC and have two 250's and a 300 for sale. They are in nice condition and maybe over your budget, but if close you could take a look. All are EG's from early 50's.

Charlie

FYI, there is a 250-3000 99A A series (introduced in 1971) on Gun Broker for a buy now $600. It does have sling added and says there is a crack, so not a collector gun.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=484478556

The old timers used to call the Savage 99 in 300 Savage caliber "Deer killing machines". Mine was made in 1939 and is an EG.

My two cents: I prefer the 99s with the old-style trigger, as it can be worked to a crisp 3 lbs. The new style trigger can't. You can also close the lever without cocking the rifle with the old style trigger. For a hunting rifle, the F model is a good choice due to its lighter weight and shorter barrel (than the EG). I also like the 99E with 20" barrel I bought from Jim here at 24HC. I bought it without wood, and that is a project I'm working on now. My brother-in-law in Vermont just bought an EG made in the 1950s in good shape for $450. I paid $550 for the 1956 Model F I bought from a friend recently. All the 99s mentioned here, my three and my brother-in-law's are 300 Savage chambering, a good one.

Don't do it!!! Walk away!!! One leads to two. Two leads to three. Three leads to... well... you get the idea.

Seriously, I like the recommendation of a pre mil F in 308. Classic safety. Drilled for scope if you want. 308 ammo easier and cheaper to get than 300. Oh and the F with a scope balances perfectly on the receiver for one hand carrying in the woods.

What tvknight said !!! Started with one in 2010 and now have 15. Just like eating popcorn...can't quit.

I think I have the addiction under control. I've never bought more than one at a time, yet, Joe.

THEY TEND TO BREAD AFTER the 1st 2 are Home.