Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting A Savage 99 Thread

How do you like the 303? I’ve seen a few around for cheaper than the 300 or 308 models, and I like cartridges that are a little less common that can strike up a conversation. On a side note, since moving to NC I’ve seen lots of used 99s for sale, in WV I never came across a single one. Gonna use that as leverage against my wife to get one before we move back in a few years

Sorry, it looks like I fat fingered the keyboard (among other things) last night. That is an "A"; not a "S".
Anyhow, due to the stock drop of those older "A"s, the rifle has a goofy feel to it as you're aiming.

Other than that, it's nothing more or less than a .30-30, which isn't a bad thing.

Some day I will shoot another deer with the ol' .303.

My first 99 was a 99A 308 Saddle Gun. Didn't like it for some reason and sold it to a buddy over 30 years ago, he still has it. Then I got one in .375 WInchester. Killed my biggest bear and some nice blacktails with it. Fell in love with the 375 and the 99 because of how easy it was to flame a running deer with a Savage lever gun and the mild recoil. They carry soooo nice with that round bottomed receiver and especially the models with the 22" medium weight barrels.

Used that .375 for a couple decades but always used bolt guns for longe range work. I hated the way bolt guns carried and operated, so I began researching 99's in other cartridges that might shoot further than the .375. Long story short and LOTS of 99's later, I now hunt with a 99 in .284 any time there's a chance for long range shooting. And a 99 in .284 does shoot long range! Anything short range I generally use the .358 now since it pushes the same 200 grain bullet weight I use in the .375 but several hundred fps faster.

The deeper you get into hunting with them, the more you appreciate how fast and accurate they are. They can shoot 600 yards across a canyon, or jump shoot deer at 40 yards with the same deadly efficiency. There really isn't any compromise, especially in the .284's. I've put together or found quite a few customs to scratch itches Savage didn't make. .270 Titus, .17-22/250 are a couple oddballs. A very useful 99 is one in .338 Federal. Shooting 160 grain ttsx bullets I can't imagine a better all around rifle and cartridge for North America, unless it's the .284.

For fun, shoot the old ones with the longer 26" barrels in 30/30 and 38-55. Most Savage guys shoot 303, but I never understood why when 30/30 components are so readily available and cheap. For a good long time 303 brass was unobtainium, but I understand it's available again.

I did break down and buy a Kimber 25/06 last year rather than build a 25-284 in a 99, mostly due to the headache of finding gunsmiths that will build custom 99's. That's about the only drawback to a 99. They rarely give you trouble, but finding a good 99 smith is a crapshoot. I have taken apart and repaired many of mine for various reasons (I sometimes buy junk intentionally to learn on) and find them a lot of fun to work on. They would have been unimaginably hard to engineer, design and build, but they are NOT hard to work on, at all. It's very enjoyable taking them apart on the bench and spending the afternoon getting to know each one. Parts are available from several sources, eBay, the collectors here, Numrich.

There's no downside to a Savage lever action rifle. They work great, are accurate, shoot pointed bullets, are fast, carry well. For the guys that hunt foul weather and don't want to use blue and walnut, you can get your 99 coated and paint the stocks, making them perfect for rainy hunts. I highly recommend powdercoating rather than some of the thin garbage coatings that scratch too easy. Powdercoating wears like iron and is completely waterproof.

If you don't find a 99 that suits your needs, make it. You won't regret it.

This model is called the DL, and is often marked 99M on the receiver. The M stands for Monte Carlo, or the raised comb on the rear stock. That's my favorite hunting model 99, but I prefer the earlier ones (1960-64) with the cut checkering rather than the later stamped. The hardest one of those to get would the the 1964 (one year only) 99DL in 284 with the cut checkering. It took me many years to find one and I know of only two or three.

The comb on the DL gives good scope alignment. This model was available in 22" and 24" barrels depending on year. I prefer 22" models. Savage made a DL called the PE that had super high grade wood and engraved receivers that is gorgeous, if that's your thing.

The Frazier History Museum in Louisville, KY has a lot of high-grade 99s on exhibit (it used to be called the Frazier Arms and History Museum, but the PC pantywads talked them into changing the name). It's worth the visit if you're in Louisville for other reasons.



They have a lot of high-grade Marlins on hand, too, along with Teddy Roosevelt's Big Medicine .405 Winchester and his H&H double rifle, and all kinds of armor and other things, along with historical presentations.

I got this 99G in 1976 which was the first but, certainly not the last. I had been shooting cast bullets for several years in hand guns and decided to try them in this rifle, so I worked up a load for the up coming deer season. Killed a couple of bucks with it that season which hooked me pretty good on the 99's and cast bullets. Thinking back, I believe all the deer I've killed with it has been with cast bullets.

The fifth from the bottom would look much better in the light that is in Pennsylvania, i’ll Send you my address you can ship it and I’ll take some pics. Then I’ll send it right back.......,,,

Yes, you pegged that one to at 'T.' Mine came with a knot in the wood and the finish told me it must have been out in the rain a little too often. Still, it fit like a glove, when I scoped it, it came right up to my eye, and all the imperfections meant I could hunt it hard and not have to worry about ruining anything. That's how I like my deer rifles.

99-A, 250-3000

I got a dandy 250 that was my Grandma’s, need to put it to use... love 99’s and love 250’s....

Never owned one personally. I'd like to give one a whirl. I can appreciate their part in firearms history. Cool rifles for sure.

Love mine, it's a M99c in .308, & is knock about hunting rifle.











It's developed enough corrosion & pitting, from our climate, that it's going to be repaired/re-blued this year !

Blowed the horns clean off of him! Might want to cut the charge a trifle. Looks cold up there. We use to have snow to hunt in here. Pretty rare anymore.

My interests in rifles is firmly rooted in the pre-war era. Winchesters, Springfields, and Krags- "as-issued" or modified/sporterized. For load experimentation and general shooting off the bench they fulfill me. But, for hunting here in the deer woods of Maryland and Pennsylvania give me a Savage lever gun. For that purpose my preference is for pre-1920 takedown carbines, and the cartridges Savage offered during that period are all certainly up to the task: .22 High Power, .303 Savage, .30-30, and also the rare(er) .25-35. The .250-3000 made its debut during that time period too. And every now and then a .32-40 or .38-55 will raise its head.

It's always a tough decision when heading out as to which one to take. This day the M1899H takedown .303 Savage got the nod:



190 grain soft (10-12bhn) flat nosed cast bullet, 28 grains 3031, 110 yards.

In early '81 I picked up a used 99C(.308) in a trade. It shot two types of factory ammo very poorly. I kept studying it and saw that the fore-end was putting quite a bit of upward pressure on the barrel. I kept adding washers to the fore-end "stud" aka forearm hanger/sanding the channel too until I got the forearm free floating. It was a tack driver then, especially with the "then new" Frontier ammo (loaded with the Hornady 150 IL)! Trigger was pretty nice too. Shot so well I never loaded for it, and back then all I used was a Lee Loader/RCBS scale. I put one of the first Leupold M8 (?) 2.5 fixed power on it. I hunted with it a few times, never got a kill. I then traded it off for some cash and a new RCBS RockChucker loading kit. Still use it too, in fact its the only press I've ever owned! I had other rifles back then and the 99c was just a project. It was one of "those" I wish I still had. ha. Out here in Utah, you can still find a lot of old 99s, mostly in 300 Savage, in pawn shops/gun stores. I always keep my eye out for another nice 99c though. I too was raised with the M94 and the 99 "looked weird, but when shouldered....oh how sweet it is! ( said with Jacky Gleason voiceover, ha)

I've got one in .300sav and recently a .375win that I bought to use in Ohio. Great guns to carry!
-Jake

Between my father, an uncle, 4 cousins and myself we have at least 11 Savage 99s that I know of. One .358, three .308, three 30/30 and the rest in 300 SVG. A few are scoped, many have williams or old redfield receiver sights - don't think anyone uses the original barrel mounted leaf sights.

I have a 1923 vintage featherweight in 30/30 and a pre-mil 99F in .308. The 30/30 was my first rifle - when you grow up hunting with a 99 nothing else really ever feels as responsive or "carryable", but I do use other rifles too.

My dad got me hooked on the 99. He carried one for decades and shot a lot of deer with it. It went to my brother when we split up Dad's gear after he passed. I owned several over the years, including a nice EG in 250 that I wish I'd hung on to. I got the chance to buy a 300 EG off one of the original members of our camp, and it's the one I carry now. I've always liked the clean lines and feel of the 99. 94's just feel loose and sloppy to me. The older Marlin's are a good gun, but they just don't feel as good as a 99. My son and I are going to the Savagefest in Wisconsin in August and I'm hoping to pick up a 99 in .243. After all, my granddaughter is 1 year old now-it's time to get going on this! I've always thought it would be fun to get a bunch of guys together for an "all 99 hunt". Plenty of 99 guys here at the fire. It would be a good time.

My thots as well plus the 336 is too heavy for the performance level.

Jerry