Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Possible new 99 buyer

Considering making a model 99 purchase but this forum has my head swimming. I would appreciate some expert advice before I expose my ignorance and make a poor choice or possibly overpay.
I am mostly a plinker but would limit to do more hunting for pigs and whitetail. I like .300 Savage but I am not a reloader currently so from a cost and availability standpoint i think 308 or maybe 243 would suit me best.

I would likely mount a 2x7 scope so a gun tapped and drilled for rings is preferred.

I would like to stay in the $600 range. I would appreciate thoughts on model, year of manufacture, good places to shop, and condition of gun i could reasonably expect for this price.Also am I being too narrow minded on caliber since ammo cost is one thing, but if 300 savage offers better overall gun value i would consider it?

welcome to the forum, there will be lots of comments and advice

https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/216?

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/863869546

Easy to find although not as easy to find as .308 etc. You should be able to find something decent in the $600 range. Go for it. You will never regret it. 300 Savage is an excellent cartridge and is the basis for the development of the .308, 7.62x51 nato cartridge. That said,the .308 is probably a better all around cartridge.

I don't think you will find a 99 in .308 or .243 made before 1960 (what we refer to as pre-60 rifle) for that, but you should be able to find post-1960 .308s. The Model 99E would be the cheapest; it is the "chevy" model (no round count window, no checkering), but certainly makes a good hunting rifle and would be factory drilled and tapped for a scope. Other possibles would be post 1960 99C or 99F. Check out Gunbroker ; if shipped, expect about another $50-75 to cover shipping and local FFL transfer fee.

I agree with your opinion , you should stick to the 308. a 99F or a 99DL

plab

Welcome to the forum. Listen to what these guys say, they know their stuff. I think your correct in your hunt for a 99 in .308 or .243. 300 Savage is....well, more Savage, but a little harder to find on a store shelf than the other two. So if you don't reload it would be a smarter choice. Around here it would take a while to find a nice one in your price range, but as said above, Gunbroker or GunsAmerica is a good place to get a feel for what it will cost. Good luck.

I won't comment on models because the prices are all over the place depending on model, year of manufacture, condition, caliber etc. etc.. You could write a whole book on that. Depending on how nice a rifle you want $600 is generally going to buy you a moderate condition shooter.

You can't go wrong with a 300 or a 308 for about anything as far as I'm concerned. Generally you are going to pay more for a 308 99 than a 300 all things being equal. 308 green box 150's can be found for about $20. Green box 300's a little over $30 although I pick them up at gun shows all the time for $25-$30. So depending on how much you shoot the difference when you consider the purchase price of the rifle and the cost of factory ammo...it's probably a coin flip

Either way in my experience 300's and 308's shooting green box 150's turn living things into dead things. They are equally lethal. Any difference between the 2 is on paper only.

Thanks for the timely response. Much appreciated! I am trolling Gun Broker and have my eye on a couple there. I noted from a previous post it's not considered good form on this forum to comment on open auctions, but I don't suppose that applies to sales with posted prices so I am wondering if a Guns International listing at Cabelas Tualatin would be considered a reasonable buy as listed for $649. It's a scoped 300 and looks to be in good shape but not sure what model it is. I might jump on this even if not in my preferred caliber since I live only a couple miles from a local Cabelas and would only have to pay shipping and can inspect it there before buying.

Even if you don’t reload you should be able to find .300 Savage easily and not too expensive. The .300 is the most common and can be found cheaper than a .308. Make sure it is D&T for scope mounts

Welcome to the campfire!

It's only considered bad form to post auctions. Anything with a "buy it now" is fair game, especially if it's not just been listed within the last hour or two.

I'd tell you to PM me any questions you have on what model an auction might be, but I think the PM button has been restricted until you get to 20 or 50 posts in order to keep spammers of the site.

The rifle you're looking at on GI is a model 99EG with a funky flipover scope mount that I'm not familiar with. Aftermarket d&t for the scope bases it looks like.

If the scope bases are mounted straight and the bore is good, I'd almost guarantee it's going to be a good shooter/hunter. No real collectibility to it, though I'd love to know who made that mount.

Thanks for the timely response. Much appreciated! I am trolling Gun Broker and have my eye on a couple there. I noted from a previous post it's not considered good form on this forum to comment on open auctions, but I don't suppose that applies to sales with posted prices so I am wondering if a Guns International listing at Cabelas Tualatin would be considered a reasonable buy as listed for $649. It's a scoped 300 and looks to be in good shape but not sure what model it is. I might jump on this even if not in my preferred caliber since I live only a couple miles from a local Cabelas and would only have to pay shipping and can inspect it there before buying.

Take your time and do a little research.
wyo1895 here can provide you the latest book of Savage 99 rifles. Contact him.
Many agree, a great first 99 is a 99EG/.300. Common model and in the $600 range.
A pre-1955 EG is not D&T'd but our own lightfoot here makes an adapter that doesn't require drilling and you can mount modern optics.
A post-1955 EG is D&T'd and optics are your choice.
Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback. I may consider this one since I'll leave you guys to haggle over the collectible guns. I may get get interested in collectibles down the road but for now a straight shooter is my prime interest and for this relatively small amount of money i can afford to make a mistake.😊

Just ordered the book. You are probably right in that i should read it before, and not after investing in my first 99

With your criteria I would look for the cleanest "shooter" I could find for the best price. Six hundred should find you that and maybe even an unadulterated original in one of the less desirable variants. I'd look for a good EG in 300 that's non-factory drilled and has a kickpad installed. If it comes with a scope then all the better. But don't give six bills for it. However I would give up that much for an EG in clean unaltered factory original condition. Long live the EG!

I'll throw this out just for fun. The 300 and 308 are great rounds. When I bought my first 99 it was a 250 R with a side mount. No collector value, especially since it was factory drilled too. If it's to be a hunter shooter, get one with a little less condition, and consider the 250. I just sold a nice 250 EG for $550. Once upon a time it had a rubber slip on butt pad, so now it has a discolored ring around the butt. Ammo can be tricky. The one I just sold shot the 87 grain bullets much better than the 100's, which is par. My 250 R will not shoot the 87's, and loves the 100's. Might not be the rabbit hole you want to go down. I now have 5 of them and looking at another. The post 60 250's have a faster twist and shoot the heavier bullets well. But, those with condition can get pricey. Good luck with which every one you decide on.

"Every one you decide on" - good one, because we all know how addictive these beasties can become!!

$700 gets you a lot more than $600 in a Savage. $600 is the low threshold for a decent rifle, while quite a few can be had for just $100 more.

JMHO.

as I peruse to sales sites i see that you have a point. I am expanding my range to "below $1000" . What i really hope to avoid is getting one with issues.