Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99 Featherweight - What to look for?

Hi All,
I've been interested in picking up a Savage 99 Featherweight in .300 Savage but I'm getting confused as to what to look for in a rifle. There are a few on the auction sites but I don't know enough about them to know if there a fair price or not. Some have tang safeties, some have compasses in the buttstock, cracks, etc.. I'm just looking for a rifle in good shape. Can you give me some pointers as to what I should be / should not be looking for? Thanks!

Sounds as though you already got the basics.
Tang or lever safety is a personal preference thing for a shooter , lever safety is desireable for a collector.

Mike

The lever safeties indicate a 99F made prior to 1960, and those are usually considered to be the best quality.

If you're looking for a hunter grade, pick a price and condition you're happy with. They were all d&t'd for scopes, but didn't come with sling studs, recoil pads or compasses.. those are all add-ons and should drop the price. I don't mind the sling studs for a hunter, but I hate recoil pads and compasses.

I could probably PM you a few links to what I consider good hunters. Considering you want a 300 Savage, you should be able to find one for a decent price.

Thanks guys! I keep tabs on this forum to get as informed as I can about the Savage 99. I'm not a collector, I just have an urge to buy one of these and hunt Maine whitetails with it. I have a couple of Marlin's for that task but there's just something about the 99 that has me wanting one.. Calhoun sir, I would appreciate that info very much! Thanks again!

good choice... the F is a personal favorite...good luck!

Get a good 99EG made in the 40s and 50s or an F made in the 1950s.

Be sure you get one with underlever safety. brass rotor.

They are not cheap anymore btw but you can pick up a nice enough hunter for about $450 to $600 pretty easy, maybe less if you take your time and shop..I would try to pick one up at a gun show.

If your in the Western part of CT stop in the Autumn Gun Works in Goshen. Last week he had about five 99's for sale. Most of those are the older ones and go for $450 and up.

I prefer the Featherweights myself.

If you get up that way stop in The Armoury in New Preston. They have some nice guns as well. Both are open Friday and Saturday.

In Eastern CT Ron's Guns used to have good stuff but I have not been there for a while.

I hope I'm not stealing this thread, but....

I have an F in .300, but I want another one in .250Savage. But, I also want one with the faster twist to shoot the heaver bullets. Is there a way to ID the rifles with the faster twist without measuring it? Serial number range? manufacturing date?

Post 1,000,000 will have 1-10

Yep.. tang safety is another identifier for the 1 in 10 twist.

I'm a proponent of the pre-mil lever safety's. I've seen those tangs safes lock-up and break off. The quality is better on the pre-mils...much better. Get one w/a good bore.

Savage_99 - Thanks for the heads-up on those shops! Sounds like a road trip is in my future!

I just got back from that tour. Autumn has four 99's. Three seem to be EG types in 300S. They go from $495 thru $895.

Over at the Armoury they have a nicely refinished 99 takedown in 22HP for $895.

Here are pictures of the 99's I took today at Autumn. Sorry that they are not that clear.

308's are harder to get than 300's, 300's are always available,
like 22hp's

Thanks Savage_99 I'll be heading up there one of these weekends!

I was just there and they have a 99A in .358 Win. It looks new but has a mark or two on the wood. The lever is tied shut to keep it new I suppose.

Savage 99F's made in the 1950s were the cream that came to the top of the 99 line, be sure they have the lever safety and brass rotor except for the .284 that may have a aluminum rotor...They have 22" barrels and the short forend as opposed to the schneble.

In value they go mostly by caliber all things being equal, and in the following order by value:

1.284
2.358 Win.
3.250 Savage
4.300 Savage
5.308 WCF and 243 about equal

Ray is a little off... 243 easily command the same or more than a 250 and a 308 is certainly worth more than a 300...

Ray if you have any 243F that you want to trade even up for a 300F, please let me know...

CEJ1895... if you were looking for a really nice hunter... I thought this was a good deal for a nice package gun

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=137554547

The bedding of the forearm might have negative effect on "collector value" and it has sling swivels, but thats a nice scope and a great hunting rig for a reasonable price...the only thing that might scare me off was the "trigger job"

I think Calhoun is a big proponent of the M8 scope??

That was a great deal.

Scope alone is worth $175ish.

M8 is a great scope! I use either the M8 or the VX-3 2.5-8 on all my 99's.

300's are the most common F's and the 284 is only available in post mil rifles as the caliber itself wasn't available in any production rifle that I am aware of until 64.

I have a 300 shooter EG that I had trigger work done on. There was so much travel in the trigger I had to either fix it or get rid of it. I like the rifle though...hence the trigger job. Trigger job wouldn't scare me, some of these 99's left the factory with really bad triggers.