Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors decocking a 99 for storage

I was just reading in Edward S. Farrows " American Small Arms" (1904) that a Model 99 can be decocked for long term storage by depressing the trigger when the action is open (and, of course, unloaded) and then closing the lever. He , in fact, recommended it, along with a good deal of other advice on the 99. Has anyone heard of this and is it a good idea?

My preference is to de-cock any gun that I am storing. Releases the tension on the hammer spring. I've done this with my 99; works well.

What else does he recommend???

It only works with 99's under the 1,000,000 serial range.

There are numerous pages devoted to the 99 and I am unable to copy and paste from this computer but I'll try to put it on here when I can use my other computer. But you can try to pull it up using the above information on Yahoo or Google. Sorry...

...Would it be a problem to just dry fire the gun?

Don't do that, but im sure someone on here could elaborate further...

Joe, I think it works on the post-mil 99E's also, no?

Dry-firing a gun isn't as good as slip-closing it. My gunsmith got after me slip-close for bolt actions also. Beyond the bad practice of pulling the trigger at ALL indoors, it's harder on the firing pin. Not a big deal over 10 or 20 years, but over 100+?

Slip-closing-----I like that term...Think I'll use it from now on.

depressing the trigger while closing the lever works on my 99A(#DO43xxx) and my neighbors 99C...both are tang safety jobs...and of course it works on the 99EG and the 1899B...

perhaps I'm misunderstanding...

Ah Joe,

I don't mean to contradict you. But, I think it will work with ANY lever safety 99. Even those over 1,000,000.

Someday, I'll learn to read the entire thread before I shoot my mouth off!!!!!!

I have had my share of generously used post mil "C" tang safety rifles that will slip close, and many pristine ones that won't.

I believe that they are not supposed to, but I can assure you that they will!!!

I remember reading that the later models can easily be modified to slip close. Maybe just from use and wear they are able too. Who knows???


Mike...

Huh? I know I haven't been batting a thousand today but all the tang safety guns I've got don't slip close. If they did I'd take them to the smith and have them fixed.

No way a 99A and a 99C should be slip closed and it eases of the hammer.

I just pulled the only 2 tang safety 99's that I have left out of the safe. One is a 1971, 99A rotary mag .250-3000 unfired. It will "not" slip close. The other is a 1999, 99C clip mag .300 sav. unfired I believe. It also will "not" slip close.

Anyone else able to confirm of deny???

Thanks, Mike...

Mike, i have 2 like new 99a saddle guns one in 250 the other in 375, the 250 wont slipclose and the 375 will!!!!! ,i dont believe the 375 has ever been touched! Don

You've got a 99C in 300 Sav made in 99? Cool. Where did you find something like that?

The tang safety guns will not slip close unless the lever has been modified - ground out so the trigger clears. Someone wrote this up long ago. I have only owned one post mill that would slip close and the modification was obvious.

Hey Joe.

I found this rifle on an auction about a year and a half ago with a "BUY IT NOW" for $400.00. It had only been listed for 5 minutes. After I got the rifle, I confirmed with Effie at Savage Arms, using the serial number, that it was in fact a correct Savage 99C .300 sav. made in the USA, 100% correct and original, cut checkering, deep bluing and all, and manufactured in 1999...!!! It was made for Jerry's Sporting Goods as a custom run. She could not tell me how many were made and said that Jerry's should be able to tell me. I got no help from Jerry's.

Mike...

Here are some pictures:







[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C009.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C011.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C012.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C014.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C015.jpg[/img]

Hey Mike.. I've got a full set now of those 99C's from 1999'ish. 243, 308, and 300.

All NIB.

Hey Rory,

Is the clip in your 99C .300 savage stamped ".300 sav." ???


Thanks, Mike...