I’m asking for the best traditional deer rifle, not the most collectible or fanciest. What is the quintessential American deer hunting Savage 99. What sights or scopes would it have as well.

I’m not a Savage 99 collector or any kind of expert. I’ve shot them and owned some over the last 30 years, but I’ve only owned 3. So I’m curious what other people consider THE Savage 99 they would choose on their way out the door to go hunting.

If I had to choose based on the few I’ve owned, I would say a 99EG in 300 Savage, made in 50’s, maybe with a Leupold vari-xII 2-7x SCOPE.

However I would be very interested and would consider one in 250 Savage (I mean look at my user name!) and I’ve also always like the looks of Savage 99R models.

That's a pretty subjective question.

My personal favorite is my 99F in .308. it's not my favorite 99 or 1899, but my favorite for hunting.

99EG, 300 Savage

Cut checkered 284, best of the best

I collected 99's for a decade or so and I really liked my 99F in 358 Win. for hunting, my nephew used a 99A in 243 Win and killed a lot of deer with that rifle.

99F from the 1950's or early 60's in 250-3000, 300, 308, 358
1964 cut checkered 284 DL or F

Out of the blue... 1950's 243, 250, or 308 in a 99R, maybe an EG but I am not a traditionalist! Nor do I usually hunt in the timber, heavy woods, or on horseback!

I have better rifles for my uses than a 99, but am intrigued with the history, design, and nostalgia which cannot be denied. 308 99R would be my first choice to the question for my uses out West but I am for some reason partial to the 243!!! Gave a well used 99F to a good friend neighbor and have the R that I fell into out of sheer luck... it's final fate yet to be determined but I have still enjoyed being it's caretaker/admirer!

Enjoy the different responses and thoughts and have utmost respect for most on this forum... one of the more consistent and useful 'fire forums IMHO.

True, the jack asses don’t post much here.

The 99EG has to be one of the best known Savage 99 models, it was the highest production gun and was made in large numbers for 25 years.

But "best" is subjective. Take your pick. 1899A, 1899A SR, 1899C, 250-3000, 99G, 99RS V1, 99T, 99EG, 99F, 99A V2..

“Best Traditional” is the operative term

The fifties 358 F’s are nice.

I've shot two nice pigs and over 100 deer with my 1950R in 250. It is also my first 99. I really like my 1926F in 303 and might start hunting it more. The last couple years I've been gravitating to pre WWI rifles. I might turn my 1902 engraved 1899A in 303 into my fair weather hunter. The more I shoot it, the more I like it.

I've only owned a 300 savage and it's taken lots of game.

!950's "F" in 300 for hunting topped with a 2X8 Leupold would be my preference, pretty well handles most north American game. GW

Last hunting season it was my pre war R in 303, the year before my 50’s 250F, etc. Hell, i love them all. Lol. This year hoping to be my 30-30 T!!

I have drooled over a few.

I’m actually a little surprised that a couple mentions of the 284. I own one. Bought it about 5-6 years ago for $400. Hunted hard, beat up, the pressed checkering worn and faded, forearm was cracked and for some reason it didn’t line up with the screw hole very well, so it was cross threaded and pretty loose. Butt stock also cracked and worn. Blueing almost gone completely.

I am finishing a new checkered stock and forearm for it now. Thinking about having it reblued as well. I know some would say this hurts the “collectibility” but I just don’t see the gun as functional as I received it. Anyway, I’m excited to get it back to 100% again.

Thinking about which scope would be best for this rifle. Considering older Leupolds and Redfield Widefields.

I would simply say, not an "E" and not a "clip" version.
For a lefty, not the lever safety.
I do like the EG fore arm.
I also like to see a straight, steel tube scope on them.
With Vintage Rifle Scopes doing rebuilds and updates, a straight tube steel Weaver scope makes sense if you're willing to pay their price.

Pre Covid Irionsights rebuilt my 1912 Malcolm 3X for $140, including taking a dent out of the tube and one new lens. Don't know what Covid has done to their pricing?

The 99’s are walk around deer rifles imo. The triggers are not as tuneable as a bolt action and tend to be on the heavy side. Walk around deer appear fast and often are on the run. Much as I like .308’s and .358’s for woods deer, those cartridges recoil a lot in a 99. Lots of guys that load here back their .308’s down to .300 Savage levels in the 99’s. A walking deer hunter wants a light nimble handing rifle and that means a mid 50’s 99F in .300 Savage or .308 if you handload with a wide fov low mounted Leupold 1.5-5x20 with the heavy duplex. Got one and it’s perfect for a walk around rifle. The problem is that darn few of us Midwestern guys walk around anymore deer hunting.

I haven't gotten sucked into the 50's F rabbit hole yet. My favorite stand rifle is my 1950R in 250, and my walk around rifles are my 1926 F 303 and my 1912 H 22HP.

There isn't a "Best". The quintessential would probably be an EG in 300, and then there are favorites.

Like windfall I love them for a walk around/still hunting/tracking rifle. My first was a 300 Sav iron sights, then a 16" 308 w/180RNs Weaver K-1.5, now a 375Win with the forend Narrowed and the grip made smaller Weaver V-3.

The 300, this is the one with the Springfield barrel that was looted after a tornado.

The one you're holding in your hand.

It all depends on the situation.

Woods hunting? Post-WW2 99F.

Over-watching open ground? Post-WW2 99R, 99DL, or 99CD.

You wouldn't play a round of golf with 1 club, so why would you want to hunt different scenarios with 1 rifle?

I am not a minimalist, more of a match the tool to the task kind of guy, so my favorite 99 to carry afield is probably the rebored/rechambered 99F IN 260.

Im liking my rebarreled E in 260 with EG wood. Still working on some load developing for it.

Well if we're going off the rails with custom stuff a really good walkaround rifle is this 270 Titus. Nice and light, hell on deer. Ol' Bliss Titus was onto something when he necked the 300 Savage to .277. Now that Barnes offers 95 and 110 gr ttsx bullets it's hard to imagine a better deer cartridge and rifle combination. I haven't checked velocity with the Barnes yet but it's good, and the ttsx at high velocity is always effective.

Really enjoy reading about people’s favorites and preferences. Gotta say that I also enjoy the 1950’s F in .300. It’s a nice round for hogs, a fast pointer, and I load a few with 115gr bullets to feel a little less over sized for coyotes.

I love my 99F in 308 with Leopold M8x4, a joy to hunt with in south western BC

Well said, Putting into the context of a walking around hunting rifle. Why not a 250 Savage then? I know most of them are 1:14 twist and therefore limited to 80 grain bullets, but still, it should be very proficient for deer. Less recoil means keeping your head on the stock better for the follow up shot.

I wasn’t suggesting you should only use one rifle, just asking people what they consider the quintessential 99 or maybe best 99 for practical purposes. It’s just interesting to hear what people have learned through their years of hunting with a 99. I always learn something when I ask questions like this.

What gunsmiths re-barrel 99’s? Would think it might be difficult to find someone.

With a 250_3000 moniker I could see that you might favor that chambering. I see that you are familiar with the light bullet rifling twist of those 99 .250’s. That is what put me off on a .250 99. That and lots of our Midwestern deer run large and as a walking around shot opportunity is often at a less than perfect shot angle, I like a heavier, larger diameter bullet for better penetration. When I was looking for a 99 I thought that I wanted a .308 only for the factory ammunition availability. After I shot that .300 I said to myself that this is pretty darn good and more than enough for what I’ll do with it.

The quintessential 99 might depend on where you were physically located. For example while the 99R might be a better choice on the wide open plains than any other comparable style of 99, they were the most unloved/unwanted style of 99 when i was living in New England. 99Rs would languish in used gun rack, assuming that gun shops would even take them in trade.

Or so it seems to me.

Yup.

The caliber that came to the party too late, 99F, with a [bleep] after market stock, rebarreled to 260 rem. near perfect whitetail gun IMO. Death wish on hogs too LOL

Even for a refinished rifle, this is one of my favorites.

99 EG in .300

Yep. That was the 99 that paid the bills for Savage in the post war economy. Not to mention it’s also a damn nice looking rifle with a cartridge that’s up to the task of anything you’d ask a 99 to do. Some guys like to marginalize the EG in 300 because there are so many of them. They put higher value on rarer types and calibers. But there was a good reason why EGs in 300 were sold in great numbers and why some of those others didn’t. And who am I to go up against that experience and wisdom?

Not sure who did the work on mine but they did a fantastic job!

ctw works on 99’s, has a 338 Federal he is rebarreling for me. It be a fine deer and pig slayer

I was going to have a 338 fed made and then i won the 260 on auction. Still might have one made also.

My favorite Savage 99 is one CTW rebarreled for me in 450 Bushmaster.

My next one

A '59 99F 300. The folding rear sight makes a great express sight for stillhunting.

What caliber ?? Have a refinish in 32-40, sure is nice to shoot

It's a 38-55. Made the mistake of taking it to Tulsa as a display item. Bad idea. Everybody wanted to buy it off me...

McGowen has did two 99's for me with barrels and their in house gunsmith who knows his way around a 99 really well. CTW has a 99C of mine that will be a 6.5 CM.

It’s a tie with me.

Late 50s 99R in 308.
99C in 284 Win

Both guns are really good luck when I take them hunting.

First animal I’ve ever taken with open sights. I can shoot them since I have a store bought right eye now. Hit him in chest, 165 Hornady came out right hindquarter. That was 5th time I’d seen him, only time he was under 75 yards, had to take that shot.

Good to know, thanks. What state is he located in?

I’ve been working on finishing a stock and fitting it to my 99. I’ve enjoyed it. So was thinking of looking for another beater 99, restocking it and possibly re-barrel it also. Would do a 250 Savage with a 1:8 twist and a reamer to accommodate longer bullets like the Berger 133 Elite Hunting bullet.

Funny thing, when I joined this forum over a decade ago I had recently acquired a nice Savage 99 in 250-3000. My father had always been a 99 fan and I had always wanted one, especially in 250. But I was also a long range rifle fan and believed in heavy, long, high BC bullets. I still do, but I am not as stubborn about it these days. Anyway, I traded that Savage 99 because I was disappointed in the 1:14 barrel rate of twist. Wish I could have that rifle back…

Very nice. I would like to do something like that. Find a beat up, used 99C and give it a new stock, new barrel. I know many believe you should keep all 99’s in original condition or they lose their value. I look at some of the well used 99C’s with stamped checkering and think, a custom 99 like you have is a much better representation of the 99’s capabilities and legacy.

Gostomski’s in Western MD. 301 264 3773. I’ll be heading to his shop next week. I’m having him see if he can get a 444 Rimless to work in a 99C, and while he’s at it, make a switch barrel keeping the 243 barrel that’s on the action.

How much heavier is the 99R compared to a EG or an F? My Savage 99 book doesn’t specify a weight. It says “produced 1932-1960. larger stock than other 99’s. Long P/G. Checkered. 1950- heavier through comb, but no grooves.” “Barrel - 22 and 24” tapered medium weight.” “Forearm - fuller shape with grooved round tip. 8-7/8” long. 1950 - semi-beavertail shape. 10-5/8” long.”

It’s funny, I don’t notice my 1950R, in 250 as being heavy, and it should be the heaviest of the R’s because it has the smallest hole in the barrel. But, when I pick up my 1899H in 22HP, it feels really light. Even my 1899A in 303 feels light in comparison.

99F- clubbing squirrels
99EG- clubbing seals
99R- club whatever the hell you want

I need a “Club Caddy” to hand me the correct club.

And if you have a man bun and wear skinny jeans, you'll do your clubbing with a post-mil press checkered clip-fed 99 - provided you can find a girl to help you lift it.

I don’t know, but I wonder if this is in the context of the 1930’s-50’s when lightweight rifles were more common. Today people don’t bat an eye at hunting with a 9 or 10# gun. Just wondering if a 99EG might’ve been 7.0# and a 99R was 7.5# or something minor like that.

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Since the barreled actions of the 99EG and post-WW2 99Rs are the same, the weight difference is all in the stock and forearm. The post-WW2 99Fs only share their actions, not the barrels, stocks, or forearms.

My F is 1600 miles north of here, but being the analytical cuss that I am, I weigh all my rifles. With that Leupold 1.5-5x20 that is on that .300, I don’t remember it going much over about 7:5 pounds.

You'll need a cart for sure if you want a full bag of Savages! LOL

1959 catalog says: 99F about 6 1/2 lbs; 99 EG about 7 1/4 lbs; 99R about 7 1/4 lbs. go figure. It shows the R with sling swivel eyes also. That must add an ounce or two.

Thank you. That’s about what I figured. Wood isn’t all that heavy usually so a little extra isn’t going to add up too much. Wouldn’t surprise me if 99R’s actually weigh a few ounces more.

Who is "ctw"? Website? Full name?

For most deer hunting I'd guess that the 300 Savage is hard to beat. Mine is a 99eg and it has a M8-4x on it.



It wouldn't be my first choice for long range though.

The answer to the original question is easy: It's the one you're holding right now. That being said, my go-to deer rifle is a mid-1950s (factory drilled and tapped) 99F in .300 Savage.

I said that pages ago. You guys have just got WAY too much idle time on your hands.

I like the pre war feather weight barrels 1920?

I like shot gun butts.

300 savage is my favorite caliber

I would like to get a carbine butt some time……

But I ain’t losing any sleep over not owning one…..yet.

This post motivated me to weigh some Chicopee Falls 99s.
99EG 300 cal, serial #683xxx. Wt. 7.8#'s
99F 308 cal, serial #950xxx, Wt 6.8#'s
99F 243 cal, serial #928xxx, wt. 6.7#'s. This rifle's barrel is about .03" smaller outside diameter than the 308.
99EG 243 cal, serial #924xxx, Wt. 7.7 #'s +
99EG 358 cal, serial #967xxx, Wt. 7.0 #'s. Ha, Ha, Gottcha. This rifle has a drilled out (lightened) 99F buttstock. Could this be the major weight difference between the F and the EG?
99R 250-3000 cal, serial #698xxx. 9.4 #'s but it has a Leupold 3x9 scope and Redfield mount. I weighed an unattached Leo 3x9 and a Redfield mount and rings. They weigh 1.0 #. So the 99R in 250 weighs 8.4#'s. Both of my post WWII R's have scopes so this was the best I could do.

That is helpful, thanks! Very interesting too.

Thanks, I found the results interesting. The catalog said the EG and R weighed the same which I knew from holding them (and looking at them) that that couldn't be true. I should weigh the 99R 300 but it's complicated taking the Boone Saturn scope off of it. I would expect it to be a little lighter than the 250-3000 because the barrel would be a little thinner due to the larger bullet diameter. Maybe 8 1/4 pounds. I don't trust the catalogs much.

Once years ago I almost bought a 99R in 250 in a Cabelas outside of Reno Nevada that was worth its weight in Tiger Tanks. It inspired me to post a thread on the forum asking why the R was so heavy when all the metal parts appeared the same as an EG. The only answer I could get was that it had to do with the density of the wood. And that seemed as reasonable an answer as anything else to me. I would have bought that R had not the sales staff been more motivated in getting my money than anything else having to do with the transaction.

walk around in bush 30-30 carbine, sitting 250 or 300 and longer range Lupy 3-7 power. big thing for me now is get my azz out there.

norm