99 production dropped from 12,000 in 1928 to 1300 in 1934. Yes it was hard to sell firearms then and I'm sure a lot of Savage employees got laid off.
On a similar note the wife of one of Harley-Davidson's top executives had to clean houses for a living during the depression. It seems like he was working for no salary just to do his part to keep the company going. David
During the depression, I would guess that Savage laid off many employees and kept the best of the best employed ... perhaps that is why those rifles of this period are so nice. I think some of the highest quality 99s were made then; I expecially like the Rs, RSs, Ts and Hs of that period.
