Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99 .45 Thumper

I've often thought that something like that would be cool. You could adapt a Vernier tang site or screw on one of those Malcom reproduction scopes. But then you'd have to go for buffalo as they don't hang out in the thickets of manzanita, deer brush and whitethorn. In regards to the latter, I used to do field surveys for the US Forest Service and would tell people that beating through the brush caused you to loose three things. The first thing you lost would be your compass as the lanyard always got hung up on a snag. The second thing would be articles of clothing and, when the going got particularly nasty, the third would be your sanity. I hate brush fields!

Sometime try following a deer trail thru a manzanita jungle on an old burn scar. Blacktails can usually fly over a big manzanita. We can't fly and sometimes you find old Mr. No Shoulders under there when you try the subway....good that those damn' things--usually--don't bite!

(!Abuelito, abuelito, por favor no me piques! I learned that in Baja Norte where country people are usually VERY polite to buzztails....).

The 45-08 is already a reality. It's called the 45 Raptor.

http://www.45raptor.com/45RAPTOR/

It gives 460 S&W ballistics.

Texczech, 45 Raptor and the 375 Raptor were first picks due to the large supply of .308 brass I have, problem is they push to much pressure.

If the .45 Long Colt feeds from the .303 rotor smoothly I have a barrel I am going to have done for my 303 takedown carbine. That will be sweet. actually, it is probably all I will ever need at the close ranges I pop hogs and most of the hogs I have shot have been in a 92 win lever in .45 colt and the Judge with a 6" barrel, most going to the revolver.

450 Bushmaster it is. If all Jesse needs is .10", this will work with the barrel I have easy. Waiting on Jesse's call back, he does not return calls immediately and takes time.

The Bushmaster is based on the 284W case, and the 45 Raptor is based on the 308W case..., but the Raptor has a higher case pressure?


P.S.
Don't pull up short on this project, we here in the tinkerbell cheap-seats are rooting for ya!!

( https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/01/31/potd-railed-suppressed-lever-gun/ )

Talked to Jesse today.

He will not do .45 cal pistol caliber barrels. Period. So the 450 Bushmaster is off the table for a re-bore.

He does do .45 cal. rebores in rifle .458 size bore, but does not have the reamers for the .450 Marlin or other cartridges discussed. Price for a .450 Marlin, .450 Socom, etc. re-bore will be $325 because he has to rent the reamer.

This pushes this project closer to a new custom barrel being an option over a re-bore.

Going to do some more research.

BTW, the .45 Raptor uses 460 S&W Loads which can run at 65,000 PSI, that is a hell of a lot more than the 284 Winchester or any of the other options discussed,

I have an extra 243 win that I want to rebore to 45 raptor.
I guess jess is out.

Texczech,

If the .45 Raptor could work in the Savage 99 that would be the best .45 bore cartridge all around for a conversion. I would love to have one if they would function right.


When the .338 Federal came out I almost went for that one also, then guys who converted started selling them, pretty cheap in fact. The 62,000 PSI did not work for many Savage 99 conversations and I bet all of them are hard to lever back after shooting.


Even warmish .308 handloads can make my .308s lock up making shell ejection with the lever a PITA.


I love the 99, but a high pressure rifle it is not.

Knock on wood, my .338 Federal 99 is working famously with 160 grains Barnes ttsx's.

Will the 444 Marlin work? I see Jesse rebores for it. It might be an option if you get it to feed from the mag.

Lee

The 444 might work in the 99c Magazine if you made sure you lined up the rims one in front of the other in order so they would feed right. Pressure wise it would work and it would be a hell of a brush buster and definitely an option.


I have a large stock of 45 bullets that I use for other cartridges so .45 would be a preference for me.

160's in a 338?

Thanks for validating this conversion can work reliably.

Just tried some 444 Marlin Leverevolution rounds in my 30-284. As long as the rim was set in the groove of the cartrige under it the bolt picked it up fine, except for the last round. The rim seemed to hang up on the mag lip.

Lee

Didn't notice you wanted to stay with 45 cal until after I posted this, sorry.

Polecat,

That is great news about the 444 feeding. It seems like you could cut the mag lip down to accommodate the rim and it would work. Wonder if the 45 70 would feed too?

FSJeeper, I don't have any 45-70 brass to try but the rim diameter is another tenth of an inch larger than the 444. It might be to big for the bolt face.

Lee

Ouch, yes, just checked the rim diameter, .608, probably takes the 45 70 off the table as an option.

Got rid of the YUGE scope since the photo.

Very, very nice. Is that a custom barrel? If so, by whom?

I'd have to go look. It's a fairly heavy barrel.

Fireball2, Yes, nice heavy barrel but it does not detract from the lines of the rifle. Looks like the perfect taper for a .45 big bore.