DeepCdiver... welcome to the Forum...
An excerpt from my records (below) indicates your rifle could have been made in either late 1952 or early 1953. The "tie-breaker" is the Lever Boss Code ("LBC") which is the most sure way of determining the year of manufacture.
Look on the lever boss which is the lower, front side of the receiver. The LBC will be stamped inside an oval on the opposite side of the point on the lower part of the receiver where the lever rotates.
The LBC is a number (the inspector's number) followed by a letter which indicates the year of manufacture... and is very lightly stamped inside a very lightly stamped
OVAL (NOT a CIRCLE) on the lever boss.
The LBC would look like this if your rifle was manufactured in 1952 and Inspector #3 did the final inspection:
3DYou will probably need a magnifying glass and some good light to see the LBC... and your rifle's LBC and/or the OVAL surround it may NOT be complete due to how lightly it was stamped on the lever boss.
Savage began using LBCs in 1949... using the letter "A" to indicate "1949". In 1950, the letter was changed to "B", in 1951, it was changed to "C", in 1952, it was changed to "D" and so on through 1971 when the letter "Y" was used.
The letters "O" and "Q" were skipped due to their similarity.
D= 1952: 621686(3D), 625775(19D). 628,864 (3D), 638145(3D), 643122, 655689, 6693xx, 6726xx, 673018(27D),
E= 1953: 6664XX (19E), 694,7XX(19E) 699XXX(19E), 709xxx(3E-my rifle), 724xxx(20E), 8351xx(0E),I agree with those who indicated your rifle is probably an "EG". The "EG" was one of the most popular and probably made in the greatest numbers of the different models manufactured during the years your rifle. While made in several different calibers, the .300 Savage caliber was the most common (and one of the most useful) calibers in which the "EG" was made.
My own "99" is a 1953 EG in .300 Savage caliber... and many generations of eastern deer hunters agree the Model 99 rifle in .300 Savage caliber is "
THE" ultimate eastern deer rifle and caliber.
I handload 150 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip Bullets in Winchester cartridge cases in front of 40.8 grains of H4895 rifle powder sparked by a standard Winchester large rifle primer for deer hunting at my bestest hunting buddy's cozy cabin up on the High Plateau among the mountain laurel in the Moshannon State Forest 20 miles north of DuBois, Pennsylvania. This combination yields a muzzle velocity (24" barrel) of 2635 fps and fine accuracy of .75 inches at 100 yards.
Enjoy your fine deer and hog rifle... it's one of the BEST! Incidentally, 150 grain Cor-loks or 150 grain Nosler Partition Bullets would be perfect for hogs.
Ballistic Tip bullets are fine for thin-skinner game like deer, but wild boars have a thick, tough "collar" that a Ballistic Tip Bullet might not penetrate.
The ballistics of the .300 Savage cartridge are very similar to those of the .308 Winchester, but that shouldn't be surprising because the .308 Winchester was designed using the .300 Savage cartridge as a model.
Designed in 1920, the .300 Savage cartridge was the original "short, fat cartridge". Using a cut-off .30/06 and given a very sharp, very modern (even by today's standards) 30� shoulder, the .300 Savage was originally designed to match the then-current .30/06 ballistics (150 grain bullet @ 2700 fps) in a shorter cartridge available in a lever-action rifle. While the .300 Savage came close (2630 fps), it never quite made it.
I wouldn't suggest using 180 grain bullets in the .300 Savage because they are long and tend to intrude too far into the cartridge's powder chamber thus limiting the amount of powder that can be put into the cartridge which, in turn, limits the muzzle velocity that can be attained with suitable rifle powders.
A better choice which would get the job done would be a 165 grain premium bullet like the Nosler Partition which would be sufficient for elk, moose or any big game animals in the new world short of the "big bears".
While the .300 Savage would kill a grizzly, Kodiak or Polar bear with reasonable bullet placement, you'd be smart to use a cartridge with more "horse-power" than the .300 Savage on those big fellas. I understand that they can get downright "
unpleasant" if shot with too light a rifle... and THAT could ruin your WHOLE day!!!
I hope this information helps you understand what a fine hunting tool you've gotten & what a very special rifle you have.
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.