Hello, I was at a local show today and obtained what I believe to be a very early, maybe unusual, rare? 99E version 2 with some anomalies...first it is my second 99, first E, It is very minty, looks unused. serial #9681XX. 'L' date code (1960). It has a brass cartridge counter, walnut stock (uncheckered, no pistol grip plate, but pistol grip plain), round style forend, steel buttplate (shotgun style corrugated, no logo) thought they are plastic on 99E. Assembly numbers match. . Made in Chicopee Falls. what do you guys think about it being a possibly uncatalogued piece? I would like to hear some input from the pros, thanks...Tried to post pics (1st time) hoping it worked!

We have seen a few of these. However, the ones I have seen, as I recall, had schnabel forends. That aside, it looks like it could be right to me.

Maybe put togeather at the factory by and for an employee ?

the schnabel forend would be version 2, style 1, (catalogued)...this should be a version 2, style 2 (uncatalogued) I believe, If my sources are correct

I can't recall that any pre mil serial numbered E's were cataloged. That would be a question for one of our scorekeepers. Regardless, even if they were catalogued, there are damned few examples.

Is it a 300?

We've seen the premil receivers that were made into 1960 99E's with both steel and plastic buttplates. The catalog pictures definitely show plastic, but my guess is that since 99 plastic buttplates were new that they didn't have enough and just fitted steel to some.

So uncatalogued... but not unknown. I'll update my book on the next release about the buttplates, when I published we weren't sure about how correct the steel buttplates were on the guns we'd seen.

There were 3 of the Style 2 99E's at Tulsa, all in 300 Savage. Even though all very rare, nobody was really looking at them because they don't look like much. I dang near replaced the one I had, they were all nicer than mine. I'm guessing you ran into one of the same rifles. I do not recall if which ones had steel or plastic buttplates.. maybe Rick took better note of it.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/958787121

And if you'll notice, this rifle ^^^^^ has the hole in the grip cap, just like the two I had, the two that ended up with David Royal.

Yes, mine is 300 Savage...It does have the pistol grip cap marking for a hole (undrilled). My original bluing is nicer (zero flaw anywhere) than the one on gunbroker, but the rifle on the auction is super clean looking from the pics and about 70 numbers closer to 268,000. Maybe, I need a match?? (LOL)

Just be aware, someone somewhere will not accept that hole in the grip cap as original.

I'm a little confused on the statement of "Just be aware, someone somewhere will not accept that hole in the grip cap as original"... If the numbers all match how can it be said that the stock is not original on a 99E with the Walnut stock? (maybe the birch stock or other hardwood for the later 99E doesn't have the mark to have a hole, not familiar enough with them) there is no physical hole at present and all surfaces around the hole are factory with no signs of having a screw installed

I sold one of those 99E's with the plugged hole in the gripcap to a member that insisted it wasn't original and slandered me to others here for doing him wrong. I bought it back from him when his simmering miscontent surfaced. I found a second one and bought it so now there's a pair. Then more showed up.

It's an inconvenient truth that for whatever reason Savage did build them that way, but some don't like to hear it.

Since John is no longer around to defend himself - it should have been nothing more complicated than returning a gun to the seller.

Some people make that difficult.

I see, haven't been on the forum long enough to have witnessed the issue, sorry...does anybody have a ballpark figure on the going price for a very clean 99E early versions? just interested in knowing what the opinion of the masses is...I know there is no concrete figure due to value truly being only what someone is willing to pay for it

Some people.

Sheesh.

The chances of it not being authentic are almost non existent. From what we've seen of them Savage was using up pre-mil receivers, buttstocks (some have the screw hole plugged) 24" barrels, and for whatever reason some have scnable forearms and some have rounded. I'm sure they were leftover EG and F forearms. Some have metal buttplates and some plastic.

I don't know that they is a set value. They are very uncommon, the 3 at Tulsa were in the $1000 to $1200 range. But they didn't sell at that price. So.. ??

Style 1 (schnabel tip forearm, round count window, no checkering, no grip cap) was in the 1960 catalog with 300 and 250-3000 listed (Style 2 (no schnabel, round count window, no checkering, no grip cap) was not ever cataloged.

Well I think I got a fair deal, substantially less than $1k by a fair margin...plus the seller threw in the advertising "Shooting Goods Retailer" magazine with articles and the "New for '61" full page Savage 99E ad and a cool whitetail/mule deer fold out page(s) (a Marlin ad).that alone is fun for me! 😁 Plus, I like having something not everyone else has, like a very early 99E in like new shape.

Sounds like you got a good price.