Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Why Is The Savage 99 So Popular?

I’m asking that question cause folks in my area in Texas preferred Winchester and Marlin lever actions. I never saw one growing up. Never saw one, never have handled one or shot one. Noticed they are very popular among lots of CF members. Haven’t researched the 99; but I’m looking forward to reading your first-hand experience with your rifle & caliber. Thanks!

They have a fantastic feel to them. At least the older rotary mag models do. Their looks are an acquired taste.

They use cartridges with pointy bullets, they carry very well, plus they have a cool factor.

IMO, their only shortcoming is the trigger. Mine absolutely sucks. But I still love the rifles.

Must be. I think they're uglier than homemade soap.

They ain't so popular. If they were they'd still be making them. I grew up deer hunting the Catskills. Saw plenty of Winchester and Marlin levers as well as Remington 760's and 742's in the hands of Catskill deer hunters but never a Savage 99.

How much time you got?

Started out with a 99 in 308 but didn't like it so sold it to a good friend that still has it after almost 40 years. Ex FIL got me hooked on the 375 Win cartridge so when I saw a 99 in 375 at a gunshow I hawked the farm to get it. Killed blacktail and bear with it for decades. But, a 375 isn't flat shooting so I started experimenting with the other cartridges available in the 99. Even tried some wildcats. Today I use the 284's and 358's the most. With good handloads a Savage 99 will shoot less than an inch at a hundred. I've killed game from a few feet to 600 yards. They just flat work.

I agree as to the style being an acquired taste. I've always liked and used levers, being a lefty, but didn't get into them until about 5 years ago because they just looked ugly to me. I currently own 3 of them, and the styling has grown on me a bit. I now refer to them as the prettiest ugly rifle ever made.

They handle well, one handed carry extremely well, and having a lot more bullet choices for handloading is a perk over a tube fed lever. Being chambered in stuff a peppier than 30-30 class cartridges is a plus, too, although I personally prefer them in the lighter stuff. They knock the stuffing out of me in .308, but 300 Savage isn't too bad, and 250 and 303 Savage are an absolute blast to shoot.

I've been hunting the Catskills since the late '60s and have seen all the rifles mentioned, plus an equal amount of 99s. Guess it just depends on what camps you hunted out of.

Whereabouts ? I started in 1977. Never hunted out of a camp. I was born and raised here in Delaware County. Hunted with lots of folks, friends and family plus belonged to two different local sportsmans clubs. Nobody had a Savage 99. In fact, in all these years I only remember ever seeing one for sale in a local gun shop. In contrast, you couldn't swing a dead cat in the woods back in the 70's without hitting somebody toting a Winchester or Marlin lever or a Remington 760. Now most are toting a scoped bolt action but many hunted on their feet back then while today they mostly sit on their ass in a stand all day..

I don't think there is a single answer to be made to your question.

I will say the 99 was popular in my family's Whitetail deer camp, but not so much in some other camps I hung out in. Most of the members in my camp where farmers and in most cases owned only one deer rifle. Early on they packed Winchester and Marlin lever actions then when they began traveling out west to hunt they found their cartridges were not the best for that geography. Savage 99s in 250-3000 and 300 Savage were the popular replacement.

My first deer rifle was a well used 99 EG "tomato stake" 250-3000. It had a Lyman 57 SA on it and I killed a lot of deer and antelope with it. It became a safe queen when I started buying bolt-actions. Fast forward a few years to a 99-A 250-3000 I bought from the widow of gun shop owner. It remains my favorite Whitetail deer rifle. Easy to carry, fast to the shoulder and target acquisition, quick 2nd shot if needed, perfect fit for me.

All over the Catskills, but mostly, way back on Flugertown Rd., near Willowemoc. Also, many years near Holiday Brook, north of Roscoe and Cat Hollow. These days its mostly East Branch, at my club/camp, and Walton area. We've been there since '85. Some of the older members are still toting their 99s. I'll be leaving Tuesday from Florida and heading there for the entire rifle season. I'll be carrying either of two 99s, in 250 Sav or 300 Sav. I'll also alternate taking my dad's 5 diamond 760 in 35 Rem and Gramp's 5 diamond in 300 Sav. for a few walks as an homage to them. Where in Delaware county are you?

EDIT I'm stillhunting (pun intended) on my feet. It's how I was taught, and it's the only way to hunt for me. Even when I used to bow hunt, I stillhunted. In the '80s I bought a Loggy Bayou climber and sat in it 1 afternoon. That night I gave it to my buddy, and I've been back on the ground ever since.

I grew up near Trout Creek. Mostly hunted near there and Deposit, Walton, Downsville, Bovina, Andes. I lived in Walton for several years after graduation. I think it was Giffords gun shop in Walton where I saw a 99 for sale once. I started with a model 94 .30-30, then got a 336 .30-30, a 336 .35 Rem. then a 760 carbine in .30-06. After playing with a bunch of bolt, pump and lever actions in various calibers, I'm back to mostly using a scoped 336 .30-30 or a receiver sighted '94 .30-30. I still don't like hunting out of a stand.

The 99s weren't real prevalent in northern MN when I was growing up, but I wouldn't call them rare in the area, either. I only knew a couple of people who hunted with them, but there were always a few floating around on the used racks in gun and pawn shops. I wish I had been into them back then, when they were a lot cheaper to acquire than they are now.

Tons of Winchester and Marlin levers up there, and then assorted bolts and the occasional H&R single shot for good measure. I picked up a Rem 7600 pump and hunted a few seasons with it, and I was the only one of anyone I knew or hunted with running a pump at the time. Autoloaders were pretty much nil, aside from coming across an old Rem 742 or Model 8/81 once in a blue moon.

I have a 1959 EG, in 308. Looks elegant to me, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder...my grandfather had a 300 EG. I was always told that the rich guys shot 99's. Don't know how true that was. My grandfather was rich when he bought it. I also think a lot of guys just like a lever with a hammer. A cowboy gun. My 308 will consistently group under an inch at 100, but the cold barrel first shot is always 1.5" high. The trigger is pretty good. A tad heavy, but real good feel.

I too grew up in NY and saw a lot of 99's, including mine and dad's. To be fair, we didn't hunt with, nor hang out with, broke dicks, so that may explain it

The guys I hunted with this week are a retired school teacher and a retired school administrator. I have hunted with those same guys for 40 years. We hunted on the administrators 160 acres. I killed a buck and a doe so am probably two ahead of you for the season. I also am friends with and hunt on the land of the District attorney of a neighboring County. In short, the people I know and hunt with are undoubtedly of a higher class than you and the trash you hang out with. They do have good taste though, so naturally they avoid hunting with ugly guns.

Right, broke dick. That includes those sucking off the government tit. Thank you for proving my point

So you've killed no deer yet this season. What a surprise. Loser.

‘So popular’ is subjective

roundoak, That's a beautiful 99A you have, and in 250 Sav no less. That Leupold 1.5-5 or 1-4 you have on it is the perfect optic for it. I prefer mine open sighted. To each, his own...but I've always found Savage 99s to be beautiful rifles. Not that Marlins and Winchesters aren't. My favorites are the '50s 99Fs, especially with a fold down rear sight. I can close my eyes and snap that gun to my shoulder, and when I open my eyes, the front sight is perfectly buried in the rear. It's great for me while stillhunting.

I belong to the Savage Collectors Group on here and on FB. Every year we have a 3 day rendezvous in Pa. In the 3 years that I've attended I've shot, and seen shot, probably close to 200 1899/99s. I don't recall a single one that wasn't capable of 1'' at 100.