Bushmaster...
Welcome to the Forum...
You can be assured that each of the Members who posted an answer to you (above) is telling you like-it-is.
A
pre-mil Model 99 in .243 Win. is a fairly rare item since Savage didn't add the .243 caliber until
1956 according to Doug Murray's "The Ninety-Nine" book. And Doug Murray is considered "THE" authority on the Savage Model 99 along with our own Rick99 and several of our Forum Members.
In general, most Model 99 collectors put a much greater value on "pre-mil" Model 99s than they put on "post-mil" Model 99s since it is felt the
quality of the pre-mil Model 99 is considerably better than the post-mil Model 99s... and since the pre-mil Model 99s were only made for a few short years prior to the Model 99's serial numbers passing 1 million (1,000,000... i.e., "post-mil") there were much fewer "pre-mil" Model 99s made than post-mil Model 99s.
Doug mentions, in his book, that Savage moved their manufacturing facilities from Chicopee Falls, Mass. to Westfield, Mass. in
1960 at which time the first "
post-mil" serial numbered Model 99s were first manufactured. Thus one of the reasons for the rarity of a Model 99 in .243 caliber.
Note the excerpt from my 1960 Lever Boss Code's records below. In 1960, Savage used the letter" L" to indicate the year of the Model 99s manufacture which was 1960:
L= 1960: 9681xx (11L), 968338(LBC=?), 9689xx(?), 969002(?), 969,390(11L), 10003xx(L), 1004XXX(11L),10060XX(9L), 10086XX(11L), 1009869(11L), 1009XXX(11L),10121XX(11L),In the LBCs shown above, the number in brackets following the rifle's serial number is the rifle's LBC [example: 9681xx (11L) ] which consists of the inspector's number ("11") and the letter "(L") indicates the year of manufacture.
Like LongBeardKing wrote (and Gnoahhh agreed), you'll need to open your wallet
WIDE to buy a pristine Model 99 in .243 Winchester caliber.
Good luck on your quest for the finest lever-action rifle ever made...
Strength & Honor...
Ron T.