Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Cody letters.. ( Poll added on page 2)

They made no octagon barreled 1899's in 1920, so you can't have an 1899B from 1920.. can you?

And right here is a ledger page from 1920. It does NOT have any model letters. Anything on a 1920 factory letter stating a model is the Savage historian interpreting what's in the ledger, probably in accordance with Murray's dates. Which we know are seriously off in many cases. He did great.. but we've had 30 years to find out more detailed info.

.to further muddy the waters, They should be 99A and 99B from about 1921/22 with 26" rifle weight barrels until about 1926. Then the early medium weight barrels had a pinch front sight base similar to the late lightweight barrel rifles. I have seen G's and K's with this sight in the 29xxxx range to 30xxxx. I haven't seen an A or B in this range but they must have the medium weight barrel with the pinched front sight. The earliest 99A, 3209xx I've seen and a 99K, 3094xx have the integral ramp.

Now if you actually mean the fact that in 1921/1922 Savage still used the term 1899 in it's pricelists along with the new model names.. then you have a point. But that would be 1921/1922, not 1920. The 1921 pricelist has model letters, the 1920 pricelist doesn't. The reason we all collectively agree to call rifles from 1921/1922 by the name 99's is to avoid the confusion of things like "Do you mean an octagon barrel 1899B, or a 26" round barrel with crescent buttplate and takedown 1899B?".

That's not me that did that.. collectors were doing that for years before I got into 99's.

You fellas keep it up, some of it might sink in my thick skull yet.

I didn't say it was octagonal. I said 1899B (1920), which is a round barrel, T/D,...we've covered this before.
This is a model advertised as 1899B that was years after the 1899B octagonal. Blame Savage.

The reason this one sticks in my craw is that I brought it to the forum to identify model designation years ago and was schooled by a member that "the only thing that matters is what the factory letter states".
So I requested and received a factory letter from JTC that indicated my rifle was indeed a 1899B (not to be confused with the earlier octagonal 1899B).
I reported this information to the forum and was schooled again that "the factory letter was wrong". wha wha what?

Anyway, JTC and I know what I have.
I struggle with the "confusion factor". You mean the 99F or the 99F?? You mean the 99A or the 99A? 99E or 99E? ..... Savage models = confusion. It's unavoidable.

David covered this area in his book and explained it well.
I still have a mint 1899B, 2215xx, 1920 and a factory letter to prove it!!

Show me an advertisement, catalog or price list from 1920 that mentions an 1899B. I've never found one. Nobody has ever shown me one. It must exist if an 1899B 26" takedown is correct in 1920. Because those things exist for 1921.

Your letter does tell you what you have. But just as Callahan didn't have the most up to date data when he interpreted the ledger data and wrote 1899B, the dates he gives in the letter you allows you to use the better data we have now to know exactly what you have. Doug Murray was an extremely bright man. Callahan is an extremely bright man. But we know more now than when Murray wrote his book. Just as folks will know more in 30 years than we know now.

You have an 1899A with takedown option, listed in the December 1920 Price List applying to Catalog No. 61 under "Model 1899 Take-Down Rifles 22" barrel, shotgun butt, and 26" barrel, rifle butt." Cost was $53. I'm 99% sure Callahan never saw a copy of that price list.

Not trying to pose as any kind of a Savage expert here but speaking for myself personally I can say that all this overthinking of micro minutea that we seem to be spending more and more discussion time on is providing less and less pleasure and satisfaction for me personally as a longtime collector. I sense that egos are slowly but surely getting involved under the guise of trying to be THE expert on all things Savage. Instead of focusing on the very finest points of description and trying to be a human algorithm Im suggesting we spend more time sharing the things we all agree onand enjoy Just my two cents worth.

Thank you!

Yeah, the "transition rifles" battles have been going on for what.. 15 years? 25 years? Callahan helped a lot of folks by translating ledger entries into best guesses for models, which Roe Clark almost never did. We're back to the Roe Clark letter style from now on, so it'll be interesting as we go forward.

Hopefully nobody gets too wound up in this.. it's just my opinion.

Less talk more photos!

LOL

Are you referring to egos or an ego?

Getting so nobody can say anything anymore without the minutia cop whipping out his badge and picking apart every sentence for every false capitalized letter and comma.

Been there...

Would you mind posting some pictures please? I see very few high condition examples of 1899s. Thanks.

The SP mark was not added till around 1927.

Here ya go.... looks better in hand.
Had a hang tag when I got it.
Not bad for a 100 yr. old rifle.

Wooo dawgy that's a pretty rifle. Quintessential Savage lever gun right there.

Is as getting dazed and confused till “Southern_WI_Savage” posted that rifle now i am just dazed.
Beautiful rifle there!

Rick R likes quizzes so I'll use his rifle for one, This is a "guess when it was made" pole. I don't know the serial so use approximate cut off 's and have a reason for our guess.

When was it made... single choice
	Before WWI
	After WWI but before serial 200,000
	After 199,999 but before 231xxx range
	After 231xxx range
Votes accepted starting: 11/26/20 You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

BTT

Beautiful rifle.

Wow, looks like it was in a time capsule.