Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors The Lever Action Collector Series

1982, 1983 & 1985

I have copies of the 336 and 99 editions. My brother has the 88. I like everything about all three but for the covers. It has to be the worst material ever made for a book cover as just about everything stains or discolors it. Not handy for taking to gun shows and such.

OK????????????

Not sure what you mean. I've pretty much worn out two copies of the 99 edition over the last 20-years. That's probably because I've read it the most. I'd say that the 336 edition is comparable to the 99 edition in historical content, but since it primarily covers the 336 it doesn't go much further back than 1948. The 336 edition does have a brief section on the 36. The 88 edition edition is smaller in content but then again the 88 was made over a much shorter period of time than were the 336 and 99. Do they contain a comparable amount of accuracies and inaccuracies as the 99 edition? Who knows. I'm not sure anyone can really quantify that with the 99 edition. But I doubt that either has ever been scrutinized as much as the 99 edition has. I like all three, but find the 99 edition most valuable as Brophy wrote an excellent book on Marlin and the subject of Winchester has been recounted time and time again. In comparison, the subject of Savage is a relative information desert. That is you don't find nearly as much information out there on Savage as you do for Marlin and Winchester. For that reason alone I think that Murray's book on the 99 is his most significant contribution.

I have all 3 Editions on the savage 99, never seen a copy of the 88 or 336 Marlin. but I do have Brophys Marlin book.

Winchester 88?

















Never heard of her.....

I wasn't allowed to swear growing up.

It was a Winchester offering for the lever gun market in the late 50s and 60s. The 88 was known as the lever action bolt gun and for having a notoriously bad trigger. One of the writers who i cant recall his name had an 88 he nicknamed Old Thumper. Other than the trigger they are a nice rifle.

That was sarcasm sir

Maybe the desert will get watered March 28.

It wasn't a real lever rifle. Just an impostor.

Why so sarcastic about the 88???

They have all the handling qualities of a 4x4 post, and the trigger of a rusty Red Ryder.

Oh well, I'm no fan of Winchester but I guess it would be out of line expecting something positive to be said about their products on a Savage forum! I never succumbed to the 88 or its semi-automatic brother the 100, even back when you could pick them up cheap in the 90s. By the way, anyone else have anything to say about Murray's other books? Might as well get back on topic.

The 88 and 336 was never updated. They were a good start.

Correct!

On the last page of Murray's 99 book it mentions The Lever Action Collector Series. One thing lead to another and all were acquired. It appears the 88 book has been reprinted several times but the 336 has not. Might explain why it was difficult to find. The content in the 88 & 336 books is useful although the 99 book is more comprehensive.

That's why you always have to have at least two. One to take to gun shows and put notes in and place sticky notes and one to keep pristine on the shelf. You can't be afraid to write notes and post sticky notes in the one that you take to gun shows. That's your encyclopedia of all things M99 Savage. There's always something new to be learned and if you don't write notes in the book you'll loose it. The pristine one on the book shelf is just for show.

Are those books for sale, and do you still have them...I am new to this forum, but do have an affinity for the 99s..it's a nostalgic thing from my youth..

Copies of the 99 book are still for sale. I see them at gun shows and on ebay. I don't know about the other two. I suspect there was less demand for the 88 and 336 copies as the 88 has limited appeal and there are more exhaustive works out there on Marlin and Winchester. Brophy's book on Marlin probably tells you all you want to know about the 1893/36/336 series up to the time of its publication. The 88 is harder to find specific information on so I would start there if you were to focus your efforts on collecting Murray's books.