for getting your ass beat! Just in case you were trying to put it together and your wife's letting up on you these days. LOL

A featherweight Savage 7mm Remington magnum from the first year of production in 1966 and a 99EG in 358, both with metal buttplates. I swear my teeth hurt I got smacked so hard. Both shot an inch with hunting loads. With the 7mm I tried 145 gr Speer btsp since I have hundreds of them. Three shots to sight in then ringing steel at 325 yards every shot. But man, it is NO FUN to shoot. It'd be fine for cross canyon shooting. Close your eyes and jerk the trigger!

The 358 got three loads. 200 gr Hornady spire points, 180 Banres ttsx, and Winchester factory silvertips, no idea what weight bullet but assume 200 gr. The Barnes loads using TAC powder shoot fantastic in my other 358's and they did the same here, often going in the same hole. Scope is only a 3x so precision beyond an inch at 100 is not possible. The Barnes are manageable but the Hornady's and Winchesters kicked my ass. I was using a sandbag for a shoulder cushion by the end.

Anyway, I've never owned mules but I know exactly what they kick like. LOL Feels like I've been worked over with a metal pipe. Savage sure did make some good shooting rifles though.

I'd put those 2 on your top 40 list....

Which one do you want? LOL

I don't understand why this 24" EG kicks so much harder than the 16" carbine. Does barrel length make a big difference in recoil?

I find 99s punch way above thier weight class for recoil in general, that's why mine are all 300 or smaller. I've passed on a couple in 308 nicer than any of the ones I own because I don't enjoy getting the snot kicked out of me when I shoot. I've fired a couple in 308 and they both whooped my azz. 🤷‍♂️

I don't know why a 24" barrel would kick more than a 16"? Are they both EGs?

I had 2 308 50s F's and just looking at them in the gun rack made my hair hurt.

I have a 308 DL that is a pussy cat. Different stock design which apparently fits me better.

As it regards which one I want, I'm waiting for the DLs to hit the market.

DL, DL, DL!!!!!!!!

I dont think my 358EG is that bad. No harder than a 308F in my opinion. I think the worst gun i ever shot was My Savage 30-06 340. The sum bitch kicked my ass. Lol. It went down the road pretty quick!!

I had a 340 in 30-30 that had ridiculous recoil, I had bought for my son when he was about 12. It went down the road at a loss, which was uncommon for me in those days.

very nice rifles I shot my 358 for the first time yesterday I used a lead sled so wasn't bad next trip to the range I will man up Toughest shoulder breaker I own actually two guns one being a Husqvarna 30/06 bolt gun very light and whoops ur tail for certain. My nephew loved the gun and I said take it get it out of here. Also I had a New England single shot rifled barrel 12 gauge slug gun total ass whooper
I have the 358 that I shot but like a sissy and also haven't fired yet two 375 wins and a 308 after reading the comments im wondering how the recoil is going to be on them

Yep, my 99F 358 with metal butt plate kicks the snot out of me also with Hornady Custom 200gr factory ammo. Don’t see me reloading for it for some time. Got 6 boxes with the gun.

375 is a wonderful recoil curve, you won't find it a problem at all.

Until shooting this 358, I've never seen a Savage that I thought kicked bad. Here's the 16" carbine in 358, and I shoot it just fine, with the same ammo.

Now you've got me wondering if the 24" DL in 358 might have less perceived recoil due to the stock design. I've never fired it because it's in mint condition. My luck I'd hit it on the edge of a 1/4" steel plate walking through the shop to the truck with it and screw it up! Murphy's Law! LOL

The Savage that gave me a lickin' and is now tickin' in someone else's hands was a 1st year Model 1920 in .300. That thing was plumb vicious.

I can agree with that. My 1920 kicks just as bad as the 358.

I notice the EG buttstock is a different color than the forearm and has a fluted comb. Is that an F buttstock? If so, lighter weight might contribute to more recoil than a standard EG.

I'll check when I get time.

The real murder weapon is the featherweight 7mm. I am at a loss for a description. I think by the time I finished with it and moved on to the 358 I was in shock.

Thanks Roy. I'm hoping to get the 444 Rimless to the smith this week, and you start off trying to scare me to death. You know my 250R is my heavy rifle, the 22HP is my medium, and the 1919 NRA my light gun.

Joe, it's going to be a real mule-killer at both ends! Might be time to learn the art of bullet casting and reduced load development.....

I had one of those H&R Ultra Slug hunters a couple years too, and I concur 10000% Very accurate, but it was an absolute horror show to shoot. Remington quit making the sabots it liked, so I gladly traded it off on a new slug gun. That's one I don't miss one bit.

I had a little Mossberg 500 bantam rifled slug gun the first year or two I shotgun hunted deer, and that thing was a shoulder hammer, too.

I am so friggin glad Illinois joined the century and legalized some rifles for deer this year. 300 Blackout anrd 327 Federal from here on out for me. No more killing on one end of the shotgun and maiming on the other.

If needed to hunt with slugs, I wouldn't own anything but a Savage 220

https://www.savagearms.com/content?a=product_summary&p=firearms&s=57377

My Dad and the guy I hunt with both use 220s. They kick as bad as most pump 20 gauges, and I've had a couple pumps shoot just as well. The 870 I've been using the past few years is a cloverleaf shooter at 50yds with Remington Premier 3" magnums. They discontinued those, but I have enough to last a few deer seasons. 3" or so is about the best I can do at 100 with the sights on it, though.

I knocked the front lens clear out of a Weaver one time, and have broken reticles loose on a solid handful+ scopes across about half a dozen slug guns. I don't even bother trying to mix shotguns and scopes anymore.

Not suggesting you should give up your 870. I don't own a slug gun. If I had to get one, I'd get a 220. That's all I'm saying...

Can I make some Sabots and put an HP cast bullet in, IT?

Those 220's are crazy accurate. One of Tommy's guys brought one to camp. He had never shot a gun of any kind before. We coached him on sighting in. Once he figured it out, we put golf balls on Tee's. I think he went 10 for 10 before he said his shoulder was starting to feel it.

My Savage 99 is from 1960. A featherweight type in 300 Savage.

has some serious recoil ability. Got that rifle new when i was 16 years old... and skinny. It beat me up seriously. Am not an expert, but i think the lighter weight AND the stock shape make the difference. Great rifle for sneak hunting.

More recently my older body [lol] has learned to accept the felt recoil. its still serious. Have been using 150 gr Hornady Interlocks with moderate reloads. it shoots about 1.5 MOA when i am any good. Have shot my share of deer with it.

I would rather shoot my old Model 70 in 270, or my 7 x 57 Mauser. have taken deer with those, too. But the 99 is the first rifle i ever purchased and therefore my sentimental favorite.

No, these rifles arent for sale. They are going to my son and grandson.

Get another rifle in the exact same model and configuration, except in 250. Every time you pick it up tell yourself it's the old nostalgic one. Works for me.

Post mil 250 F Joe?

You ever seen one?

They're an excellent deer gun, just not my cup of tea. They also didn't make a lefty version back when I started using a slug gun. They do now, or at least they did the last time I had been swapping up slug flingers 3-4 years ago.

Sorta hoping I never have to shoot a shotgun slug again the rest of my life, though 🤣 I am hanging onto the 870 just in case I ever need a slug gun again, especially since I have a fair stash of sabots for it.

Let's play a little game; Which one wouldya?

After and before-

The one you have is the only one I know of.

I'm sure there must be others.

Be damned if I have ever heard tell of another though...

I guess so, if you want to add to the hair pulling and frustration. Frankly I wouldn't bother. It's an idea for centerfire rifles that's been tried and abandoned. When's the last time you saw those Remington .30-06 sabot loads with .22 bullets?

Can't be the only one. How 'bought ol' squeeler?

Post mil 250 F Joe?

You ever seen one?


[/quote
Yes, Roy has one.

I was just joking about the Sabots. But, I was just talking to someone about the 30-06 and 30-30 with the 22 bullets. I couldn’t remember what they called them? Some catchy name?

Remington Accelerators.

You get the gold star of the day sir.

Bingo.

Since the buttstock was wrong I went ahead and fitted a more appropriate one.

Roy, To make a story even better,that inspection mark on your 250 is the one John Callahan used when he worked at Savage ! Don

Roy, that buttstock might not have been "wrong". Did you check the assembly codes?

What is the serial number on that rifle? I had a late .358 EG that I sold to David Royal, serial no. 967XXX. It had the folding rear sight that was used on the 1959 F's and an F buttstock. The frame, buttstock and butt plate assembly codes matched, but the forearm mark was just a C in a circle. We concluded that Savage was assembling rifles from parts on hand prior to the move to Westfield. Like, maybe they ran out of EG buttstocks and were using F buttstocks on EGs to use up EG barrels.

That being said I'd bet money that the post mil 250 F has a Chicopee barrel on it. They used up what they had and that was the end of post mil 250 F's.

Yes, of course. Forearm has the last four digits of the serial number on it, buttstock code is mismatched. Serial number #920,xxx.. LBC is 17, impossible to see the letter.

It does.

Don are you looking at the square stamp?

The little square looking symbol right below the Savage 99 was Callahans Roy.

There are some 99CD's around in 250-3000. I think they were fairly common in the CD

But they did not come out until about 75. Several years after the last 250 F was built. They CDs had Westfield barrels.

I'm wondering if we have ever seen a 250 DL? Seems to me Roy might have one or built one or both. Can't remember the whole story.

I think that’s too early to be Callahan. Somebody else used that stamp before him, and after he left.

I can't answer that question for sure but if you are loading with a slow burning powder you might be blowing unburned power out of the carbine barrel vs burning it in the 24". Seems that might affect the recoil....?

That sounds like it could happen. Gunpowder is TAC

I’ve never shot a Savage 7 mag, but Sako 7 mags don’t recoil as much to me as 700’s do. I have two 99 F’s in 358, recoil isn’t bad, but I load a grain under max 180 Barnes for them. I’m sure it be worse with heavier bullets. The 180’s do fine on pigs. I have a 99 in 338 Fed coming soon, eager to see how it is on recoil.

If you let me make the target and mount the scope on my 40X in 308 I might be able to challenge that assertion.

This must be where you talked about your 358EG and decided it was likely factory??

Go get em tiger.