Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Who has the lowest SN 99 in 300 Savage?

Originally a 300.But put together as a kit with 3 other barrel. Not mine.

#243633 99G 300
#245945 takedown 300

Any chance there's a letter on that one? I would expect that one to have started out as a second style 250-3000 and had the 300 Savage barrel added later. That's end of 1919/early 1920.

I don't know who has or what is the lowest serial number, but someday I want something that's numbered 007, 99 or 86 in honor of Mr. Bond and Smart, and the latter's sidekick Agent 86. Come to think of it the Savage 99 in itself kind of does it for Agent 99!

Looks like your going to have to get a few Winchesters ,to get those numbers !

I have an Anschutz prototype serial #007, it's sexy but it's no agent 99

Earliest I have in my data is:
23422x 99-F .300 SAV
23471x 99-B .300 SAV

236461 99-G .250 SAV was the serial JTC gave us as the first G.

FYI...
23380x 1899-250 .250 SAV lettered 9/27/1920 produced
23695x 99-G .300 SAV Cased set lettered 10/13/1921 production

So here is an overview of early 300 Savage rifles and some dates that we know of off of letters...

Seems that the first 300 Savage rifles are in 1920, but production in 1921 looks very, very low. Murray's shows 8,500 99's made in 1921 (229,001 - 237,500), but the dates below indicate the highest 1920 serial numbers went much higher than 229,000. We actually have a letter showing that serial number 229,000 was reached in summer of 1920. It looks llike there were only a couple thousand 99's made in 1921 according to the data below - 235,000'ish to 237,500'ish.

I don't recall EVER running across a 1920 ad for the 300 Savage cartridge. That's probably correct given this data, they may have started production of the 300 Savage in very late 1920 to have inventory on hand for 1921. But the earliest 1921 advertising I've found for the 300 Savage cartridge is in the fall for the combo sets for Dad for Christmas. Wish somebody had a 1921 price list... (hint?? )

I'm thinking the same thing. A factory letter would dispel rumors that it is purely a put-together kit (albeit a nice one!).

Being that rifle has been refinished and had barrels added to it, I left it out of the final list for now. Right now there's a pretty firm cutoff around 234,xxx, need a bit more confirmation or more examples before we drop it 20,000 lower.

Never say never, but always verify when possible.

My catalog number 61 the blue one has nothing about the 300 in it! lots about the model 1920 in 250-3000. My catalog no.62 has the new 300 listed in it ,along with the new 410 barrel . I do have a price sheet with the no.62 catalog. it also has the model 1921 repeating shotgun in it. What info do you need from the price list ?? Don

I also noticed all the rifle models still are called 1899, as the G is the 1899G .

Don, just looking for a price list dated for early 1921 that lists the 300 Savage. I linked in a page of the Jan, 1922 pricelist earlier in this thread.

And, yes.. we know that the first year or so listed the new "99" models as 1899's. For simplicity sake we ignore that just like Doug Murray did and we call them 99's. It has about as much meaning as the Savage Model 1899 stamp on the receivers.

Savage 1899's - name based on telegraph codes
Savage 99's - name based on catalogued model letters

The price list i have,lists the shotgun barrel ,but no kit,case. It also calls the checkering "MACHINE CHECKERING" i'm guessing the price list is early 1922. I dont know if i have ever seen a 1921 price list. i didnt look in my no 61 catalog for a price list ,i'll check and see if there is one. Don

The January, 1922 price list I have shows the 1921 shotgun, the 99 models, ,the 1919 NRA, but doesn't show the 1922 Sporter. All the 99's still have perchbelly stocks, old pictures. It also has 1922 stamped at the top of every page.

If you have a later 1922 price list, I would think it might have the 1922 sporter listed? If you have a 1921 shotgun shown, but not a 1922 date or 1922 sporter... might be a 1921 price list?

The 1921 price list or dated catalog is mostly for curiosity.. I've never seen one, but they had to have sent one out since it's obvious they were making 300 Savage's in late 1920 preparing for it. It's also really odd to me that I can't find any advertising for the 300 Savage until Sep/Oct of 1921 - though there was a pretty severe economic depression that hit from 1920-1921.

I have no price list in the number 61 catalog. you would think there would be a huge flier somewhere all about the new "300" !!

Yep, it's bizarre. I'm looking at a Savage Arms ad in Field & Stream, June 1921 - and not a mention of 300 Savage. 30-30, 303, 22HP, 250-3000 are all listed.

Very first mention I can find of it is in combination kit ads showing up in September, 1921 in multiple magazines (Field & Stream, Hardware, etc). Earlier in 1920 I can find ads for the 1921 shotgun, ads for Roy Chapman using the 250-3000 on his November, 1920 Asiatic expedition, ads for Stevens 22's being used in the 1920 Olympics..

It's almost like they made the 300 Savage rifles, and then didn't sell any for a year. Or at least didn't advertise them... but WHY?

Wasn't this the time frame when Stevens took over production? Tom

It was the other way around.