I have not been here for quite awhile as things got a bit rough but all on the mend now.
I was looking seriously at a .410 barrel for 99's that was closing on gb yesterday a bit after 7pm.
It was 26" long versus the normal 22" and to me that was not a positive or a negative. I put in what I thought was a very high bid that would easily secure my winning position in the auction but it ended up going for 2x my top bid. It ended up selling for $1,550 I think.
So my question to the experts here is, did this .410 barrel go for crazy money because of the 26" length or are they all expected to go for such a beyond-rediculous amount?

Best regards to my fellow 99 collectors.

Bob

Only thing I can think of is the 26" length, they are pretty rare.

But it was openly talked about here, and on Facebook before the auction ended. Not surprised it went for crazy.. though that seems extreme. Only two guys fought for it above $900 it looks like.

boy did I screw up. I sold my 99D in 300 and a 26" 410 barrel for $1900.

Oh, only to have pockets deep enough so as to make the notion of spending money seem not so rediculous.

22" are pretty common.
Seen few 24"
Have not seen a 26". Ever.

I have one somebody could own for $1550.00

...ain't that the truth.

Good to here from you again, Bob!

I personally would have paled at the thought of even $750, but that's me as I have little or no use for a .410 barrel on a 99 no matter what barrel length. I've shot them and discovered that they make fairly miserable shotguns, poorly balanced and difficult to hit flying targets with. I recognize the novelty factor and the desire for one as such, but that's as far as it goes.

Tell us how you really feel Gary!

LOL

Haha! It's all good. What's good sauce for the goose is not necessarily good sauce for the gander.

I see it as a vermin barrel. Say you and your buddies were staked out in the woods and you had your trusty 99 by your side in perhaps 300 or 250. Now lets say some of the local vermin (snakes, rodents, politicians or what have you) got into your camp and gear during the night or when you were out walking the slopes. Now a 300 or 250 might be too much for dispatching such vermin but wait, you also happened to have packed along your 410 barrel. Vermin beware as the 410 would be on guard for dispatching all such unwelcome critters. So I see it as a vermin or, maybe also, a critter barrel.

Places like Alaska are ideally suited to this scenario. Lots of small game for the pot to be had.

Or you could just get a model 24 20 gauge over a 30-30. Would be infinitely more useful and durable.

Just sayin....

I like the option of having a Savage repeating lever gun in 300 for moose or bear hunting and a .410 for feeding the pot.

S99VG: So you were in the woods and “packed along a .410 barrel in case of need”. I can see the need for an over-the-back-scabbard for the barrel kinda like for a machete, whip it our, change the barrel, shoot the snake, skunk, robin or whatever and quickly change back in case the deer was deaf and has not left the county? I like Fireball2’s idea better. :-))

I think that scenario is why God gave us the Colt Woodsman.🤗

I think Roy and I are kind of saying the same thing and, no, I don't own a 410 barrel and never have. Although I still think the idea was for shooting vermin/varmits, criitters or game for the pot as Roy would put it. I don't think Savage really had anything like bird hunting in mind with the switch barrel idea. But what do I know what they had in mind with the 410 barrel. Who on this forum has seriously used a 410 barrel and what say you?

I used my 99D with the 410 barrel to eradicate chislers. They are nasty little ground squirrels. I mentioned above that I sold the 99D. We've got a big stay cat who kills them now. If he leaves and the chislers come back I can always put the 410 barrel on my combo gun.

I have a 99D in 300 with a 22" .410 barrel.

My 99D had the 24" 300 rifle weight barrel. A 22" 410 barrel would have been real loose in the forearm.