Any of you own a high condition 1899F (SRC)? If so can you post some decent pictures? Heck, even if you don't own it but have some good pictures of one, can you post some?

How often do high option or fancy ones come around?

Mine are all in definitely used condition, and I don't recall seeing any really nice ones. My assumption is that if someone bought one new it was probably to actually use on a horse.

SRC's are not common. Particularly in the Winchester calibers. And yes, some were road pretty hard. A work'in man's gun. With a horse!
Options or fancy? Uncommon squared. Likely existing only in private collections.
Sweet rifles. This .303 and all of my .303's feel dreamy.
Note the dovetail placement.

#69xxx & 136xxx
30-30 .303

I've got a 25-35, a 303 and a 30-30. They handle really well and I'm always on the lookout for more. But I don't recall seeing one that obviously hadn't been carried in a scabbard most of its life.

Ones with special order features are extremely uncommon. Fug has a few REALLY good ones. I saw a pretty high condition pistol grip 1899F in the Springfield Bass Pro NRA museum and just about cried to see it just tucked away in a display like it was nothing special.

High condition ones are out there, but are mostly hiding in collections since they are so uncommon.

You might find some nice ones in my Fest slideshows. The downside (upside?) is you'll have to look at a lot of other 99's while searching.

https://savagelevers.com/2014-savage-fest-slideshow/
https://savagelevers.com/2018-savage-fest-slideshow/

I haver only 2 SRC's. One is at the top of this picture along, it is in 30-30 Win, with the 1950's F's that i have managed to accumulate. I also have a "decent" 1895 SRC

Passed on a .25-35 Win. SRC with extra holes at the Bloomsburg Show a while ago

The one in the picture with the 99Fs is the nicest one I have seen.

There are pics of my late 303 in Figures 3-1 and 3-4 in my book. I also have a really nice one in 32-40. Will get some pics of them later.

Wow, one in 32-40. Can't be many of those floating around.

Well, Thank you.

What caliber is the second from the top?

If you are referring to my picture, it is in .300 Savage. I also have another checkered F in 30-30 Win.

Damnesia, some have been preserved in excellent condition. Here are some pics of two. The top one is 32-40. The high gloss blue on the receiver doesn't photograph well but it is about 90% there. The lower one is in 303. The serial number places it as produced in 1917. However, it letters as shipped in 1919. It has the duller blued receiver which is characteristic of post WWI 1899's. So it was finished when Savage went back into civilian production after the war.




The 303 is what really got me collecting Savages. It was at a gun show in Rock Springs. I told the seller I thought the saddle ring had been added. He said no and showed me a pic of the 1899F in Murray's. I bought the carbine but he wouldn't sell me his copy of Murray's. I hadn't seen Murray's book before but found him on the internet and got a signed copy. That really got me going on acquiring 99's. The 32-40's serial # is 972XX making it an early rifle with the curved rear bolt surface. The 303's serial # is 1923xx. Although 1919 was probably the last year of 1899F production we have seen quite a few with higher serial numbers. They were still probably left over pre-war receivers.
Yep, should have been 1899F. Old age is getting the best of me. Will be 77 in a couple of weeks. I'll use the excuse I tend to call them carbines or SRC's.

I think you mean 1899-F as in SRC vs feather weight.

Note the difference in rear sights on the two SRC's. The older one has the dovetail close to the receiver with a carbine ladder sight. The post war SRC has the dovetail in the standard rifle location with a #15 WG sight.

I fixed that H and F problem with an edit.

The only other one of these I ever saw was on John Wright's table, which he graciously let me pick up and look at more closely. Very "decent"!!, of You to share it here LBK

Here's one I worked on all winter off and on. The backsight main cross pin is seized and the side elevation wheel shaft is bent and won't turn a full 360' .

I think it's safe to shoot but some one put a pipe wrench on it and failed to remove the barrel. The teeth depth may not be any deeper than the diameter of a lighter contour barrel at the same location which I assume would be smaller but since all mine are 1899 303 Savage I don't have any to compare and measure for comparison.
The gun took a teaspoon of gravel from cleaning and needed a new staple , magazine main axle , new backsight, new firing pin cross screw near the back of the bolt , and stock work. All that's left is to make a saddle ring for it. I've probably got it thumpin' again.

The No 21B sight was probably the very worst choice for use on a gun intended for rough use. These are usually found with the windage screw bent at least a little, as well as other problems, they are also known for broken elevation springs which has been covered a few times. I have straighten the windage screws but if it's set I would say leave it, they tend to get a little loose after straightening.


The No 21B first shows up as replacement for the No 11 as standard on the carbines in the 1903 catalog, the No 11 no longer being listed. The No 11 was a robust ladder style carbine sight as used by Winchester, Marlin and others and was probably from a third party source. The top one of David's has the No 11 type sight.

The No 21B was designed & patented by Arthur W. and assigned to Savage Arms. The patent was applied for Nov 25, 1904 just a couple months before Arthur Savage was ousted from the company, his last patented design for the company, and issued May 16, 1905. The No 21 sight is still shown on the SRC in catalog No 50 from about 1912 but catalog No 55 from about 1914 lists the No 15WG sight for the SRC's (the bottom one of David's). The No 21B was also standard on the Model 1905 single shot and an option on the other Models of 22's, that was also changed in catalog No 55 with it being replaced with the new windage adjustable design No 25B. The No 21b was still listed in No 55 & No 57 but was no longer a standard on anything and was not listed in catalog No 60 from about 1916.

There are several variations of the No 21 with a buckhorn version and screw adjustments instead of knobs.

Can you share details and pics about the work you did to put a new staple in? I have one that needs a staple.

What would be going rate for Savage 1899F SRC with 21b sight in 303 savage? A bit better condition than the 303 savage SRC f above? I will get pictures tomorrow.

Depends. I'd be interested in talking about it though.

I don't have a lot of 1899's but I had a couple scopes and I needed something to put them on, the way they mounted I had limited options for early 1899's and I finally got a rifle they would go on. It's not that great of shape. I tried two different scope on it and I think I will go with the 5/8' Malcolm, it's a sturdier set-up, so more suited for a SRC... now I will need another rifle for the Stevens scope.

This is a 28" Stevens, for a full length Stevens scope on an 1899 you need one that is the barrel length + 8". Stevens listed some scopes as long as 34" but the longest I've seen are 30". For these you need a front sight dovetail so they will not work with anything with an integral front sight post.


This is the 5/8" Malcolm, if I had a longer scope I would have more options, but with this one the rear sight dovetail has to be closer to the receiver than on some models.

Those scopes are great and look awesome on the gun. Having a setup similar to the pic with the Stevens is something I'd like to have some day. But those scopes aren't easy to find and aren't cheap.

Of course I can damnesia.
Listen , As with a lot of things, the staple is an easier job than it is until you start to do it. You need to knock out the old staple legs ,if they are still in the side of the receiver. Use a light punch and tap them into the inside of the gun ,the shoulder ,as much as possible removed . Find the size of these legs with good calipers or try your drills in the fresh holes to get a good dimension. The distance between the the two shoulders is shy of 1 inch by about 1/ 16. " I made mine 1 inch and believe it just a bit long.
I measured a known good staple on an 1899 by running a length of magnet wire along its exposed length and found it to be 1 inch.
You have to get some good steel (I used a badly pitted 1903 Springfield condemned barrel that I split lengthwise like an orange in 4 and got 4 pieces 4 inches long that had enough meat on them to turn round in the lathe to make the thin section in the middle separated by the shoulders 1 inch apart . The legs need to be touched with a small fine file to champher the ends so that when you drive the first leg into the hole it doesn't bend the straight staple but is an interference fit and snug.
Once you get one leg in just heat the staple with an ordinary propane torch until you can tell it will bend with pliers. Bend it ,( it will bend easy like a nail ) line it up with the second hole ,get it started, and drive it home ,(not so hard as to warp it sideways) with a small ball pein hammer,or if you preferr a softer face .I used a ball pen which gave a flat area on the top because I liked the smithing' look.
The legs need to long enough to knock over on the inside once they are set but not so long as to interfere with the action . Try to make them so you aren't required to cut them off once they poke through to the inside. Make one a little longer than the other , and set it in first. The shoulders are flat bottomed of course with a contour into the staple on top.
IL get you off some pictures of mine before long.
It's easy.
Malcolm.
,

I will be bringing mine to Savage Fest in Sept. Not in fine shape but an oddity. Darrrell

Damnesia , Here is a drawing of the staple after it was done on the lathe. I didn't take pictures of the work in progress.


[img]https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/galleries/17479687/1899-staple[/img]

The best picture of a staple shoulder is found in Gene's Photograph a few posts back. You'll have a hard time telling the difference between one you do and one done by Savage

That looks great and thanks for remembering Malcolm! Oh and thanks for all the details.

Same gun.





Kazan says Time for bed.

So I am probably going to offer $1500. Would this be about ball park?


It is missing a top screw in the receiver.

Koboku ,That looks like an original ring. Would you be willing to give a measurement of the overall OD with calipers ? The overall od. And the thickness of the wire used to make the ring.
Thanx man .

My 1912 SRC has the #21 on it.

That one looks like it's in pretty good shape.

Two of mine have #21s the other has a King full buckhorn.

It was restored. I think it was in pretty good shape before. All of the stampings are still crisp, so at least it wasn't buffed down bad.

I might be looking for an early King for my 1902 Engraved A. It has a later King on it, and the catalogue shows a King available in 1902.

Another pic from a member..

25-35 Winchester
303 savage
30-30 Winchester
38-55 Winchester
32-40 Winchester