Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Another postwar "prewar" 99R

With Ranger4444's recent record setting prewar style 99RS at 503,7xx, I thought this was interesting and worthy of note.

Ranger4444's 99RS dates probably towards the end of 1947. A recent 99R from gunbroker dates to maybe summer of 1946. We've only seen a few post-war 99R/99RS's in this style. Of interest is that this is a higher serial number range than the 99RT's that could be another style of 99R.

Were these just made up from a leftover stock, or new production? That's the question. The 1946 price lists and catalogs do list a 99R/99RS, but the March 1946 says that 99EG's are available immediately but 99R/99RS may be subject to indefinite delays when ordering.

Ranger4444's rifle:




Gunbroker gun, 442,982:

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/873609029

Is the lack of or presence of the fluted comb relevant or a hint?

Not saying it is or isn’t

Interesting question. It would be interesting to know if the buttstock on Ranger4444’s rifle is the heavier R buttstock or the “standard” EG weight buttstock.

A fluted comb was standard on the "prewar" style after the first couple of years. But it's not really that visible in the catalogs. Is the lack of it indicative of 99R's made in Chicopee Falls? Dunno.. only have a sample of one prewar - though no postwar R's have fluted stocks. He did say all the serial numbers match on the gun.

So is the later 47 gun a basic post war R that somebody at the factory found an old pre war forearm or forearms laying around or hiding in a box in a closet that were sent from Utica but never opened and decided stick it on that or those guns so they didn’t have to throw it or them away?

Possibles are endless.....

record setting?

We'd never seen a 99R between 500,000 and 530,000'ish before.

Ah, gotcha.

Another question worth asking is what are the barrel addresses on these post war serial number “RS/R’s”?

Could be another clue....

prewar 99R is the next on the list for me, or another EG to hold my newly acquired Parker-Hale peep sight.

I'm not sure if we asked Ranger4444 what his barrel address was? Good question for him if he reads this.

The 1946 gunbroker 99R is the standard late Utica address. Murrays style 8 from his book.

The August 1946 RT I had the same barrel address as above.

Certainly a very interesting time and transition period for Savage. Trying to sort it all out is like putting one of those 2000 piece puzzles together

I’d love to know what Rangers barrel address is.....

I'd say some of this mish-mash of parts, guns and models probably had a lot to do with Savage just trying to figure out what a post war company in itself would look like. Not only were they busy getting back into peace time production but they had other things like packing their Enfield production capabilities off to Long Branch up in Canada. I suspect the immediate post war years were very busy times for Savage.

Just to document here, Ranger4444's 99RS at 503,7xx barrel has a Chicopee Falls barrel address.

Makes sense really with that serial number. If the serial number stamped on the forearm does indeed match the rest of the gun, my money is that it was just a left over spare that somebody found god knows where and put it on that gun.

Sorry I missed this way back when. Yes, Chicopee Falls barrel address. Yes, I said at first that all serial numbers matched; later I had the forearm off and found no serial number there... so my original "memory"... er... wasn't. (See the serial number thread, post 15066634.)

As I remember it, folks here said earlier that it was made in 1948. This ref http://www.savage99.com/savage99_dates.htm says 1949. No Lever Boss Code.

Related posts here: https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...re-savage-99-serial-numbers#Post15051408

Ref earlier question about buttstock, see attached. (Don't remember how to make them larger...)

Wish now I'd taken better/more comprehensive pics...

-Chris

They started serial number 500,000 production at Chicopee Falls around May, 1947. My data shows your serial number to be right towards the end of 1947 or very early 1948.

That web site has old data.

Got it, thanks for the update!

-Chris