Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors When did the war end...

...from a Savage 99 collectors point of view?
Would a 1946 gun be worth more than say a 1950 gun or must we go back to 1942?

Pending Condition, And Style, calibor, And day of the week, and the buyer and seller.

I think the real break depends on where it was made.

A Utica gun being more desirable than a Chicopee Falls gun all things being equal.

JMO

if you had two identical guns, one from 46 then one from 50 that have the same price tag ? I'd grab the 46. because it's four years older it would be a utica gun. I don't think it really matters to much though

plab

Since we're obviously talking EG's as comparisons between Utica and Chicopee Falls since no other model spans both factories, I'd say the deciding factor would be....

Condition.

After that, yes, I would go with older is better.

Is there anything to the rumor that firearms metallurgy improved during WWII and that the post war 99's were made of better steel? All I could find on the internet is that canon metallurgy improved. Don't know if the same steel was used in canons and small arms.

I would doubt that. Considering that "better steel" would almost certainly mean "higher prices", I would bet that Savage kept with the same or similar grade of steel for their rifles. Lower prices meant more sales, better steel would simply mean that guns that didn't fail would continue to not fail.

Thanks folks. All makes sense.
From a little internet research - the Utica to Chicoppee move seems to be in the 1946-1947 range.

Chicoppee ser nos start at 500.000 we believe.

norm

Boy am I confused now!my brother has our dads model 99H carbine in 30-30 cal it has the 20 inch barrel with Barrel band. my dad and Uncle bought a pair of them new in 1936 and there both marked Chicoppee Falls! what I'm wounder is the 1946-1947 move date right?
(My cousin still has my Uncles also)

If they say Chicopee Falls, then they were sent back to the factory for new barrels. Savage never offered a Savage 99 in 30-30 from Chicopee Falls, they were discontinued before the 99's left Utica (though, there's always that chance of leftover barrels being used up).

Savage would rebarrel older 99's at Chicopee Falls, we see 22HP barrels from there occasionally also.

If they were sent back to the Factory it had to be 1936 or before I still have the hanging tag's that came on it.

I read that thing about better steel in an article about Savages. There was no reference source to this in the article. Makes me doubt just about anything I read and makes it harder to know what to put in my book.

jercon, there was zero work done on Savage 99's at the Chicopee Falls plant prior to 1946. It was all done out of Utica.

Can you provide pics?


And, wyo, it could be they went to a better grade of steel after the war. Doesn't make sense, but maybe if some of the competitors were advertising better steel or if they were being dinged on it by some gun writers or publications then they might have done it. Functionally I don't think there would be a difference though.

You appear to be missing the point.

The point being that there were NO 99Hs made in Chicopee Falls, since the production of the 99H style and the production of all
99s chambered in 22HP, 303SAV, and 30-30 ended when Savage converted from the production of commercial to military firearms in 1942. If it was in its original configuration, your Father's 1936 vintage 99H in 30-30 would have had a Utica barrel. Since it has a Chicopee Falls barrel, the only logical reason for the mix of a pre-WW2 style 99 and a post-WW2 barrel stamp is that it has a replacement barrel.

The only 99s cataloged from 1946 thru 1954/55 were the 99EG and 99R in 250-3000 and 300 Savage.

Jeff

I will have to get to my brothers and get Pictures of it and the serial numbers this really has me bugged, I know there is two of them and when they were bought.

I must apologize,I called my brother, My dads 99H was made in Utica In 1935 I had not seen it in years I must have been thinking of my one 300, I'm 74 and I guess the mine is slipping. anyway they will all be on the NE pa hunt next Thursday,that Hemlock Ranger wrote about and posted pictures.

Happens to all of us. I've worn the dunce cap before..

Good luck next Thursday!

Rory, I agree with you. I love Chicopee EG's because that was my first 99 but I'm still into the pre-war 99's and the earlier the better. There's nothing more beautiful than the 26" barrel round, octagon, and half octagon rifles with straight grips and crescent buttplates. If they did improve the metallurgy so what. I killed an elk with an 87 year old 99G 300 Savage this year. The critter doesn't know the difference if bullet placement is right. David