Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Optional Checkering on an EG?

Jaaack's rifle would be in the ledgers. Any standard checkered Spiegel or EG is too late to letter. Cutoff is 371,185 in Nov. 1937 I think.. any records after that consist of only shipping records, not ledgers. Most shipping records just give a date, though some do list model/caliber.

When I first looked at the checkering on Jaaack's EG I thought it was for sure Savage. Just looking at rifles from the mid 30's, I'm now questioning that opinion. The only solid forearms rifles to compare it to is the R/RS and T, neither of which has the Schnobel fore-end. The R/RS had switched to 2 pt checkering by 357xxx. The pads are not checkered and the quality of checkering does not compare to the K so I don't think it would be the $7 option. The part I find most out of character is the excessive amount of checkering on the forearm and how close to the grip cap it is. Also, all of the checkered butt stocks I looked at the checkering outline is curved above the pistol grip at the front vs sharp cornered.

I'm no expert on this subject . I'm only going by what I see on Savage rifles from around the time of Jaaack's rifle. It looks right to most people here so I'd say get it lettered and see if the checkering is logged.

Sure can't complain about the condition or caliber of the rifle!

Rick, I hear what you're saying and the bottom of the buttstock checkering had me leaning to thinking it was non-standard. But when I started searching, I found several like it. On page 71 of David's book, his 99K has checkering just like it. I've found a couple other 99K's with similar bottoms to the checkering.

I don't know what it means. The bottom being squared off and right above the pistol grip is definitely not normal. But special order checkering isn't either. Love to see if anything is recorded in the ledger for this one.

I compared the checking on my 30-30 EG 392742 and do not believe the 2 point checkering could be modified to look like the 303 EG being discussed. According to Murray the 303 361536 EG would be too early to have even standard checking. My gut tells me it was special order checkering and not altered after it left the factory ... simply because the checkering looks factory to my aging eyes.

#343,xxx RS

That's a nice early RS. What is the scope? My first 99 was an early 300 RS with a Weiss mounted in custom fixed Stith mounts... and down the rabbit hole I went.

Thanks everyone for the replies so far, and thanks Roy for the photos of the 3-point on the R.

As I mentioned before the 3-point checkering on this rifle differs somewhat from the 3-point checkering on my 1931 99 K with the biggest difference being the center point on the K is significantly longer than on the EG. But the 3-point on the EG looks exactly like the R that Roy posted with the exception of the location on the pistol grip. The center points appear to be the same length. It is difficult to see in the photos in the listing but with the EG in hand there is a distinct difference in the checkering on the pistol grip and that on the forearm. I don't know how to describe it, but the forearm checkering is more subdued. It doesn't jump out at you like the pistol grip checkering does. Both are 18 lines/inch as best I can measure. I seem to remember that when we were discussing the optional checkering on my 99 D a few years ago, someone mentioned that there was an option that used the words "machine checkering" or something to that effect. On my EG there are some imperfections in the forearm checkering that lead me to believe that the forearm was checkered by hand. Is it possible that the pistol grip was "machine" checkered using the 3-point jig that was used for 99 Rs, but the forearm was done by hand because Savage didn't have the appropriate jig or something special for the forearm was requested? Or, maybe only the pistol grip was done by Savage and the forearm checkering was added later?

I think I'll break down and send for a letter. It may not tell us anything, but who knows?

Or, maybe not! I just went on the Cody website and looked at the Savage Available Serial Number Ranges page. It says for serial numbers "357579-436558 (general date and order number only)". That doesn't sound very promising.

Rick, the scope is a Lyman 438 Field. The checkering has more lines per inch than the EG we're discussing. The shape of the checkering is different.

Yes, the 3pt checkering on the 99R/99RS's that had been discontinued over a year before Jaaack's 99EG had more lines per inch.

The 2pt checkering on the 99R/99RS's (or 99T's, or 99G's) made at the same time as Jaaack's 99EG had a very similar number of lines per inch. I would expect the fancy checkering to give more lines per inch like the 99K continued to have, otherwise they'd probably have gone with standard checkering for the time.

Jaaack, I'm about to send in for a letter. Let me confirm with them that the ledgers stop that early, Callahan had told us the last ledger went higher.

Interesting topic Jack and a beautiful 303!

I'm not sure we've actually ever talked about the early 99R's/99RS's having more lines per inch in their checkering. I "knew" it because I have both, but don't remember talking about it here. Don't think I mentioned it in my book either. So good point..

That’s a lovely rifle no matter who checkered it. The buttstock checkering looks hand done to me. Just one man’s opinion.

Well documented that Winchester went from 20 lpi checkering to 18 lpi checkering on the M70 in 1940.

I have to say that the last picture of Jaaacks checkering on the pistol grip has me saying a no to being factory done. The lines near the grip cap are real irregular in width and not well done. I have never seen checkering as squared off along the grip cap either just not up to factory work. Don

Jaaack, just as an fyi - the Cody folks are out of the office for the holidays and will be back next week. Might take them a bit to clear the backlog and respond to me. But hopefully they will.

OK. Thanks.