Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 1899 .250 magazine problems

Some months ago I bought an 1899 .250 made in 1917 at a gun auction here in SW Georgia. When I got around to shooting it, I discovered several problems. The magazine would only hold three shells, and only with some playing with the top of the magazine. Then there was a failure to feed without some more poking and prodding. So; can any of you knowledgeable guys recommend a gunsmith that understands rotary magazines, and can fix my rifle? No need in trying to talk me through disassembly, as I'm not trying that with my newbie knowledge. Thanks for any help.

Correct rotor, spring tension, cartridge guide. It's not hard, just takes a little time to research.

A couple of my rifles seem to be hard to load till you figure out just the right angle to push the shell in, then they feed OK. But, they hold a full magazine and cycle fine. I did try loading 22 HP in one of my 303 take downs to see if I could make a switch barrel out of it. It would only take 34 rounds. Look for the flashing envelope at the top of the screen. I know one smith and Ill give you his info. I don't know how busy he is, but he knows 99's, Joe.

Oh, another thing I have found, the only time I have any trouble with my 1899's cycling well, is if I try do work the lever real slow, like trying to unload in a stand quietly. You have to give the lever a bit of a snap, not trying to break it off, just not real slow, Joe.

sometimes feeding from the magazine is spotty if you don't cycle the lever completely . the auto cut off has a small guiding tit the rim of the cartridge must clear. if you are comfortable in removing the butt stock, check the bolt stop ( a little L shaped piece on the top of the bottom tang left rear of the tang. crud build up could cause short cycling. as far as the accepting only three rounds, fire hose out the action with some good crud cutter and then lube with the wonder lube of your choice. best to have the wood off the gun for this process.
the best advice i can give is jump in and take the gun apart a little at a time. this will let you get a understanding of the genius of the design, and you can save yourself some bucks. unless there are parts missing, you can slick up the function.
be brave and venture where many have gone before.

If your rifle is a .250 made in 1917 it should have a pistol grip, perch belly stock, take down brl. and a cross checkered trigger. If it does not look like that then it might have a replacement brl and the internal parts might not be correct for a .250.

Besides, what's wrong with "only" having three in the magazine? Most times I only stuff two or three in anyway. By the time you are slinging a third, fourth, fifth shot at a deer they are hopeless Hail Mary shots anyway.

Agree with three but the..."Then there was a failure to feed without some more poking and prodding. " that might be a problem past the first shot.

I'm not about to wade into disassembly of the magazine after what I have read about how it can be a complicated process. If I can't find a gunsmith that understands rotary magazines and can fix it, I will just sell the rifle. I would like to keep it, as it is beautiful, and in great condition. I let a local gunsmith look at it, do research, and he flatly refused to take the magazine apart. So here I am. This rifle has a schnable forend, straight grip stock, and a pad had been added.

"This rifle has a schnable forend, straight grip stock,..." pretty sure it has been rebarreled and the rotor and cartridge guide not changed