Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Scope mount and serial number

Hello all, I have possession of my father's Model 99 in .300 Savage which is in good working order. It would appear to be an EG, but I am no expert. I am curious about the year of manufacture but more importantly am interested in a older scope and Stith mount for it. The serial number located forward of the lever boss is 372XXX which the Savage99.com search feature indicates was manufactured in 1937 or 1938. The lever boss code, which I believe is a lower case "a" was manufactured in 1949, also per the Savage99.com site. Can anyone rationalize this for me? The family has no information as to when he bought this rifle, but likely it was just pre or post WWII. It is equipped with a Lyman 1a site which I can shoot well out to about 75 yards. It would be nice to set up with a scope. It looks like there are two types of Stith mounts, and my choice may be driven most by availability. Is there any technical reason to favor one over the other? This may not be a cheap project, but one worthy of the investment. This is a good time of year to start the search as I wont be afield with the rifle again for nearly a year. Thanks.

Your rifle will date to late 1937 by serial number. They weren’t finished in serial number order, so any given rifle might be finished months later than normal. But end of 1937 is best answer.

The “A” on the lever boss is just an inspection stamp. There was no other meaning to it until 1949 when inspectors got numbers and the letter meant the year.

An EG at that time would be uncheckered, have a pistol grip and be a solid frame rifle.

Calhoun, all that makes sense. I just scrolled through several posts and discovered how the lever boss code format worked. You got it, uncheckered, steel butt plate, pistol grip and slender schnable forearm. I do remember my father saying he thought about buying the take down version. I shot a very nice buck with it the first morning it was in the woods in over 50 years so its personal value just keeps growing!.

With that history, it’s priceless.

Stith/scope mounts pop up on eBay, unless somebody here like Lightfoot has a set for sale. Another option is that Lightfoot sells a mount which goes on like a Stith (no new holes needed), but allows the use of any modern scope.

If you have your heart set on a Stith set up be prepared to pay up to 400 for the whole set up.

Lightfoot make a great mount