Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99K Expert help and opinions needed

A good buddy of mine inherited a Savage 99K Takedown in 300 Savage based on the serial number was made in 1938 for which we are looking for answers to a few questions:
1. Are all 99K's Takedowns and if not any idea on the percentage that were?
2. Is the .300 Savage chambering common in this model?

I will say that upon first glance of the photo he sent me I was taken back with the beauty of the wood but my eye was quickly drawn to someone's crude carving of what could be initials in the butt stock. Without that defacing of the gun I would have rated it 80-90%. I am going to attach a photo and ask for opinions to the following questions:
3. Of course the lost wood where the initials were cut can't be replaced. Any suggestions (short of replacing the butt stock) to lessen its the ugly initials?
4. How much do the initials devalue the gun as a collectible or should it just be considered an attractive shooter now?
5. At the risk of getting responses like "I'll give him $100.00 for it", how much would you value this 99K?

I can answer one of your questions. Not ALL K's were takedowns. We know of one that is a solid frame K, and I own it. Several members of this forum owned it before me. My quess is that it did not measure up to their standards. I was told several lettered it and it came back as a standard (td) K. I was also told that it was not mentioned as being a non takedown in any of the correspondence with JTC. I talked with the historian and he was most interested in it. I sent him a letter with full discription and photos. There have been several G's sent back to the factory for modification into a non takedown. This gun was sent back to the factory several months ater it was sold, but what work that was done was not mentioned. All numbers match. .300 Savage is a common caliber. You can never make it original, so it would be very difficult to assign a value to it. A K is a pretty sought after model. Original trumps all. Carved wood is going to be a set back. I don't like playing the "what's it worth" game. Ask 10 people you;ll most likely get 10 different answers.

Thanks for the feedback. I am new to this forum and have to ask how you were able to post those larger photos. I had to keep scaling my photo down as I kept getting an error message saying my 1 photo was too large.

And thanks for answering the questions about 99K and takedown and the commonality of the .300 Savage.

Just keep asking questions here. Everyone will be eager to help you. Once your post count gets high enough you well be able to send and receive private messages.

As far and my pictures I use Post Images.com https://postimages.org/web

It is easy. I will repost your picture for you.

rtscatpack's K I couldn't get it any bigger because of the size of the original.

I have a 1928 K with the initials JM on the butt stock. They are done well and kind of look like a cattle brand. It also has a 1920's Noske scope with a side mount on it. I paid $800 for it. Had the Cody museum do a serial number search on it and the initials turned out to be from the California artist Jo Mora. The initials definitely drove the price down into my range here. But, the JM initials might be worth more than the rifle to a Jo Mora collector.

This is a close up of the carved initials.

Enlarged full view of 99K with damage.

It is what it is and I would leave as is. Replacing the stock will not be cheap and still won't be original.

Also, don't bother lettering it as there is no info for rifles in your year range.

The 99K was only catalogued as a takedown. Special order rifles are special order and can be anything.

I’d say it’s still collectible, just not a high end collectible.

Letters look like they were made with a wide blade screw driver. If so the wood would be compressed vs removed. I don't know if steaming would help. Might experiment on a piece of walnut and see what it would look like.

A good wood Guy could make the carving go away for a small sum!!

A good carver could make the letters look a lot better and it won't hurt

the value any more.

I was thinking about some tangs that were missing big chunks and were plugged and really looked pretty good. Where's Gary?

Perfect job. I am happy you can post a picture. Your rifle is MUCH better than some that we see. Listen to Fug1899. A good woodman can make those carvings disappear.

Just because something isn't cataloged doesn't mean it doesn't exist, nor does it lessen it's value. ESPECIALLY, if it is documented as factory.

So is there a name that goes with a good wood guy?

Disappear? No chance. Make them somewhat less noticable yes.

Here's the 1938 catalog entry for the 99K, so you can see the standard configuration.

Thanks much Calhoun!

Could be a lot worse

I don't know if you do Facebook or not, but there are several groups there that are discussing Savage Arms. One group in particular has over 7000 members. It is owned and moderated by Joe Brady. AKA as Triple Deuce here on the campfire. Selling, asking "what's it worth", or pretty much even intimating something for sale is forbidden over there. Posting pictures is a snap. And being anything less than civil is looked down upon. There is at least one very good wood worker there. If I were you and trying to find as much info as you can, I would consider joining that club as well.

JMO, just because something isn't "cataloged" doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It was nice having JTC as the historian. Having worked there he was able to substantiate deviations in descriptions with personal experiences at the factory. Something lost with Cody handling the books now. What's in the ledger entry is what you get.

Thanks for the tip Longbeardking!

Thanks to those who have replied to my post so far. Some of my questions have been answered and others remain. Here is what I have come away with so far:

Not all 99Ks were takedowns during the years it was manufactured 1926-40. Serial number lookup says my buddy’s 99K was made in 1938. The 1938 catalog suggests that 99Ks made in that year were all takedowns. So conclusion is that a 1938 made 99K Takedown is not rare.

Not sure if records exist that show breakdown of 99Ks manufactured by caliber but it seems that the evidence points to .300 Savage being a common caliber in the 1930’s.

Although the stock is defaced some, 1938 99K Takedowns in .300 Savage are not rare, my buddy’s 99K should still be considered collectible.

Reducing the ugliness of the crudely carved initials IF DONE is best a job left to a skilled wood stock artesian.

Question remains as to whom is qualified to do the work?
What is to be done?
How much would it cost?

How much does this damage (as it stands now) reduce the value of this rifle?

For sake of an example, the 44th Edition of the Blue Book has a value of $1,400 for a 99K in 60% condition. Let us say this rifle is a 60% rifle. Since 99K’s seem to not be commonly found, does the stock damage have no effect on the value or does it take the $1,400 to $1,000? What does your Savage 99 experience tell you? Gut feel?

Thanks for taking a shot!

Every 99K ever seen have been takedowns - except 1.

If you find another 99K solid frame, let us know asap.

300 Savage is the most common cartridge for 99K's.

Value is always hard to judge. You just need to find one person willing to pay the amount you want. Does that mean there's another 100 people willing to pay that price?

It is also nice to know that the ONE K has been documented and lettered at least TWICE. The first time in the letter request, or at least the letter provided to me when I bought the rifle, it was never mentioned to JTC that the rifle was not a take down. I does have the TD barrel with the last 3 digits of the serial number stamped with no take down stud on the barrel. It also has a forend with no latch and a screw with the anchor dovetailed to the barrel. For whatever reason he found when I provided the non takedown feature a w/o # was found with no indication of what the work was. It's sorta like a 250/300 K with a 24" barrel and saying only two have been found. Well, I know where ther is a 3rd. The gun in question MAY well be the only one we have seen. In my mind it makes it pretty rare, ESPECIALLY being substantiated as being completely factory. It is in the factory ledgers.

As already said, it’s worth what someone will offer. Mine is the one with the Noske side mount and Jo Mora’s initials. I bought it from a member here, that frequents other forums. He found it in a gun shop in Arizona for $600. Most thought he got a good deal. He put it up here for offers and got none. Then he put it on gun broker and got no bids. We talked about it off and on for three years. I like vintage glass too, so we settled on $800. I was pretty much the only person in the world that wanted it. Yours is pretty nice except for the initials. If you want a quote, contact Turnbull. They are expensive, but they are the best, and it would give you an idea. Check out some wood working forums. Doing an inlay of matching wood would not be hard. Matching the grain and finish would be the only hard part. I’ll ask a friend that’s out of town this weekend.

When I say Turnbull is the best, that doesn’t mean a good wood worker isn’t as good. They just specialize in high end restorations. They do every part of the resto well. Their wood guys are just good wood guys too.

Understood Joe! Thanks much for the reply. I am familiar with Turnbull and have gotten a quote from them on other work a couple of years ago. THis gun just also happens to be in NY. I wish the carved initials in the stock were mine then I could just have them facied up a bit somewhat like yours. How lucky were you with that one!

I tried to PM you but you are over your limit. email me at wyomingsavage1895gmail.com

He's not over anything. He only has 9 posts. I think he needs to get to 25 before he can send or receive messages .

I'll reserve commenting on value detraction in this instance. My values in that regard don't necessarily jive with some people's.

I will say though that it would be a complicated repair - those initials weren't punched in, they were crudely carved. As such they absolutely cannot be steamed out - wood fibers were cut, not mashed down.

Two courses of action: One, scrape the wood surface until they disappear, being double-damned careful you don't intrude into the checkering. Then dodge the affected area with sandpaper backed by a semi-hard flexible sanding block until the whole right side of the stock is a smooth even surface with the affected area blended cleanly into the subtle cambers of the rest of the stock - then you gotta make the LH side of the stock look the same or it'll look dumb. If done right it'll be fine. But, then you're talking a complete refinishing of the stock too. Not for the feint of heart, and an anathema to a purist/collector, but really no other way IMO. Your call as to how and how much it'll affect value.

The second way is to excise the initials by fitting in a "dutchman" (wood patch) that subtends the initials. That's pretty tricky too as the new wood has to be an airtight seamless fit, preferably with an irregular shape, not a square or round shape, so your eye isn't drawn to it like a neon sign. Wood grain and wood color has to match, and be perfectly aligned with the grain flow in the existing wood. Very tedious, and in the end will not be perfectly invisible no matter how hard you try. The location of the boo-boo is the killer here - if it were close to an edge of the stock it would be much easier to effect a nearly invisible repair. Plus again, complete refinishing is called for to do it right. At best it should pass the "three feet test" (looks good until you get your nose up close) but that's about all one can hope for.

Either way you're looking at a lot of time and labor which equates to dollars. You'll also be paying for the craftsman's skill/knowledge which he spent a lot of time and money acquiring. Of course if repairs are executed by oneself that changes the equation. Again, the owner is the only one who can decide if it's worth it. Me, I would do it by the first method, and do it myself because I have the skills to accomplish it (and I've resurrected far worse stuff than this).

Some say just shoot/hunt it the way it is. That's certainly an option but I would see those initials every time I picked up the gun and it would eat at me.

Thank you for the detailed explanation of the possible options. Would you be willing to execute option 1 on this stock? Would you provide a quote?

There was a time when I would've undertaken the task, but I simply do not have the time now. Sorry. I know a guy who is capable, a good guy, whom I'll see shortly and I'll ask him for you.

very cool

https://www.historynet.com/jo-mora-the-western-artist-from-well-south-of-the-border/

Joe, I also think it looks great and since they are your initials it is therefore personalized to you. In addition to looking at ways to repair my buddy's crude carving I have thought of ways that it could be turned into something more attractive. Remove a little more wood and turn it into something that looks better such as a brand? Savage logo? Feather? Brass inlay with engraving of some sort? Even making what is there look more attractive. Thoughts?

Well, sure that's an option too. A bas-relief carving such as acanthus leaves could probably be made to work. But again the LH side of the stock should also be done the same or it could look a little awkward.

But maybe not as awkward as it is now. HA!

Maybe if you let us know what part of the world you are in we could recommend someone closer-by. As Damnesia said, there's no certainty of eliminating every shadowy trace of the disturbed wood. I would take on the task of steaming and whittling it back to smooth for you. It's hard to say about matching the finish without seeing it up close, and seeing how the wood repair takes a finish, but it comes with a guarantee that I will not make it any worse. and if the owner was really unhappy I would be willing to pay fair market value for the whole rifle, understanding fully that it's impossible to put a value on inheriting a family heirloom,



The only thing I would ask in exchange for a happy customer is that the owner leave an old copy of my hunting license in the stock bolt hole when he puts it back together...

You can send me an email, and I can share some pictures of other repairs I have done. (jgermain (at) nycap (dot) rr (dot) com)

Jeff, I just sent you an email. Thanks!

Is it known why there is no information from the Cody Museum on 1938 99's?

The Savage records for Model 99s with serial numbers 371200 through 400000 have been lost. 1938 rifles fall in that serial number range.

Gary, as always is right on, been a woodworker for 40+ years, it "could be done " a couple different ways, unless you find some one that would do it for fun, it could be very expensive, I don't any more ( 82yrs old ) the golden years are not so kind. Ken

Not that far behind you Ken. Care to quantify "very expensive"?

I’d say Turnbull is very expensive, Jeff would be less, and he’s a great guy. I know that wasn’t very helpful. Jeff is a good guy and he would not be looking to retire on the one project.

I did submit the form for a quote from Turnbull. Jeff and I have communicated also.

Traded a couple of messages with Turnbull and based on the photo alone they wouldn't commit. They requested that the stock alone be sent to them for evaluation.

My buddy has decided to sell this rifle as neither he nor his son are gun guys. As this forum has been helpful to us in finding out more about this piece we thought it only fair to give Savage 99 collectors on this forum the first opportunity to make an offer on it if they wish. I have not yet put my hands on this rifle but will be doing so in a couple of weeks. If there is interest and you would like specific questions or areas inspected I would be happy to do that.

I would be interested if it’s available. Can you private message me?

Apparently I am unable to send a private message as I am new to this forum. I think I have to get to 25 posts before I can send one.

You do have the option of filling out your profile completely and add contact information

Well I guess I was wrong about 25 as I am now over that and still can't send a PM.

Offering the rifle here is a generous gesture. And you will get a good result without auction overhead.

Get the rifle, get some pictures and overcome the communication barriers and you'll be in business.

As LBK mentioned, you can include some contact info in your profile without broadcasting it to the inter-world.

Good luck!

I would prefer to use the private message route rather than posting my contact information if possible.