Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Stocks for 1899E

I have been thinking about restocking the 1899E .303. The butt has the usual tang split and the stock is chipped right at the bottom of the steel butt plate. I hate to even mess with the gun though. The patina is jsut neat and the gun shoots great.

I just think I would carry it more if I fixed it. Supposing I do fix it. Who has the best replacements?. I can fit and finish but I would like something nice to start with. reflex264

there is no model 1899E... can you provide a picture? Lots of places have pantographs. Several here have used Boses of Nebraska with good results for a duplicated stock... though I did once get bad feedback on them from a stock smith that I respect.

Really, your best bet is to fix the crack from the inside by removing some wood in line with the crack, you can then put in a metal or wooden dowel, fill it with epoxy like acraglass, wrap it tight and let dry. Should do the trick. A chip is a chip... not much you can do there short of grafting on a new piece of walnut and trying to match it in the best you can.

good luck

Yup, spend your money repairing the original and you well be better off in the end.

I believe there is a fella here at the 'fire that does that kind of work. Contact Karnis and see what he has to say. There are others too that some other folks might recommend.

also, there are more self-help tips for stock repairs in the "Misc. Good Info" thread that is stickied in this forum.

I thought about fixing it and may do it yet. I figure I will have to relieve some wood at the tang and hide some accraglass to stop it from happening again.

As far as the 1899E I am not a Savage expert but someone that is supposed to be one identified it as a 1899E. He offered over twice what I payed for it but I am not selling it. I haven't seen another one just like it. It has the 20" (19") barrel with lots of taper and the straight stock with a cresent butt. The serial number puts it in 1924. I need to take some good pics and post them.

Corrections to story. I got home and thought about it and realized I shouldn't try to remember stuff like this after 12 hours of work. Here is the story with the corrections made.

This gun was owned by the same family since it was new. The original owner used it to feed his family during the depression.He gave the rifle to his son after he got done with it. . According to his daughter who saddly has also passed, when the war broke out and her brother was drafted he put it up and when he returned from Europe he never hunted again. It stayed in her closet until her son had her estate sale last year. I always wanted a old Savage and this one just appeared. reflex264

Yep...You have yourself a Model 99-E (lightweight)
20" barrel...Straight buttstock...
May be tough to find a buttstock that would look good. I'd fix the old one..JMO

actually the crescent butt plate throws this into an odd deal... E's just had the shotgun style butt plate and not the rifle or crescent butt plate...

Pictures would be helpful probably or take off the butt plate and check for serial numbers to ensure its original to the gun.

Have we determined yet if this rifle's buttstock and buttplate are numbered to the receiver?

I will try to get a pic up in a day or two. It is burried in one of the safes at the moment. Is there a way to positively say this butt stock came on this rifle? Everything appears to be original but none of the family is left alive to ask if it was ever changed. reflex264

If you take the buttplate off, the end of the buttstock should be stamped with the same serial number on the receiver. The buttplate should be numbered on the inside as well.

Thanks. I may try to dig it out tonight. My curiousity is killing me. reflex264

Ok the serial numbers from the stock match. On the front of the receiver it is stamped 1899. Here is a pic. As soon as we get new internet service that half works I will do some high resolution pics but for the moment here it is:

99E it is not 1899E... that butt plate is what Savage collector's call a shotgun style plate not a crescent plate.

Once again a bit ignorant on Savages. How do you tell the difference in a 1899 and a 99? I figured out the shotgun butt a few nights ago from a old article. It is stamped 1899 but I can't find 99 on it anywhere. Thanks, reflex264

The 99 is the followon to the 1899. 99s first showed up in 1920. There is of course some overlap so those can be a little confusing. The SN range for 99s starts about 200,000.

You need a Murrays if you don't have one.

I just bid on a Murrays. This is getting intersting. reflex264

Yer screwed now! They're just like Lays potato chips...

I can just see me explaining to my wife why I need another 20-30 rifles. This might get tough. :-)

99's all look enough alike that your wife will never know how many you have unless you bring them all out at once...heck, the all look enough alike that I don't know how many I have!
BTW, I love the 99E.