Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 99E...Can the trigger be adjusted?

Hi guys, new here to Savage forum and I have a 99E that has a very heavy trigger and would like to know if it can be adjusted?

If yes, can I do it myself or is it definitely a gunsmith operation?

If it's not something I can do myself, can someone recommend a gunsmith near the Central Coast of California?

Thanks,
Tarzan

A good gunsmith will tell you not to fool w/it...said something about opening a can of worms.

It can be done but it takes someone with experience to do it right. Not as scary as folks would have you believe. I've done several.

Definitley a job for a Smith, if you can find one that professes to know the 99 innards.

There is nobody in my area that knows how to do it. My local gun shops recommend sending it out of state. They think it should cost $125-$150 but don't know how long it would take to get it back.

Is there a single part/piece that gets "worked on"? Maybe I can order a replacement part and play with it until I get it right and if I bugger it up I would still have the original to put back in. I would need your instructions and wisdom to try it.

Is that a stupid idea or is it worth a try?

Thanks
Tarzan

I'm leaning towards stupid.

It is a job for a 'smith unless you are familiar with the inner pieces/parts.

another thing...your talking about a 150$ trigger job...on a 300$ rifle.And it ain't still...or never will be creep free.

If you take a look at the 99E and Pre mil 99 triggers, It's a pretty simple straight forward design. The biggest gain without any major heart burn is to stone the surfaces square, flat and smooth. It you don't KNOW how to do it send it to a smith. If you change the angles you are into the "stupid" zone. The 99E triggers in particular tend to have burrs and uneven surfaces and can be quickly improved by most any competent smith.

Many times a thorugh cleaning and some teta-gun or other good lubricant will do wonders.

Weagle

My smith polished up the parts including the sear on mine for 75$ and it is now a 3 lb. trigger. It was a 6 lb. trigger before. It was probably a waste of time for me because I use other guns now. If I need to walk the woods, I will take the 99e and be glad I worked on the trigger.

I wouldn't touch it. I had one that was "fixed" when I bought it (I didn't know it at the time). I sat it down one day and the darn thing went off. Took it apart and discovered the "fix".

Savage's are neat old guns. They are safe guns to handle. Go "fixing" them and if you don't know what you are doing you can make them dangerous.

If you want a light trigger pull get a Remington, Kimber, etc.

Jim

Well said Jim!
They ain't nor will ever be 'bench' rifles.

That's debatable ......a 3 lb. trigger doesn't categorize the rifle a bench gun .... group size does . My 1956 F in 243 shoots sub - 1/2 " groups all day ........ will not win me a trophy , but shoots better than most box - stock bolt guns ......

I wouldn't touch the trigger unless it was terrible .....

Best to heed the advice already given by the smarter members of this board. If you are at your wits end with the Savage 99 trigger, pay someone that knows what they are doing to tune it. Something to keep in mind, the Savage trigger is an acquired taste. The more you shoot it, the more it will become predictable and easy to use. Although the triggers on the lever safety 99s are simple, robust mechanisms, it is easy to FUBAR if someone gets too happy with a Dremel.

Several years ago, John Barsness wrote a Savage 99 'Users Guide' article in Rifle Magazine. In the article, he tells how he lightens the trigger pull by placing washers beneath the flat trigger return spring to lessen the tension. This is probably the only remedial proceedure that a home bubba should attempt since it is correctable by removing the washer(s) if the trigger becomes worst. It goes without saying that anything you change with the trigger should be carefully tested for safety with dummy cartridges that have the primer pockets filled with cured silicone sealant.

If you try 'fixing' your trigger, I would recommend using proper screwdriver bits on all the screw heads. Nothing like buggered screw head slots to say 'bubba was here'.

Thanks for the advice.

The gun is well used and well broke-in but the trigger is terrible. I never weighed it but it might as well be 10 lbs because you have to keep squeezing long after youd expect it to have gone off.

I think I will open it up and clean the inner parts and reassemble to see if that makes a difference.

In the mean time I will look for that article in Rifle Mag.

Aside from the trigger, the rifle shoots well. From the bench it will hit 8" plates at 300 yards if I take GREAT care squeezing that trigger. Squeeze,squeeze,squeeze more,more,more more,more,more,more, bang! I would guess its over 5 seconds of very consentrated squeezing and holding steady to pull that off.

Compared to my other rifles it's disgusting.

If the trigger could be adjusted to 3 lbs I would be thrilled!

Thanks,
Tarzan

Does anybody have the Savage 99 article from September - October 2005 - Volume 37, Number 5 issue of Rifle magazine?

I found a preview of that issue that has a great article on the 1903A3 but that it.

Thanks,
Tarzan

I just had a smith work on my trigger, he did a fantastic job, $65. Don't try and work on it yourself, if there is not enough sear engagement the rifle could go off if bumped.

I don't know what the trigger looks like in an E, but I had the Smith I go to adjust the trigger in my pre mil F and it is much improved.I am taking another F to him, he charges $65, which isn't cheap but it's worth every penny if you shoot the gun much at all.If you have a lot of creep in your trigger it just sounds like you have rough or too much sear engagement.The trigger mechanism, at least on the pre mils, is simple and anyone who knows 99's and calls himself a Gunsmith should be able to help you out.

Dispite all the advice to not do it myself...I removed the stock and saw how it worked and was very confident I could do it.

After gently forcing the sear to its lowest position and the other contact part to its highest postion I measured the contact suface and it was 3/16". I reduced that to 1/16", polished up the parts and now it feels pretty good.

I placed a spent cartridge in the chamber and banged and knocked the rifle around and it didn't go off. I will try this again with a little more "controlled" abuse to make sure it will not go off accidentally.

If it didnt look so easy I wouldn't have attempted it myself but it was just that easy.

Thanks,
Tarzan