Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors New to me....99E Series A .243

I was watching a local firearm site this past month and started watching a 99E in .243. I waited till after the start of hunting season and made them an offer....
I got a 99E series a, .243., with a 3x9 tasco scope, no sights on the barrel, the butt had been cut and reattached with the addition of a slip on recoil pad.
I've had EG's and R's before, so I knew that this was an economy model, but was surprised at how solid it is. The forearm is "grooved" up by the barrel like an old 'finger grooved" 10-22 from the 60's. The serial on the side of the receiver starts with a D713xxx, I assume early 80's near the end of the road.
Just a peep over $300, with dies, brass, and reloads, didn't seem like a bad deal for a woods gun. I'll likely leave it as is and not upgrade the wood. After all, an E is an E.

Looks like a good buy. Have fun with it on your hunting trip.

Fred

I'd keep an eye out for some pre-mil wood on eBay and make it at least eye appealing. I'm sure it's a pretty sweet shooter, but as a wise man once said, "Life is too short to hunt with an ugly gun".

You know what you can do to dress it up? Sand the stock and fill all the checkering. If you want to lighten it drill some hidden holes. Paint it with a texture paint, I've used Krylon. It will hide the thing having been chopped, will give you a uniform color, and a rough, sandpaper texture for good grip. I've had a Sako Fireball done this way for 15 or 20 years and holds up well. Scratch or dent it, patch and overspray, done, looks new again. Excellent answer for a 99E. Enjoy it.

Does make me feel a bit nostalgic looking at the photos. The early 80's wasn't yesterday

Should be a 1981 rifle, and for that price a heck of a buy.

Personally, I'd go with Brian's idea about getting EG style stock on it. Another much cheaper option would be refinishing it with a tung oil type finish.


Oh, and the most important thing I would do would be to pull the bullets on the reloads, toss the powder and reuse the brass. I don't trust ANYBODY else's reloads..

Each to his own but I would actually leave the stock/wood as it is

The reattached piece of the buttstock is the only thing pushing me to recommend a change. Besides.. that 99E of Loggah's that he put the EG wood on was sweet.

I have an early post-mil E in .243 coming that I will be putting some 1923 - dated EG style wood on soon. No checkering, small schnabel on the forend, tang crack I will need to fix, needs a good oil rubbing. Stock might have been sanded, I am not experienced enough to tell except that it seems... thin. But it is really beautiful. I am psyched, it will be the wife's surprize Christmas present! Loggah's beauty was an inspiration for sure. THAT is a neat hunting rifle! I'm now wishing I could have found a "cheap" .250 though, after comparing the ballistics and recoil profiles. It is depressing looking at how big the .250 Savage premium is even in like Rem 700 BDLs and such. You'd think someone would start chambering for it. Great round for the Tikka T-3 lightweight, I'd think.