Hello all, just just a quick inquiry, what's the general thoughts on a near new condition 99c in 7mm-08 traded straight up for a same condition 1980 99-375 brush gun? Would it be a fair trade for both parties? They were both sort of scarce calibers, I believe. Is the 7mm-08 rifle harder to find? Thanks in advance

Yes

Grab the 375 Win. The 7-08 is good for smaller deer and light recoil. But every time I have shot a deer, I can't remember recoil.

If resale value is your standard, the 7-08 has a slight advantage, based on 12 sales for it and 27 sales of the 375. A real discriminator, however, is box and papers, so to really know, one would need to look at the details of all 39 transactions. My own limited experience suggests that box and papers can add up to 50% to the value of either and the better the condition, the more box and documentation add to the value.

Feel free to remit my 2 cents by cash, check, or money order (USPS only).

Sam

Is the 375A worth more than a 375 Brush gun?

No. .375 Brush guns are VERY rare . Most were .358 and the A's that exist are mostly Savage Services guns.

I have seen 10+ 375s in my life. And only one 7mm-08.

I've never heard anything about 99A's in 375 being Savage (custom) Service guns. They were listed in the 1981 catalog, so just thought they were rare but still normal production guns. Got anything more on this?

1981 catalog:

I've owned a couple 99A's in 375,but never owned a 7mm-08. I believe the 7mm-08 is the more rare rifle.

I've owned 3 7mm-08's that I remember. Owned a few 375's.

I would say the 7mm-08 brings more. As for 99A vs Brushgun 375s. I have logged similar numbers of each.. up around 30 total so far. The 375 was cataloged in both 99A and Brushgun. Almost all the Brushguns were 1980, but I have seen one with 1981 SN.. All the 99A 375s I have seen dated to 1981

I've never seen a 7mm-08.

That being said, being an Ohio resident, the .375 has more value to me.

If you're only concerned with resale value the 7mm-08 will bring more all things bring equal.

-Jake

What is a Savage services gun? Thanks in advance

That is a good question.

I wish we knew more details on them. I think it was a department of Savage that handled parts and custom orders sometime around the 80' s. It's been said that they also would put together rifles from leftover discontinued models (non-cataloged variations) or non-standard calibers. It has also been said that the company didn't always know what they had pieced together and sold. Rem260guy reported a pair of NIB 99-A's in 7mm-08 from their time.

Anyone with more/correct info on Savage Services please speak up.

There was a forum member who went by savparts that worked in that shop until Savage closed it down. I've lost most of the info on him but his first name is Steve and he moved to Inverness, FL after leaving Savage. He took a ton of Savage 99 parts with him and sold them for a number of years. Eventually he got out of the whole 99 business, sold off the parts and stopped posting here in 2010. He had some of the Spain guns and did his best to make them work and sold them off. Ralph scooped the last 3 after I made the mistake of mentioning it to him.

I spoke with Steve several times over the years. The Service shop did all kinds of things from repairs and rebarrels to custom orders and just kept busy in general building things from the parts around them.

He was listed as a Savage repair/service provider. He found that there was still 10 plus Spain rifles still in the vault at Savage and bought them all. They are in later production boxes than the originals. I manage to get one. I don't know how well it functions...still in the box. They were sold without a guarantee. I don't know if they were leftovers or rifles that needed tweaking. Based on the production date and the change in owner ship of the company they would not have been guaranteed anyhow.

Also got some Savage Services paperwork. Some good info and some that was wrong based on later employees trying to piece together early production info.

Thanks Mike. I had forgotten about Steve.(Savparts).

I bought this 375 about a year ago. Calhoun says the serial number is later than 1981. It’s E 7292xx. He also said this was a left over parts gun. They were throwing together anything they could to sell.

That serial is early 1987.

I don’t think it had been fired when I got it in my hands, shoots real good with 200 grain Sierras.

It's either a very, very late 99A put together from leftover parts, or a special gun made up for somebody. 1987 was bankruptcy time.. so I'm sure it was ship all the guns that it was possible to put together without spending significant time or money.

I have a 99 375 Brush Gun. A few years ago, a guy in San Antonio saw a post where I mentioned I would like to have one. He was selling it for his Dad. Since we are both in Texas, it was a simple intrastate transaction. Sometimes fate is the best strategy. :-)

T.S.