Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Just acquired my first Model 1899/99

Hey members
Came across a Savage 99 in .300 sav, and purchased it for several reasons. First, after researching the manufacturing date by way of the serial number, it appears to be a 1925 sn 2764xx. Obviously there are lots of old gun in the world, and I'm not a collector of antique firearms, but the condition of this rifle at 97years was very impressive. I own many other non Savage rifles, as old as 70yrs, that all have original finishes, so I can distinguish factory from refinished. Along with the superficial condition, and appearance, was the mechanical condition of the lever assembly, receiver, chamber etc. Also an experienced gunsmith commented after examining the bore, that there might have been less than 5 shots fired from the gun. Beyond the rifle itself, was the optics. The Lyman Alaskan scope, while not actually period, seems appropriate. It functions well and is in cosmetically good condition.
I know from initially researching, that a lot of the members here are major enthusiasts and knowledgeable concerning the 99 etc. Maybe take a look and make some comments regarding the possible model, value, miscellaneous observations.

Some additional information:
20inch heavyish barrel
Crescent butt style
No checkering
Marked with a small Capital "K" only on the lever boss
SS# 2764xx on reciever, and on inside of Crescent butt plate
Bluing is 98% and is light blue with a subtle sheen.

Thanks in advance! PICTURES ARE FORTHCOMING
Kenny

Congratulations Kenny!! You have begun down a path that will undoubtedly lead to you to many more Savage 99s!!! The Savage 99 is a fantastic rifle that was way ahead the times when first introduced. The 300 Savage is an excellent cartridge capable of taking elk-sized game. Heck of a deer rifle too. And still being loaded commercially.

The Lyman Alaskan 7/8 " scope is just the right one to mate with your 99. I am guessing that your rifle has been drilled and tapped after market, unless that is, you have a Stith mount. If you do have the Stith, that is a real bonus!!!

Enjoy!!! - T.S.

It has the Stith mounting system

Sounds very nice! If it has a crescent buttplate, it would be a 99A (Version 1) if it’s a solid frame or a 99B if it’s a takedown. But neither of those would have a 20” barrel, and in fact there was never a factory 300 Savage 20” barrel that I can think of until the 1960’s 99E and the rare as hen’s teeth 99A Version 2 in the 1970’s. Standard barrel length for a 99A Version 1 in 300 Savage would be 26” or 24” depending on when it was made. At 276,xxx it should be a 26” barrel.

So waiting for the pictures to be able to tell you more.

20" 300 Savage barrel?

Something don't smell right...

Savage 99’s will follow you home. They know the way now!!

From an article I was reading:

99F Lightweight 20", 22", & 24" or featherweight 22" & 24" both in takedown Straight grip some with checkering Steel shotgun butt Straight, schnoble tip Bead in integral base on lightweight or raised ramp on
Does not explain the crescent butt though....

My gun say model "1899" on top of the reciever is it possible it is a transition model to the "99"?
A 1899H perhaps that also came in 300 sav

Is the barrel measured from crown to where it enters the reciever or farther in where the cartridge seats?

I'm not able to post pictures from my smartphone, but I'm working on it...

The MODEL 1899 stamp on top of the receiver happened from late 1920 to 1926, and from mid-1921 the rifles were model 99's. The change from calling them Model 1899's to Model 99's was just a marketing name change and not a physical change, so Savage didn't bother changing the 1899 stamp until they made some actual changes to the rifles in 1927. Then they changed the stamp to Model 99.

So your rifle says MODEL 1899, but the 1925 catalog and pricelist definitely listed everything as Model 99A to Model 99H. This is one of the confusing parts of Savage model names..

Serial number 276,4xx would probably date to April or May of 1925 (always possible it was finished later though). The barrel lengths for the various models for 300 Savage in 1925 was:
99A - 26"
99B - 26"
99C - 24"
99D - 24"
99E - 24"
99F - 24"
99G - 24"
99H - not sold in 300 Sav. that year, only in 30-30/303 Sav.

Other cartridges came in 22" barrels for the 99C/99D, and in 20" or 22" for the 99E/99F/99G that year. But the 300 Savage wasn't offered in anything under a 24" barrel as a standard length until the 99T was introduced in 1935. And that was a 22" barrel.

You can send pictures to me at Calhounsavagelevers.com if you'd like. I can post them up. Might also want to pull the buttplate off the rifle and check the serial number on the buttplate and end of the buttstock to see if they match the receiver. The forearm will also have a serial number on it.

From Savageshooter.com

"The 1899H, also a carbine model with a 20” barrel but the barrel was light weight and the butt stock was normally a shotgun type butt. Some had hard rubber plates and some wore the regular steel plate. This was a model that you would usually find in a “take down” configuration and most of the 22 H.P.’s people find these days are in this model of 1899. Although a number of them were made in 303 and 30-30 without the TD feature. Now here’s where we get into the transition rifles. This is going to confuse a few people about what they’ve got. The 1899H and the early model 99F are almost identical, the only thing we can go by on what model it is will be the serial number, even though the two rifles overlap each other. Most of the 1899H’s will have a serial number under 200,000 except for a bunch of the 22H.P.’s which went up into the 220,000’s, thus puzzling us if we have an early 99F under 220,000. Also, both of the models may have been stamped with “Savage 1899” on the top of the barrel. Dating your rifle will make a big difference here, if it’s older than 1921 your more than likely holding an early model 99F, under that would be the 1899H. Same goes for the model 1899A in T/D and the early model 99B, both identical guns but dating them or lettering the gun will be the key point in discovering what model you have. Some of the early 1899H’s came with a rear sight called the 21B, it will have a small disk on the front of the sight and is a dead giveaway that you have an 1899H, the 1899F’s also used this rear sight but the saddle ring means it’s an 1899F."
Seems like a lot of possibilities?

Yeah.. that’s old data. That’s mostly based off of Doug Murray’s book which was written in the 80’s. We’ve done a lot more research since then.

The 1899’s including the 1899H were made until mid-1921 and the model names were coined by Doug Murray based on the telegraph code used to order them from Savage. Savage never catalogued or knew of a model 1899H - you won’t find it listed in any catalog or price list or ad. The 1899H had telegraph codes starting with H, the 1899A had telegraph codes starting with A’s. Etc. An exception are the named grades and the model 1899 250-3000 which Doug Murray didn’t coin names for. And VERY few 1899’s were made in 1921, high inventory and a crushing depression killed sales.

The 99 models were named by Savage as 99A, 99B, 99C, etc. Not named by Doug Murray in the 1980’s based on telegraph codes. This appears to have happened in the early fall of 1921 - and it happened to ALL models at the same time. Not staggered over years like Murray thought, we have price lists from Savage which prove that.

And the 300 Savage cartridge was released in the fall of 1921 also. So you won’t find 1899’s chambered in 300 Savage unless they were reworked, only 99’s were made in 300 Savage.

Relevant to your rifle in 1925, here is the Savage Arms price list for that year. As you can see, all listed as 99’s.

SkinnyKenny, you might be interested in a copy of Calhoun's book on the Savage lever rifles:

“The Savage 99 Pocket Reference”.
All models and variations of 1895’s, 1899’s and 99’s covered.
Also dates, checkering, engraving.. Find at www.savagelevers.com
Watch All The Savage 99 Models :

or David Royal's (Wyo1895 here on the Forum) book on Savage Lever rifles:

"For a copy of my book on Savage lever actions rifles send a check for $60 to; David Royal, p.o. box 1271, Pinedale, Wy., 82941. I will sign and inscribe the book for you.
wyomingsavage1895gmail.com"

Where does one measure to on a 99 to determine true barrel length? My gun has 20+ inches exposed, do you count the dimension inside the reciever also? 22" callout perhaps?

You measure from the muzzle to the front of the bolt when it's closed. So yes, you include most of the receiver ring.

Here's a 24" barrel on my 99A in 300 Savage. It's a bit later than your rifle, as can be seen by the front sight ramp. That started around serial number 300,000.

Yep. As is the case with most/all? rifles, barrel length is measured from the tip of the muzzle to the end of the barrel chamber seated in the receiver. You may have a 22 inch barrel.

Skinny, now that you are being hooked on the Savage 99 LOL, I suggest you get a copy of Calhoun's book and David Royal's. Both are excellent with good photos.

T.S.

My mistake on the measurement....I sent you the photos...

Thanks Tex

I did remove the butt plate, and the serial numbers match up with the reciever...A little reluctant to remove soft brass screw to ascertain the foreend numbers, the butt and front stock are identical in color and grain...