Hi!
I'm brand new to the forum, thanks for being here!
I just purchased a basket case 99 takedown s/n 407xxx in .300 savage. The previous owner was shooting cowboy silhouette comps with it....so he shot a LOT of his own loads...apparently they were a little too hot...
-butt stock has several fractures and a missing chunk behind the top tang.
-rear firing pin retaining screw was bent.
-extractor bent, needed replacing.
-barrel and receiver threads were buggered by the extractor, but the barrel threaded back in with some tightness at each half-turn.
-bolt reassembly showed deeper problems...
--action would not cycle over the through-bolt, filing the heel of the bolt solved that (.030"), and still the bolt closes up at the end pretty stiffly.
-I ordered head space gauges, but I'm still concerned something else has been pounded out of shape.

...anyone else have similar experience?

sounds pretty scary to me. don't like to hear about filing anything in there.

There's a thing called lever bite adjustment that's pretty critical to how the 99 action cycles. It amounts to how the shape of the lever arc is formed and how it moves the bolt. Yours may be too far gone to matter...

Jeff,
Welcome!
Your basketcase should probably stay just that,a basketcase.Save/sell it for parts.Get a nicer one to hunt/shoot.
Where in Upstate are ya?

Sounds like it would make a mighty fine paper weight.

Blair

Thanks for the quick replies, I'm just west of Albany (Scotia, to be exact).
Before I drop it in the smelter, what are some of the other measurements I can take, besides checking the headspace?
I have been considering a 99 rebarrel into a field grade 99 in 7mm-08...maybe with some welding and rethreading this could be my donor gun??

Jeff,
I'm in Chestertown.
I'd push you towards another 99 altogether.
Field grade 99's are available.When is the Saratoga show?IIRC there is one in August.
Albany has a show,as does Syracuse.
518 494 2224 if I can be of any assistance.
Best,Jed.

I have several of my 99's at Steve's Gun Shop in Stephentown. His # is 518-773-9494. He probably will have them at Saratoga in August.

Great choices! I will definately check out the racks at Steve's. I snatched this one up because it was pretty inexpensive...but expensive enough that I want it give me something in return...not an injury, mind you, but something more than an expensive box of parts and an education about what NOT TO DO. Nice to find other 518 area codes here!
JeffG

Shooter grade/fully functional 99's can still be had for reasonable prices, so it doesn't make sense to put money into something like this. I really think the best idea is to break it completely down into parts and sell it that way. The proceeds will give you a good start on one that is in decent shape.

I need a lever tension spring and screw...


Mike...