Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors I think I made the right choice

While I was negotiating a trade for a powered parachute of all things, one thing led to another and the fellow let me look through his gun safes. One rifle I pulled out was a 99 EG in 250-3000, style 3, serial number around 700k IIRC.
The wood was about 97% and the metal finish was as good if not better. It also had a vintage Lyman tang mounted peep… BUT - it was non factory d&t’d for a scope and had sling swivels in the stock 😩
I could have brought it home for $700, I offered $500 thinking it would make for a good looking shooter. I believe he would’ve met me in the middle… but I passed.

I think I made the right choice with passing at $700 - but I sure hate leaving 99s behind.

You have a steadier hand than me. I haven't seen a 250 for that price in a while, even in poor shape.

Could never get past the extra holes.

If it's not right for you, then you did the right thing. I don't think the price was far off by today's market standards, but that doesn't mean it's the right price for you.

Can't buy them all.

Unfortunately.

Yeah, that's a tough Call!

You guys owning 162 of them is what makes them so expensive for the rest of us latecomers 😝

You should see my first 99 (1952 EG). Got it back before I knew much about them... when I took the scope bases off, it looked like someone with Parkinson's tapped it with a hand drill.

I think $600 was an OK price if he went for it.

But, Calhoun has the right philosophy on buying.

Heh.. I’m a guy that has a safe full of 99’s with aftermarket holes. Believe me, I’m not one paying top dollar for collector quality 99’s.

And nowhere near 162. It’s a dream I have, tho..

I just buy shooters these days. I made that mistake a long time ago with a fancy grade Marlin, I'll never buy something too "nice" to use in the field.

I grossly overpaid for my first EG, but I think I did ok on the 2nd EG and my 1899A. I'll probably end up with a 4th in 25-35 or 32-40 eventually when I have the bucks, or find a cheap-ish one in 30/30 to rebarrel, and I'll be good at 4.

I wish I had bought them 20 years ago, when I was living in MN they were cheap and common in pawn shops, but at the time I never really knew much about them or had much interest.

Extra holes don't bother me if the price is right and the rest of the gun is in great shape. And I'd say with the prices that 99s have been going for lately coupled with the fact that the 250 always commands a premium that 700-bucks would have been about the right price. The holes certainly are not going to make it shoot around corners.

I don't mind the extra holes when the bases, scope mounts and scopes are still attached. It's the messed up empty holes that make me run for the door.

Just weld a Leupold base on the sucker and go hunt!

That's why we have super glue!

If the gun has extra holes, it generally doesn't bother me. What does bother me is recoil pads and crappy bores. Many times a couple extra holes can be beneficial, depending on their purpose because I buy guns to shoot not to "collect" or for investment reasons.

For example: A Stevens single shot target rifle drilled for Unertl scope blocks, or a Springfield sporter with a Griffin&Howe side mount will always capture my attention quicker than a completely unmolested identical rifle. If I were enamored of Savage EG's I would welcome one d/t'ed for scope mounts even if I intended to use it with an aperture sight - A) because that's why God gave us filler screws for when a scope isn't mounted, B) with a cataract just starting in my right eye, a scope is welcome these days (and I won't always have a cataract), and C) because it means I can get it cheaper than the crazy "collector" prices which are the new norm in the world of Savage lever guns. For those reasons I sincerely wish more of them were d/t'ed.

I have enough factory tapped rifles to fill my usability “need” and for some reason have always been driven crazy by none factory alterations on “collectible” rifles (even more so when the gun is in otherwise high condition). I would rather own the same or a similar rifle in lesser but factory original condition … but I realize everyone has different feelings about this. For that reason I imagine I value it a bit less than some of you would have.

Actually the ugly sling swivels bothered me more than the receiver holes.

Either way, it’s still there if I change my mind, get itchy for a 99 purchase, or if he decides he will take a little less for it.

My apologies for not taking the time to take pictures. It was in remarkable cosmetic condition.

The only 99 250 I have, has I don’t know how many holes drilled in it. Some, if not all have been welded back. I think I paid $150 for it at a gunshow. It’s rough. I put a tang sight on it and discovered it will shoot tiny cloverleaf groups at 100 yards with factory 100 grain Remington loads. Really good trigger too. It’s killed a lot of deer. I don’t care if it gets rained on, dropped, skinned up, etc. It does the job.

Judging by the quality of firearms I’ve seen you post for sale on this forum, I’d say you did the right thing. I doubt you’d ever be content with extra holes in a rifle.

Good luck with that.....

I've downsized all my things in general. I used to have about 50 guns, I have maybe 9 now. I'd actually have to look, it's 9 or 10. I keep each one for specific uses, and typically 1 gets sold if a new one is bought. I just sold a couple last week since I'd gotten something to replace what I used them for.

I'm sort of doing the same thing, slimming down the number of hunting rifles (how many deer rifles does a fella need?), and replacing them with single shot target rifles at a rate of about two for one.