Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Savage 99 vs Wincheser 88. Both in 308.

For those of you that own/owned one, what are you opinions? Considering something different. Not a fan of the Savage tang safety, but certainly lots of lever safety models available

My two cents, not having owned a Winchester 88, but have owned several 99 Savages: The Winchester trigger isn't adjustable, and is said to be abominable. The older Savage triggers can be worked over to give a nice trigger pull around 3 pounds. I have done several of them. On the other hand, the Winchester action can handle higher pressure. In lever guns, you might consider the Browning BLR.

Well, one was an attempt to copy the other. That tells you something.

Are you looking to compare the removable magazine 99c to the 88, or the rotary magazine as well?

One problem with most of the lever safety nice Savage 99's is they aren't drilled for scopes, being made prior to 1960. If you're looking for a hunting gun, that puts them behind the 88 as a modern hunting rifle. The 1950's 99F and 99R are the exception with all of them being d&t, and both are fairly common. Also, it's easy to find lots of old Savage 99's that previous owners have drilled. And there's something about 1940's and earlier 99's that just feels right.

So for me..




Disclaimer: I've shot 88's, but never owned one or hunted one.

I've owned a dozen or so Winchester 88s and several hundred Savage 1899/99s.

The Winchester 88 has a stronger, stiffer, action with rotating front locking lugs.

The Winchester 88 has a one-piece stock that, at least in theory, contributes to its greater accuracy potential.

The Winchester 88 has a crappy trigger and I don't care for the ergs of the pistol grip, but the same ergs don't bother me on the Winchester 100s.

The Winchester 88 carbines were, strictly IMO, about as handy as the 99F and the rifles were quite comparable to the 99EGs.

I still have four Winchester 88s, two carbines and two rifles, all in 284.

One of my hunting mentors, Thelma. shot a Winchester 88 carbine in 243.

It depends on what "something different" means to you. The 99 certainly has more history going for it along with a larger variety of calibers and configurations to choose from. I only own an example of one each, a 99 "Brush gun" and an 88 carbine. As a hunting rifle I prefer the ergos of the 88 over the 99 and my 88 will easily outshoot my 99. As a lefty, the lever safety on the older 99s is not easily manipulated from the shoulder, the 88's are reversible.

I like both and having owned both, but sold all my Win 88,s and still have the 99,s. Hunted quite a bit with the Win 88 in 284 killed a 52" Bull Moose and a Dall ram so it has
a special place for me.

If you want the best modern, post-19th Century, lever action rifle go find a Sako Finnwolf. All of the best attributes of the Savage 99 and Winchester 88 in one package. I never could understand why the Finns could built a better lever gun when lever guns are mostly an American thing.

I turn 60 this year... I don't have enough years left to find a Finnwolf in 308

It's weird I own alot of 88 and finwolf but not one 99, only 99 I owned was a 99c in 7mm08

Had 88 and 99, both in .308, both went down the road.

Wish I had a Finnwolf. Always thought they were the cream of the crop. Not likely to happen.

DF

i always felt the Savage 99 shoots a little more accurate than a Winchester 88 ,but the Winchester 88 has nicer wood most of the time and does look nice. but if your set on buying a 308 lever rifle Browning BLR lever rifle`s are more accurate than a 99 or a 88. i have owned them all and shot them all i like to still collect Savage 99`s and shoot them but i do like Browning BLR`S too.

The main advantage that the 88 has is that they are all C&R eligible regardless of when they were made but of course they are all getting close to 50 years old or older now

Wait long enough, if I kick the bucket my wife will have 3 to sell

Gemby,
That is cruel. Especially since you are close to me....

I used my dads M88 .308 frm 1957 until 1995 when he passed it on to me. I recently passed it on to my oldest son. Except for a trigger job, fixing a crack at the tang from a loose recoil block and changing magazine springs it had no issues.
Much more accurate than I was led to believe. Easy to load for in that it handled book max loads easily. The chamber was comparatively tighter than the ones on the M99's I have worked with. It required full length resizing for hunting. brass life was long. The greatest advantage it had was the one piece stock. This allowed using a tight sling as a shooting aid. I think of it as very similar to a M&) FW in feel.

The Model 99 in .308 I have used the most was a 99E with a trigger guard safety. I bought it around 1974 to replace a .300 Savage. It was lighter and shorter than the M88, was less accurate [1.5-2" three shot groups]. I stoned the sear and it had a good trigger pull.

It didn't always like top handloads. I never could get it to shoot well with 748 [my preferred .308 powder at the time] and ended up using an IMR-4064 load. I tossed cases after five loadings. I tried to get more reloads but I got a few case seperations at 7-10 reloads.

I like the trigger guard safety on a 99 better than any other on a lever gun. It was handy, similar to a 99F. I preferred it to the M88 for blacktail hunting, I liked the M88 for elk in Eastern Oregon though. I killed blacktails, whitetails, mulies and a few elk with both.

The key to wringing the most out of a Savage 99 is to shoot one in either 358 or 284. Especially the 284 just makes the Savage sing.

How about a summary of the Finnwolf for us poor slobs who may never have one.

DF

The Sako Finnwolf reminds me of the Winchester 88 with good stock ergs and the usual Sako precision and quality of both workmanship and mateials.

I've owned three of them, two in 308 and a 243. I bought them right and sold them in 2014 when I needed quick money to help the family of an acquaintance who died suddenly and without adequate life insurance. I never hunted with them, so I never missed them.

Thanks.

Does it have a gear arrangement like the Browning.

DF

A lifelong buddy had both an 88 and a 100 in 308. I didn't care for either one. Either did he. He gave one to each of his sons when they were old enough to hunt. He stuck to shooting slugs out of his old Ithaca 37.

On the other hand, I'm a big fan of 99s, particularly the '50s F featherweights. Thin, short, light barrels, great ergos
and handling, (for me anyway), and very good shooters. I guess that's why there were so many in all the NE deer camps my dad and grandpa took me to as a kid.

No it doesn't. I've never handled a Finnwolf, but see youtube video below. It really is quite similar to the Win 88 in how it actuates the bolt via linked levers and its rotating bolt lugs. Unlike the Win 88 or BLR, the trigger doesn't travel with the lever. I'd expect the Finnwolf to have a better trigger as a result.

I've got both the Winchester 88 and Savage 99. I've had several of each, not nearly as many as many as some have reported here, but enough to make up my mind on what I like about them. I really like them both, but if I could only keep one (both are 308's), I'd take the Winchester 88. It is a post 64 which, in the examples I've owned, is smoother than the pre 64. The 88 and 99 are almost equal as far as accuracy, but my 88 does have a slight edge. The triggers are different, and I know that this is going to kind of go against the norm, but I like my Winchester 88 trigger pull better than any Savage 99 I've owned. It works like a 2 stage trigger and that suits me fine. My choice would come down to the individual rifles being compared. Lay a Winchester 88 in front of me along with a Savage 99 and it would be a toss up which one would come out on top.

I have looked at a couple of Sako Finnwolfs years ago and didn't care for the feel of the grip. The lever on both rifles felt like it was too far away from the grip. I passed on both of them even though one was showing a little use and had a good price on it.

I've never owned a Sako Finnwolf but have owned several Winchester M/88's in .308 and .358. Owned one Savage 99RS in .250-3000, killed my biggest buck with the M/88 .308, of the group I prefer the M/88 .308. For a modern rifle the M/88 had a lot of drop in the stock which made recoil an issue when shooting them from the bench, never noticed the trigger being as bad as some say. For the last 30 yrs. I have hunted with M/70 bolt actions, if I were to go back to a lever action it would be a M/88 .358.

Gorgeous rifle!!!!

The Winchester 88 is a fine 308.

The model 99 is a fine 300 savage.

The 88 was not marketed in a 300 savage.

The 99 should not have been marketed in a 308. IMO

I have a few Savage 99's. In clip 308 and in a variety of other calibers including Takedowns. The 99's are just so pretty and they all shoot good. The Win 88 in 308 pre-64 also shoots very good. My Finnwolf has very few rounds through it and is a bit finicky feeding.

To sum it up pick what you like but forget finding a Finnwolf unless you want to spend.$$$$




300sav TD and 30-30

I have owned all 4

99s
88
Finnwolf
BLR

out of the 4 I still have 3 99s, just a better built gun IMO
the gear drive in the Finnwolf and BLR are great until they need cleaning and then what a pain!

The 88 bolt lock up might be stronger than the 99 but the internals are kind of fragile, such for the Finnwolf although it is a much better built gun than the 88.

The most accurate out of the whole lot is a tang safety 99 .308post mil, it will consistently cloverleaf 150 Core-loct's at 100 with a 1x5 leupy on top
the Finnwolf would shoot about MOA
all 88s I have had or shot were 1 1/2-2" including the one I owned
The BLRs can be accurate, would like to have another in .358 some day
all my 99s shoot well, handle great and are built like a tank, by far my favorite gun out of all of them.

That was good to read. Guys that stay objective tend to discover this.

hillbill's post above prompted me to double check my previous post and it appears I stand corrected. The Finnwolf does have gears, although certainly different from the BLR.

I copied the pics from the Sako thread linked below and made a campfire image gallery so they won't be lost.

Sako Collectors Club - Just bought a Finnwolf "parts gun"...

Sako Finnwolf and BLR Action Parts - Image Gallery

More images are in the image gallery including a Finnwolf exploded parts diagram.

Sako gears and action parts



BLR Cut-Away-View of action

Beg to differ on 99's in 308. I'm not a huge fan of 99F's in 308 (I've had several and none shot exceedlingly well), but for 99's with heavier weight barrels I think the 308 is fine. You just have to be able to appreciate post-1960 99's, because pre-1960 99R's and 99EG's in 308 are rare.

A cut checkered 99DL in 308 would probably be my first choice if I was looking for one. But a 99E, 99C, or 99A would be fine also.

Here's a late 80's 99C in 308.. nothing wrong with it.

The price and scarcity of magazines for those discontinued models could be enough to make me pass on them. A few months back, somebody here was looking for one because the "bargain" he'd scored was missing its mag and replacements were priced outa sight. Points awarded to the Savage models with the spool.

If you don't reload or only have one 308 and it is a savage, then you won't understand what I am trying to say.

Like my friend said.

" If you shoot a 308 outta a savage99 .......throw that brass away."

I am beginning to think the 303 savage vs 30 /30 behaves much like the 300 sav. 308.

If you stick to savage only cartridges in the 99, you only stick savage safe cartridges in a 99.

Whatever you do, don't shoot a .284 or a 358. Your mind will be blown.

I got a 284 win 88

And a pair of 336 ER Marlins

And a 356 win model 94 AE

Can't wait to come shooting with you soon fireball.

I also have several 35 R.E.M. In 336 just love them.

I have a multitude of 99's in 308.. 99EG, 99R, 99F (had 4 or 5), 99E, 99C's. Haven't shot them all, but enough.

I'm not sure what you're talking about with the brass. I full length resize all my brass, and the 308's work fine.

I don't load it to shoot like a 30-06. I stick to factory specs, and for shooting paper I mostly stick to medium loads. Found that even light loads always manage to kill the target.

Never had a problem.

+1 on medium loads in lever actions, if you feel the need for max. velocity you need to be shooting a bolt action.

I had a Finnwolf and they are a nice smooth rifle, but they are not in the same accuracy class as a Sako bolt gun! They are built in a way that allows only marginal glass bedding.

My brother had a m99 .308 with a tang safety and it was the most accurate lever action that I've been around, down side it could be a disappointment in the looks of the stock. He had another m99 that I liked better in .300 Savage with a brass cartridge counter, a rotary magazine, and real cut checkering.

have been shooting a 99 of one flavor or the other in 308 for years. best one i had was a E model with the ugliest baby crap green stock you ever saw.
currently have a F in 308 .shoots well enough and have never had any problem with brass. that quote puzzles me.

I had a weird green colored 99 E that shot pretty good also. Wonder if the green wood was like the red label on a model 88?

Heavy varnish over birch stocks on 99E's wasn't their best choice.. but it was being sold as a utility model. But those 20" barrels on most 99E's are nice to hunt with.

That economy birch sure took stain weird. That said, if i could find the E i sold i would buy it back😁 it really shamed the F i have now.

Agreed the E in 308 was perhaps the best 308 I owned in the 99.

Hopefully I will find a 300 in E.

same here on 88 vs 99

I have one of each in .308. Both are nice guns. The 88 was my fathers and the 99 was my grandfathers. I have shot deer with both and love them.