Home Forums Lever Action Central Lever Actions - General Savage 99

We’ll I might be a bit eccentric or a bubble off but I had a chance to purchase a Savage 99 action for what I considered a reasonable price. I sent the action to Scott Null in Diggs Idaho in the hopes of building a .358 out of it. Scott informed me that it wasn’t a problem to do so I than read some comments about issues doing so so called Scott with my concerns and was informed it was already accomplished, which was a relief. I than asked about if it required a trigger job and Scott told me that there was no reason to do so since the trigger was sweet. Scott installed a cut rifled barrel and is soon to complete the project. I am anxious to complete the project and have listed a unfired Armalite 10 Defender that I hate to part with but I live in Alaska am 64 years of age and legs no longer me to hunt/shoot as I used to. I’ve had to admit my long range and shooting/hunting interests aren’t practical. I am going lever action for Moose and berry picking off a four wheeler. I have listed an AR10 defender on the classified to off set the cost. I have high hopes for the 99 since I’ve shot a semi custom 8mm Mag for years as a sheep and everything else in Alaska.

It'll work.

8mm, I'm a fellow Alaskan and about your age. I have a 99F that was bored to .358 Win from .308. It is a great chambering and easy to make from .308 brass. You'll like it.

ANd if you get stuck for brass, contact me. I have some that were included with a 356 Winchester that I bought.

Good to hear I am not only Alaskan with this route.

I don't know how tough those Alaskan berries are, but I think you'll have enough gun.

Only receivers with serial numbers over 900,000 or starting with a letter can be rebarreled into 243/308/358 length cartridges. So it sounds like yours is working, but it’s incorrect to make a blanket statement that any 99 rebarrel will work.

The receiver internals were changed at serial number 900,000 to allow 243/308/358 cartridges to fit into the magazine.

Actually I had read that and was concerned as the action was and early action and I called my smith and questioned him about it and he told me it had all ready been done. So either someone is misinformed or I was misled or he is a talented smith.

It’s not the berries but the competition for the berries that concerns me!

I'm not misinformed.. I've seen multiple early 99's turned into 308's that were single fire because the gunsmith hadn't realized a 308 wouldn't fit into the magazine. We even saw a factory made 99F in 243 under 900,000 that you couldn't load the magazine.

The rear wall of the magazine well was moved back to allow room for 243/308/358 at 900,000, and some of the internal parts changed.

Read #6 and #7 on the 1961 factory conversion/work list sheet and note the serial number ranges and calibers they would convert to:

On the conventional rotary mag guns, there is a modification required.
I would check with JES...
I have a 99C in 308 Win and have thought is an easier way to go.

I have often wondered how a 35 - 300 Sage cartridge would work in a 99. I like 358 calibers

That’s an old wildcat. I think it was fairly popular with eastern woods hunters that don’t have longer shots. I think JES will do those? I’d like a double barrel setup with that and a 300 on a takedown model, just have to find a gun that will load and feed both.

JES did an early post mil 300 savage to .358 rebore which was Sub-MOA and never hand loaded because the Hornady 250 grainers shot so well there was no need to even try.

I hunted two seasons with it and it clearly did a better job than the .308 I used to use.

You'll love the 358.

Well my smith is supposed to take it out tomorrow to check function. Hopefully it passes muster.

And how's it working out?