Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Is a pre-mil 99F in .300 Savage worth what a .308 is?

How much does the chambering of a rifle influence the selling price? I know that lots of you guys are handloaders or collectors, so rarity would increase the value. What about for the average guy who doesn't handload and finds a .300 Savage, .303 Savage, .358 or .250-3000 where factory loaded ammunition isn't available, rare or over priced?

Given the conditions set, the 308 has to be worth more to such an individual. All the person needs is restraint and patience.

308's generally bring more than 300's.

Your parameters are still way too wide. I call myself an average shooter. I can shoot two boxes of 250, 303, and 22 HP one weekend and 3-400 22's. My cousin calls himself an average shooter/hunter, and 1 box of 30-06 will last him several years. If you are like my cousin, you just buy the cheapest 99 in the chambering you like. It doesn't matter if a box of shells cost $100, that's still only $25 a year in ammo. I think a 358 or 308 in a pre mill F would bring more money. A 284 in anything is going to bring a lot of money. Condition in anything is going to bring more. Up until covid all of the ammo you mentioned was available. I'm hoping they start making runs of it again.

Then you start mixing chamberings and models. A 30-30 is pretty common in some of the early guns, but then find one in a minty SRC, and you better start emptying your pockets.

Chamberings do influence sales. But, a lot of that comes down to you. I had 5, 250's. Two very high condition. You try to sell me a 250 and you have a hard sale on your hands. If you are looking for one, they money fly's out of your pocket.

I'd say Special Orders, Rarity of model, with condition, in a special chambering. Then deduct for every step down on that list. My last 250, a 1949 EG in a good solid hunting rifle, I paid $400 for.

I sold all of my hard-to-find ammo/guns when prices where high. But kept my .308's and 30-30's. Can find factory ammo for them. Kids are no into reloading yet.

The .243 seems to be a premium cartridge for collector value.





The 300 savage is the perfect cartridge for the action.

“The .300 Savage is the perfect cartridge for the action.”

Honestly I am rather smitten with that cartridge in my 99F myself. Once with nothing much better to do, I put in the diameter, fps and fpe parameters of what I thought would be the perfect whitetail cartridge where I hunt. Then given those I looked at the ballistic tables and came up with the .30-40 Krag and the .300 Savage, both with similar ballistics. Oh if only that 99 would have a better trigger, but otherwise that 99 is a 99% choice. Lots of guys who load .308’s for their 99’s do load them down to .300 Savage levels.

A friend of mine bought a .308 99 that he liked well enough, but his one comment I remember about that rifle was that it kicked a lot.

I would say the difference in price between a 99F in 300 and 308 is much like that for any 99 in 300 vs 250-3000. Is it worth paying more? Only if you have to have it. Otherwise the 300 is a very capable cartridge in itself. If it were me, I would save the extra money it would cost for a 99F in 308 and put it towards something else.

If you roll your own ammo like I do, you can appreciate the 300 savage to its fullest.

I like you thought I had to have a .308 Winchester.
Well Winchester makes a model 88 for that deal.

The 99 action is much happier with 300 savage reloading. IMO

If I had other actions in the 300 savage. (I have only model 1899/99 s in 300 savage). I might have a different opinion. It seems the action of the 99 when pushed will stretch brass. Me thinks due to its elliptical locking bolt with no rotating lugs.

So if you keep your .308 win to only model 99s you might not have my opinion.

The 30 caliber is so versatile
From 90 grains I believe to 180 in the 300 savage!

The 300s being most common are most economical to collect/use. Perfect for a bottom feeder like me.

Aw lawdy, who wanna shoot a 99 in 308? Dey kick!

300 savage factory ammo is still produced by all the manufacturers. They do at least one run of it each year. When you see it, you have to buy it if you’re not a hand loader.
308 ammo is much more obtainable these days. If I was buying a 99 for hunting today, it would be in 308. I have 2 300 savage 99’s that I reload for and still deer hunt with one.

Get one of each

^^^^^^^^

Wisdom from above


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Savage 99

300 Savage

308 Winchester

See my point....?

I thought the savage was the worst trigger ever, then I shot a win 88 and like the savage can't be fixed, my .02

Neil jones works on 88s.