Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Newbie 99 questions - please explain safe loading and unloading

As I've posted, I now the owner of a 1927-8 99 in 300 Savage.

Please explain safe unloading and unloading.
Nothing is too basic.

For example, is it safe to chamber a single round with none in the magazine and close the action?

Can the action be closed with three in the magazine without chambering a round?

If I want to put a round in the magazine, do I have the safety on or off before opening action.

How do you empty live rounds from chamber and magazine?

Thank you.

Yes.



Yes, if you can hold down on the top round while working the lever until the bolt has gone forward enough that it won't pick up the top round.



Given that the bolt has to be to the rear to load the magazine the safety has to be off to allow you to open the action. This answer based on the supposition that you do in fact have a pre-mil rifle with a lever safety.



You very carefully cycle that action to remove them one at a time. You don't have to completely cycle the action. Just enough to get the extractor to snag the cartridge in the chamber and only enough back to allow the tip of the bullet to clear the chamber.

When the magazine is loaded and you want to decock the firing pin, open the lever all the way, and then start to close it while pressing the trigger. You'll feel it catch and then continue closing the lever. The rifle will be decocked.

To re-cock open and close the lever. Can only be done on rifles with the premil action.

This can be done with the rifle empty to practice it.

[quote=steve99

This can be done with the rifle empty to practice it.

[/quote]

Well...close. This post mil .375 works that way as well, still haven't checked all the others. Most don't would be safe to say.

Yup, most don't. have seen some where the lever was ground out to clear the trigger. Some probably do just due to the variance of the lever arc.

Bushmaster1313,

I have a similar Savage 99. It's a gun to be loved. Enjoy it. But to be accurate it needs a good rear sight. Mine has a vintage Marble that I found on either gunbroker.com or E-Bay

idahoguy101

FB:

Not sure about what you're in doubt about on my statement. It can be practiced while the gun is empty, can it not?

The premil rifles were "designed" to be de-cocked in this manner. In my sample of one post mil Model 99A, it wouldn't slip close. Weren't all post mils designed this way, excepting the E model?

Sorry, this is what I meant to place in quotes. You are entirely accurate for the most part.

Thanks for the clarification.

Is it best to store the rifle cocked or decocked?

Early Savage literature said it was OK to decock the rifle with a cartridge in the chamber. DON'T DO IT!!! unless you like accidental discharges. Sometimes the decock procedure doesn't work.

Decocked - definitely.

FB2. it is obvious that your 375 is defective! please allow me to take it off your hands. for your safety of course. I will even pay the shipping and dispose of it in a proper manner.

But if a tang safety post mil. will slip cock, it is not functioning as designed. Correct?

Cocked, with a full magazine plus one up the spout, safety off. What good is an empty uncocked gun?

Six months ago or so, I took my "bedside" gun (a Colt Police Positive) with me to my buddy's place for a plink fest. Imagine my surprise/horror when I discovered I forgot to unload the bugger before transporting it in my car. Jeez Louise, in this state I would still be sitting in jail.

That would be my assessment.

IIRC Loggahs .375 does slip close as well. Maybe he'll chime in.

I've had a couple of tang safety 99's that would slip close. So I'm not sure I'd say it's not functioning as designed, so much as it wasn't a design feature and sometimes the tolerances allow it and sometimes they don't.

Six of one..

Wouldn't it be appropriate to ask if there was a timeline where Savage intentionally modified rifles with the tang safety to slip close?

We don't research postmil questions.

Would be a valid question though.