Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 1961 99E .308 with pre-60 receiver, pics 1-6

I received the 1961 99E with the pre-60 receiver. Confirmed 20" barre and LBC 12M.

Summarizing why this one is interesting:
The first 1961 99E we’ve seen with pre-60 receiver (round count window and lever safety)
The only .308 win 99E we’ve seen with the pre-60 receiver
The highest 900K Serial Number we’ve seen so far.


Here are pics 1-6; I will make another post for pics 7-12

From the first photos I saw I thought the wood was walnut but not sure now. Comment?

How does the finish/stain/wood compare to the true 1961 E. I've very little experience with the 60's E model.

Rick, here are couple more pics of the stock closer up. I think it is walnut.


Found another 1961 to compare it to (1025xxx). Last two pics are of it.

That sure doesn't look like walnut to me, but you're the one holding it. Maybe compare it to another rifle that is and get back to us. At any rate, interesting rifle.

Here is a pic of this one in this post (top) and another 1961 99E (SN1025xxx) for comparrison.

The consistency of the stain argues against birch, like in the lower picture. I would guess walnut, but just guess based off of the figure and staining.

Keith, what's the length of the forearm?

Rick, it is 9 1/2" . See pic 6 at top.

I even blew that photo up looking at the grain in the wood. One track mind. Thanks.

The pre-mil has the classic pointed butt cheeks, while the post-mil has the softer rounded cheeks..., just sayin'. The lack of checkering was probably the big manufacturing savings on the transition to E's, after that the other stock embellishments started drifting away; fluted comb, pointed cheeks, walnut

Okay, 9.5" forearm is the same length as the 1960 E and the 99-F (50's and early 60's). Now someone tell me if the 1961 E's (blond wood) have the same or a shorter forearm.

I have a post-million 99E in 300 Savage with the old style trigger and safety. I think mine was made in 1968, but I would have to check my notes on that. A friend has a 1962 99E in 308 with the new style trigger and, if memory serves, a safety on the trigger, not tang. Mine must have been made up out of leftover parts. I bought it as a barreled action from here on the 'Fire, so I can't say what style of wood mine had from the factory. My friend's 308 99E had birch stocks looking like the light colored wood above.

All the Model 99Es had the lever safety; the other post-60 models had the tang safety.

What do you mean by "new style trigger"?

the end grain on the stock looks like walnut..

Keith, I wasn't aware that all Model 99 Es had the lever safety. Thanks for that info. I have only seen two Es, mine and my friend's. As I said above, my rifle is several years newer than his, yet my rifle has the old style trigger, which can easily be "worked" to a lighter pull weight. I guess Savage had some old parts lying around which they used up on my rifle.

There is a gunsmithing book by Carmichael and Dunlop which explains how to lighten the pull weight on the old style trigger. No mention is made of the new style trigger in the book. The "new" style trigger is complicated. There may be a gunsmith somewhere who can take one apart and lighten it, but I don't know one. Fortunately, all four of my 99s have the old style trigger.

Lightening 99 triggers... Ugh.

Polish, don't remove metal unless you enjoy slam fires. Personally, I won't touch a 99 where anybody (bubba or a gunsmith) has "lightened the trigger". The design of 99's is not intended to allow for a 2# trigger pull.

If the gun has a lever safety it does not have this "new style" trigger you refer to. The complicated trigger-sear configuration goes with the tang safety.