Good Afternoon Savage Colleagues:

I recently acquired a 1952 Savage 99 chambered in 300 Savage. Based on available information, I believe this to be a Model 99EG.

When I received the rifle I fed a group of dummy rounds in the rifle and experienced intermittent feed problems. (see photos).
[img]https://drive.google.com/file/d/12bNRPMySYzC6jIAdo_1FYzko0s21Tm4T/view?usp=share_link[/img]
[img]https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ueeYH3AohqONJaw6oQcw2EPoFtOUzbYM/view?usp=share_link[/img]
After consulting with the owner of a local gun shop, part of the problem may be related to the gentle way I was operating the lever; and potentially the condition of the dummy rounds.

In any case, I dismantled the rifle with assistance of the AGI Assembly/Disassembly video, which I highly recommend! I was suspecting the carrier assembly to be faulty or at least a problematic spring or tension. As a result, I ordered a number of replacement parts from a schematic diagram in anticipation of replacing them.

The carrier body was significantly tarnished, and I attempted to clean the brass with brass cleaner "Brasso", however, the outcome was barely noticable. I did not dismantle the carrier assembly further as the spindle nut was staked onto the spindle. Since the spring appeared to be in tact, I didn't want to disturb the assembly as I didn't have the correct replacement parts. Most of the parts I received were different sizes and configurations from the original, and did not fit. These will be returned.

The only thing I did not remove from the receiver was the cartridge guide. I had ordered a replacement cartridge guide for the 300 Savage. When observing the replacement part, it was obvious that it was not the same configuration as the cartridge guide in the rifle. As I looked on the parts website, the photo that appeared to match the cartridge guide in my rifle was a guide for 308 Win. Please see photos of each.
[img]https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KQ73wrhX0qAlkxsFOgYYjs2E0DTmlUZV/view?usp=share_link[/img]
[img]https://drive.google.com/file/d/11LBmHn05LI-ZwR4IqILDc3-19naCBwvM/view?usp=share_link[/img]
Do these photos accurately reflect the two different cartridge guides?

Might it be possible that a previous owner could have changed out the cartridge guide in an effort to utilize the more readily available 308 Win cartridge? Would it even be possible to shoot 308 ammo in this Savage 99 designed for 300 Savage (I understood the internal pressure of the 308 Win to be significantly higher than the 300 Savage cartridge)? If this were to be the case - could this be the cause of the feeding problem I experienced?

I would greatly appreciate any feedback folks might have regarding this possibility of having the incorrect cartridge guide installed and the resulting issues.