Funny, this whole thing has gone 1895 vs 1899.
I like Savage guns, always have, but all 99s are not created equal. The .303, despite its name, still used a .308" bullet, the difference was, it was loaded with 190grs. of weight. Folks today load the .303 as the lesser cousin of the 30-30 mostly due to caution and the age and unknown abuse heaped upon 99s in .303.
The real downfall of the Savage 99 lies in the chamberings. Traditional levergunners like heavy bullets at modest velocities, and the only Savage cartridge to fit this bill was the old .303-the .250, .300, .308WCF seem to make up the bulk of the chamberings I've seen, all fine rounds, yet not one of them the equal to the old Krag, or the 30-06 with a good 220 softpoint.
Folks tell me they made the 99 in a bunch of other chamberings, I even heard someone say they made some in .375 WCF. If that was true, now that would make a levergunner proud.
If I had to choose between the 99 and the 95, well, just because of those great cartridges, the Winchester gets the nod.
