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https://www.gunbroker.com/item/1038948429

This engraving looks different than others I have seen or a one off or am I just missing it?

It's not factory. I think we may have talked about it recently, or that was the other forum. I wasn't interested so I didn't pay attention to details.

I went back and looked at the pics again. I'm not sure if that's the one I was thinking about? Like I said, I wasn't interested so just glanced. Looking at the butt plate now, on my screen, it looks well used. Behooves me That someone would put all that work into a rifle and put used plate on it?

The engraving doesn't look quite right, but the engraving varied a lot on the 99DE's. We know the DE's were engraved by a number of different people. German definitely and possibly Japanese. The photos aren't very good which hinders an evaluation. The serial # falls in the range of the early production of the DE's and PE's.

I am a complete sucker for engraved gun, but I had the same idea on the buttstock, I compared it to WELL used PE I have and I have the opinion the butt stock is "used". To me and by no means an expert the engraving pattern looks different than others of course never say never, but I have a '65 PE laying here and albeit bad pics it does not look the same as to how it was done. I was going to see if I could get some new pics if it doesn't sell and see what the real price is LOL

I do not have any DE's is the pattern on the receiver engraving a DE?

From my memory of the DE that I owned, that David Royal now owns, it looks like the background work by the serial number is extra. I want to call it stipling but I am unsure if that's the correct term.

It's hard to tell from the lousy photos whether that's stipling or just poorly focused photo. The DE I got from you has some extra squiggles that I haven't seen on the others.

pics of 2 DE's
the one I got from Roy, serial #1,084,4xx, 308 caliber

a 284 I've had a number years. serial # 1,083,9xx

the engraving on the subject rifle looks too squared off. The engraving at the top and bottom of the center piece comes to a point and the engraving at the outside 4 corners is squared off. The edges of the panels are straight lines. None of the engraving on the DE's in my book have this. It just doesn't look right.

Maybe so.
But if this rifle is not legit, somebody went to an awful lot of trouble.

These three rifles are 1st year production, 108300 to 1084499, within 200 numbers and maybe all in the same shipment. If Fug's numbers are correct there were only 25 made the first year.

One thing I noticed about the three rifles...David's two on the tang end of the receiver has "dot's" followed by a" wiggle line" on the outside. The GB rifle's is reversed. Might indicate a different engraver.

I wonder how many of the 1st year DE and PE's we can find. There were 25 each.

As usual if I respond from my little pic on my cell, I can get stuff all back half asswards. On the FB page I mentioned David’s/Ted’s Ziggy. I’ve never seen a PE in person, so I kind of forget about them. You’ve done a good job analyzing the engraving, comparing the engraving, and I learned something. However, on my cell the butt plate looks well used. Is it the pic, or me, or does it really look well used?

I know where one of the '65 PE's in 308 is located.

Capt John, is it for sale?

Negative on for sale, it was my dad's gun, he started me down the slippery slope of the 99 addiction LOL That rifle gets a trip out of the safe for an annual hunt just to say it has hunted yearly since '65.

good for you

If I read my serial numbers correctly I have a first year PE and a first year DE you can add to the count!

PE is a .243
DE is a .308

The DE that is in question does look a bit off if someone had interest I would most definitely contact the seller direct. You should be able to email him on gunbroker and request better pics. I’ve had luck even FaceTiming some sellers to double check on areas in question. If they act sketchy or refuse just leave it alone.

I've started a separate poll to see what PE's and DE's the membership has.

I wasn't sure how to handle cases where you might have more than one rifle to enter ( 2ea, 1966 PE's or 3ea DE's in 308) I think you will have to vote them in one at a time. Let me know if problems.

I looked at the pic of the right side engraving on the subject rifle again. It could be factory. The scroll work in the middle of the receiver has the proper curved top and curved sides. It doesn't match the left side worth a darn. Was the left side damaged and redone? Another Savage enigma? I don't think the left side was factory engraved.