Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Bedding the Savage 99

I’ll likely shoot it today, unless I get pulled in another direction. I’ll try having it resting on bags as described. I’ve done that with 760 & 742 Remingtons and that made a positive difference. I was surprised to see JB’s write up on how to make the 760 more accurate. I thought if the 760 could be modified maybe the 99 could too. The fore end of this rifle looked to these eyes to be a good fit and I didn’t see or understand how modifying it could help, but I thought I’d ask.

This is my first 99. In articles I’ve read 2 MOA from a 99 isn’t too bad. Certainly fine enough for shooting off-hand at white tail deer. But then I read about guys with their 1 MOA 99’s...

Oh yeh, I’ll be trying the different bullets too.

I’m a 40’s model myself and am interested in buying affordable classic rifles and wringing them out. The 99 has had many fans and I’ve read nothing regarding any dislike for the rifle, only praise.

I’d like to test this one on white tail this year.

In my experience, trying to tune (really trying to wring out the best accuracy) 6 or 7 model 99's, I think finding the right bullet and powder has the most effect.

As far as bedding, I have discovered that minimizing the effect my "field hold" has on the forearm, and thus my effect on the barrel, has helped the most with consistency. It takes the random "what the hey-lll" fliers out of load testing, so it means my only excuse in the field is the nut behind the trigger.

I like the o-ring under the forearm method for buffering the effect of my hold. It is the simplest/easiest bedding experiment to start with, plus relieving any pressure spots in the rest of the barrel channel. You should be able to slide paper under the barrel from the receiver to the forearm screw, and from the screw to the end of the forearm.

I've done plenty of experimenting beyond that, but beyond a doubt for me, is that you will get your best accuracy mileage from load development, and your best consistency from minimizing the effect of your hold on the barrel

As a worst-case effect test, shoot your best load and bench set-up for POI and group. Then, with your forward hand pin the forearm against the barrel, up/down, left/right, doesn't matter, and shoot another group. I've found a 3MOA shift in POI can result from the lop-sided pressure being applied.

OCD

...probably

Not all 99’s are going to shoot moa. Not even close to all of them.

I think JeffG's thoughts boil it down pretty well. I would only add that the slide the paper under the barrel trick be done with the rifle resting on the forearm as it naturally would when being shot.

Calhoun's comment above also has gravitas also. We tend to forget that these aren't bolt guns with one piece stocks and match grade barrels that come with guarantees of 1/2MOA performance. When we stumble onto a 99 that delivers the magical MOA accuracy we should jealously treasure it like a guy would treasure a good loyal dog (notice I didn't say wife ). 99's that deliver 1 to 2 MOA are the norm IMO, and that's A-ok.

I wouldn't fret about a 99's accuracy unless it was way over 2 MOA. A 2 MOA gun will kill deer all day long in the woods and fields of America's hinterland. If I want to stroke my ego at the benchrest I reach for one of my bolt guns anyway.

You still haven't given us any details on your gun.

Takedown?
Model?
SN?

Anyone waiting for a comment from WJU, he was last heard from in 2010.

Wow, no foolin’. This thread was started 14-years ago!

Well. Resting the action, not fore-arm on the front bag showed no improvement over holding the fore-arm or having the fore-arm on the bag.
The best bullets include: 170 grain RN CL’s, 150 grain Hornady SP, 130 grain TTSX’s all are 2 MOA or better. Each of these bullets shoot about the same as far as accuracy.
The boat tails I tried were 150 grain Hornady. The lack of accuracy amounted to 4 to 5 MOA.
The best powders so far are: H4895, IMR4895 and Varget. Actually I could not see any one of these powders to be the better than another.

The factory Remington 150 grain loads are as accurate as any of these hand-loads.

I think I’ll go with Hornady 150 grain SP with any of the powders mentioned. These bullets are inexpensive, I think they’ll work very well and I’ll see this fall how they do on white-tails.

As far as model of this 99???
There’s no model identification that I could find. It has a tang Safety, checkered walnut stock, a round counter. It’s my first and only 99 and I’m no expert.

This rifle is wearing a Leupold M8 4x dual x scope.

I'd make sure that barrel isn't full of copper. Something sounds fishy.

you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him, oh I forgot

That's the thing about diagnosing accuracy issues over the internet. We don't know the condition of the bore, the concentricity of the loaded ammo- ability of the dies to create straight cartridges, the solidity of the rest/bench (and the consistent placing of the gun thereon), veracity of the sights/scope, or the shooter's innate ability to shoot. (Not pointing fingers, that's a general observation.) The best we can manage is advice based upon our own experiences/equipment, and seldom does that transfer from person to another.

Or from one rifle to another everything else being equal.

I’m satisfied with 150 grain Hornady flat base with 39 grains of H4895, 9 1/2 Remington primers. 308 R-P brass reformed and 300 Sav R-P brass —- same.
Grouping at 1.7” at 100 yards at close to 2,500 fps. (5 shot groups)
I’m not planning on PD shooting and I can’t remember using a rest while shooting white-tails.

But I always like to see just how accurate a rifle is and I don’t play golf. Thanks for the advice.

Who was it who had as his tag line "I hunt and fish so as not to play golf"?

1.7" will bring home the bacon all day long. We tend to forget that our 99's aren't benchrest guns, and all of them are capable of making venison burgers for the grill.

I have always sought a rest while hunting white tails. I shot my first buck 50 years ago while leaning against a tree. Obviously such is not always possible, but I've made it happen more than a few times by the expedient of taking a step or two forward or to the side to gain some support from the local flora. Then there are the guys who hunt from shooting shacks....

We're kinda short of Flora around here. Sagebrush isn't usually tall enough. Pretty much have to use a sitting or kneeling position except when I'm with Dave Harper and rest on the flat hood of his 1990 Dodge pickup.

Man, Dodge made that pickup for a long time!

He'll never let it go.