Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Savage sold

The first year model in 1959 wasn’t as ugly as later models. They even had a short action and most importantly (for me) they came left handed. When they stopped producing the shorter version they certainly got uglier.

I read the press releases and articles about the Savage spinoff when I can. Coming off a business trip with layovers and time away from my own toys allowed me to read a few more than usual. Vista (old owner) says they want to focus on their core business (ammo) and they are too highly leveraged (in debt) to properly invest in their non-core business (firearms) to get Savage to where they need to be. I thought the articles said Savage was sold to a group of Savage management who are focused solely on moving Savage forward. One article says one segment Savage needs to expand into is black rifles and handguns (current hot sector in the US).

I was sad when Savage killed the 99's, but I liked that in return they filled a need for accurate and affordable rifles. They did that well, and as a result, others are chasing that same market and delivering it better in some cases (affordable, accurate AND not ugly). Good for consumers at large. Not so good for not so nimble, Vista owned Savage.


Different situation; The 700's are current production and all tooled up. Limited editions are just line extensions and probably don't carry a high incremental cost to produce. "hey let's throw some little better wood, engraving and a medallion on there and charge double". To bring back the 99's will take a ton more to tool up for production (from zero) and I don't want to think how much they'd have to charge to justify all that for 1000 units (even if you are able to charge 2 or 3 times) with significant risk because it's unknown whether the market will bear the prices they'd have to charge. You might think they'd fly off the shelves, but would they really if they costed $3500 (not a real number but probably not an unreasonable one)?

Even if they brought back the 99 for regular production, the market has changed and levers are not mainstream any more. Think what you can get at Walmart. And for those that want the specialty function of a lever, you already have the BLR and Henry's Long Ranger (another interesting case study) occupying that space. What's left? Gun Looneys and folk that pine for nostalgia? I don't think that will keep the lights on and the doors open...as much as we'd like it to.

in the gun market today sure every manufacture is pushing black guns and yes most are making money selling black guns. but there is a niche out there for something else that just maybe Savage can figure out. maybe its a 99 ? maybe its there 24`s ? or maybe it would be bringing back some different older cartridges in a nice looking Savage 110 rifle ,cartridges like 257 Roberts ,7mm mauser,6mm Remington,222 Remington or others ? in order for Savage to do well in the market place they do need something different. myself i would be willing to pay more for a nice Savage 99, a neat looking one would be a laminated wood stock,S.S.,22 inch barrel 7mm-08 ,6.5 Creedmoor , 284 Win. or maybe even a 25 Creedmoor ?

In business there are several main factors to mind; COGS (cost of your product), Volume (how many do you think you can sell), and Price (how much do you think you can get). My gun bubba mind says that Savage bringing a 99 back will be hampered by the first two impacting the third negatively; The 99 appears more costly to manufacture than the 110's with many more machine operations (again...gun bubba so I might be wrong here). While many here profess to wanting to buy a 99, I don't think there are huge numbers in comparison to 110's, black rifles and hand guns. Ramp up costs + higher production costs + lack of economies of scale = high sell price for a reborn 99.

But what do I know...I'm just a shooter.

There's an interesting case playing out right now. JAE made chassis for the M14. As one who shot the M14 in competition, I am well aware of the shortcomings of bedding etc. The JAE Chassis stock addressed some of the issues in a innovative and effective way. They were the better mousetrap.
Problem is they were very expensive. Folk were saying that they spent more for a JAE stock than the whole rest of the rifle. They were also targeting a platform that is not nearly as prevalent or popular as say an AR15.

JAE recently announced that they are ceasing operations;
https://www.jallenglobal.com/

...anyone see where I'm headed with this?

I don't KNOW what happened...but it looks like "expensive to produce, small market, high sell price" playing out in the negative.

Another movie with Tommy Lee Joes.
Three Burials (2005)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (original title)

Dwight Yoakum as the sheriff uses a Savage 99

How in the hell did this become a discussion about the viability of resurrecting the 99? It ain't coming back and it shouldn't. Now about this LLC that bought Savage. I am not optimistic. I have several Savage bolt guns and love them. I have never had a Savage that wasn't pleasantly accurate. I think they are somewhat stagnant though. This in a down market for guns. I fear for the company's future.

That's how threads go here. Savages are fine rifles, and they are very DIY friendly. It took Remington and Ruger years to figure that out.

How things go down the road for Savage will be determined by the new owner. I hope they concentrate on rifle making again. Don't worry about sidelines and accessories. What was Savage's greatest contribution to rifle making? The easy to change barrel? the adjustable trigger? The lower price and the innovations that other companies are now copying?

I think they'll be fine. They just need someone at the helm to provide a clear vision for the company to follow. As Oddball used to say, "Enough with them negative waves."

Good point , Redgemeister !

You talked me into shooting the ones I do have, instead of bitching about the lack of one I might buy!

just ordered some 150 gr RN from Midway

Right on!

That's how threads go here. Savages are fine rifles, and they are very DIY friendly. It took Remington and Ruger years to figure that out.


It pains me, more than I can say, to find myself disagreeing with my Canuckian friend, but the Savages are not fine rifles, they're good rifles, and that's not a rare thing these days, even at the low end (which may be the problem).

There are good rifles, nice rifles, and fine rifles; we won't discuss the negative categories (which I haven't made up yet).

Good rifles work and shoot well. Savages obviously qualify, with added raisins in their cookie for strength and safety and "tinker-ability".

Nice rifles include the basics, as above, but are pleasing to look at, handle, and use, with acceptable levels of fit and finish. A lot of Savages start falling away here, being for the most part ungainly and sometimes just plain oogly.

Fine rfles embody high levels of all the good qualities, but also add extras like exceptional handling, clever features, and refinements in quality that set them above the herd. Fancy wood isn't required; many fine rifles wear good synthetics or relatively plain wood when it adds to the utility that is an absolute requirement at this level.

I hope my Northern pal will receive this in the spirit I intended, without malice, and in no way as a rebuke, and definitely no "negative waves".🌿

The answer is "YES". Winchester has been doing this for years. When Winchester introduced the Super-X model one shotgun Winchester took a "R&D" charge-off of two million dollars when
yet Winchester could have the same shotgun done in Japan for $250,000. I was told this by a long time Winchester rep at the time. The primary issue was the Unions.

That's alright. I obviously did not explain myself properly. By fine, I meant easy to work on, modify, and they shoot well out of the box. There are a lot of aftermarket accessories available now. You can improve them over time, and much of the work can be done at home. They are not finely stocked in high grade walnut, or finished with deep, lustrous bluing, but are a great platform for the DIYer. To me, that makes them of value.

The considerable market considerations aside, I think Miroku could do it. Their versions of the various Winchesters are of excellent quality, better than the originals in at least some cases. They won't ever make some people happy, just as some refuse to consider M70s make in Portugal as "real", even though probably better than any post-war versions. There'd be hard-core opposition to them, probably enough to cause those who need positive re-enforcement from strangers on the internet before they buy anything to forgo purchasing one.

For that matter, I'd bet that the new Ithaca company could pull it off too. It took a while to get them right, but the M37s they make seem to be fine guns. Still, with plenty of nice originals at prices about half of what we've been contemplating for new ones, what's the point?

Our only disagreement seems to be a semantic one, then. I feel much better!

Could one say then that the Savages are the ARs of the bolt-action world? I think I like that.

Have to say as well that I've been strongly tempted by their Scout rifles, and the similar pig- and bear-hunting versions, at least on paper. Excellent features at a compelling price point.

I too think that the salvation for guys who dream of "modern classics" being revived lies with off-shore CNC maestros like Miroku and Uberti. To wish for Savage to revive the 99 would be like hoping for Ford to re-introduce the 65-68 Mustang complete with 289 V-8's. Ain't a-gonna happen.

ARs of the bolt world is a good descriptor, Pappy. I have called them the Jeep of the rifle world for years. Here are a couple of ten year old articles about the Stevens 200 - a Savage rifle without the Accutrigger. The world has changed and the Stevens 200 (pre-Accutrigger Savage) is no longer made. For the DIYer, this was a great platform to build on.

The Stevens 200 by Savage Arms

What About These Stevens Rifles?

YouTuber CapandBall, a Hungarian BP competitor, also has good things to say (and show) about some of the Pedersolis. Their 1886/71 looks nice, with a forged receiver and reportedly fine barrels. I think nearby Taylors & Co. carries them, but I'm afraid to go look!

I bookmarked your homepage (again!) for later reading. I switch browsers from time to time and end up losing stuff.

Like JB's stuff, yours is a welcome change from the gun rags.