Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99 Headspace Issue

I have a Savage 99F in .308 that I inherited. I experienced case separation when firing it. This occurred with both mid range handloads, as well as factory ammo.

While not an expert, it appears that it has a headspace problem. I have not been able to find a gunsmith in the Phoenix, Arizona area who will help to solve this issue. I really want to save this rifle, as it holds personal significance to me.

Does anyone know of a 'smith in the phoenix area who might be willing to help?

Thanks in advance!

Sam Hurt( missedbycracky) lives in Arizona. He might be able to help you out.

PM sent

He doesn't have enough posts to recieve PMs.

You can reach him through MeWe on either of the Savage Groups. Good luck

Just to keep the group 'in the loop', I have taken the rifle to Sam. He is in the process of doing his magic to make the rifle work properly. It turned into quite a project.

I will keep all informed of the results when the work is completed.

Thanks again for the help!

"I will keep all informed of the results when the work is completed."

Please do.

Bolt swap?

Sam Hurt has solved the headspace problem, and I am in receipt of the completed 99.

This rifle was gifted to me by my Uncle Angelo, who was also my Godfather. While we may all have several uncles, we only get one Godfather. I had both in one. This is a Big Deal for an Italian family at the time in which I was raised. That makes this rifle very important to me.

In any event, Sam has put the ‘Godfather Special’ (as my kids call the rifle) back in action. After trying the bolt exchange, he decided that it needed a replacement barrel. So, that is the direction that was taken.

Thanks to the recommendations from this site and the expert work that Sam provided, I am, once again, a happy Savage 99F owner. My only regret is that I failed to take a photo of me with Sam by his lovely home.

Sam is the man!! Lol. I just sent him a 308F to rebarrel to a 338 federal for me. Cant wait to get it back.

Thanks for the kind remarks. My goal is to earn them.