Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Is this factory Savage 99 wood?

I realize the quality might not be attainable, but that it pretty much the exact shape of stock I like. What model is it from if it's factory?

Looks like an early hand checkered DL made between 1960 and 1964. Savage went to impressed checkering in 1965 on all models except the 99PE.

Thanks. Are the post 65 models the same shape, just cheap checkering? I can live with that, but I'd love that shape.

I wouldn't call hand checkering cheap. Pressed checkering yes. If you look at a lot of the old classic rifles with hand checkering you will see that most all have some issues such as over runs. Checkering back then, in my opinion, was more utilitarian than decorative. Today checkered stocks are things of beauty and that's why they look the way they do. They fetch your eye and pocket book. Personally, I prefer the older hand checkered stocks over the newer stocks and think that they are more durable with fewer lpi.

I was not clear. I agree with you in the hand checkering. I was just asking if the post 65 DL stock is the same shape with pressed checkering, or if they changed the shape as well when they added pressed checkering. I'm willing to live with the cheap (pressed) of the shape is same.

I just want to know what I'm looking for. I'm new to 99's

Comparing the photos of the DL's in the 1961 (hand checkered) and 1968 (pressed checkered) catalogs the stocks look like they're the same shape. Unfortunately I don't have a hand checkered DL to compare to my pressed checkered DL's.
Personally I really don't like pressed checkering and say so in my book. Ron Coburn told me Savage had to go to pressed checkering because they weren't able to hire enough skilled people to keep up with the demand for hand checkering. The later 99's built from the early 1980's till the end of production had laser checkering which looked much better than the pressed checkering. Actually it's too perfect. I prefer the hand checkering with a few blemishes like overruns which give it that hand finished look. David

Thanks so much, David. I'll keep an eye out for an '80+ or a pre 65, but I'm guessing those carry a pretty premium.

Although I haven't owned one, I believe the post 65 (isn't it ironic that "post" starts with "pos"?) is bulkier through the grip than the 60-64 DL.

That's unfortunate. I generally like a thinner grip, but I'll keep an eye out.

Those are GREAT looking rifles. Are those factory wood as well? I'm just surprised if they ever had that quality of wood out of the gates.

You'll want to verify that with someone that has both a pre and post 65 DL.

All are factory wood, but the bottom one is factory wood off a PE grade rifle fitted to a 99F. That rifle is at the smiths getting rebarreled to 22-250.

I wish he would get a move on Roy, happy to take that rough old wood off your hands also. Don't thank me, just playing my part in international relations LOL

Johno

Hey John, the 300 that I sent to the smiths first, that turned out having flat threads instead of the V threads that we needed, was the barrel I had originally planned to send you. He's reassembled that rifle since it's useless as a donor for this project.

The barrel off the PE stocked rifle above can't leave here just yet. I've got a shortage of donor rifles to finish projects right now and am in a bad way. I'll try to get it sorted out and get you a barrel when I can.

Many thanks Roy, reckon you would'nt be happy when you could'nt get the 22-250 barrel to fit, that was bad luck.

Johno