I was just reading in Edward S. Farrows " American Small Arms" (1904) that a Model 99 can be decocked for long term storage by depressing the trigger when the action is open (and, of course, unloaded) and then closing the lever. He , in fact, recommended it, along with a good deal of other advice on the 99. Has anyone heard of this and is it a good idea?

My preference is to de-cock any gun that I am storing. Releases the tension on the hammer spring. I've done this with my 99; works well.

What else does he recommend???

It only works with 99's under the 1,000,000 serial range.

There are numerous pages devoted to the 99 and I am unable to copy and paste from this computer but I'll try to put it on here when I can use my other computer. But you can try to pull it up using the above information on Yahoo or Google. Sorry...

...Would it be a problem to just dry fire the gun?

Don't do that, but im sure someone on here could elaborate further...

Joe, I think it works on the post-mil 99E's also, no?

Dry-firing a gun isn't as good as slip-closing it. My gunsmith got after me slip-close for bolt actions also. Beyond the bad practice of pulling the trigger at ALL indoors, it's harder on the firing pin. Not a big deal over 10 or 20 years, but over 100+?

Slip-closing-----I like that term...Think I'll use it from now on.

depressing the trigger while closing the lever works on my 99A(#DO43xxx) and my neighbors 99C...both are tang safety jobs...and of course it works on the 99EG and the 1899B...

perhaps I'm misunderstanding...

Ah Joe,

I don't mean to contradict you. But, I think it will work with ANY lever safety 99. Even those over 1,000,000.

Someday, I'll learn to read the entire thread before I shoot my mouth off!!!!!!

I have had my share of generously used post mil "C" tang safety rifles that will slip close, and many pristine ones that won't.

I believe that they are not supposed to, but I can assure you that they will!!!

I remember reading that the later models can easily be modified to slip close. Maybe just from use and wear they are able too. Who knows???


Mike...

Huh? I know I haven't been batting a thousand today but all the tang safety guns I've got don't slip close. If they did I'd take them to the smith and have them fixed.

No way a 99A and a 99C should be slip closed and it eases of the hammer.

I just pulled the only 2 tang safety 99's that I have left out of the safe. One is a 1971, 99A rotary mag .250-3000 unfired. It will "not" slip close. The other is a 1999, 99C clip mag .300 sav. unfired I believe. It also will "not" slip close.

Anyone else able to confirm of deny???

Thanks, Mike...

Mike, i have 2 like new 99a saddle guns one in 250 the other in 375, the 250 wont slipclose and the 375 will!!!!! ,i dont believe the 375 has ever been touched! Don

You've got a 99C in 300 Sav made in 99? Cool. Where did you find something like that?

The tang safety guns will not slip close unless the lever has been modified - ground out so the trigger clears. Someone wrote this up long ago. I have only owned one post mill that would slip close and the modification was obvious.

Hey Joe.

I found this rifle on an auction about a year and a half ago with a "BUY IT NOW" for $400.00. It had only been listed for 5 minutes. After I got the rifle, I confirmed with Effie at Savage Arms, using the serial number, that it was in fact a correct Savage 99C .300 sav. made in the USA, 100% correct and original, cut checkering, deep bluing and all, and manufactured in 1999...!!! It was made for Jerry's Sporting Goods as a custom run. She could not tell me how many were made and said that Jerry's should be able to tell me. I got no help from Jerry's.

Mike...

Here are some pictures:







[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C009.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C011.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C012.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C014.jpg[/img]
[img]http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/rgr223cal/savage%2099C%20300%20sav/300sav99C015.jpg[/img]

Hey Mike.. I've got a full set now of those 99C's from 1999'ish. 243, 308, and 300.

All NIB.

Hey Rory,

Is the clip in your 99C .300 savage stamped ".300 sav." ???


Thanks, Mike...

my 99A 250-3000 definitely "slips by" but I'm not the original owner and have never taken it apart to check,and I've put a couple billion rounds through it.
my neighbors 99C "slips by" too but I know it blew up once upon a time and has been rebuilt.
I like this forum...learn something new almost every day

Actually, the 243/308 are probably earlier than 1999.. probably 1996. The 300 is 1999.

And, no, the clip says it's for 243/308/250-3000.

Edit to add image:

Excuse my ignorance, what is the difference of doing this, or just pulling the trigger on an empty chamber?

That is one fine looking 99,by the way I have the very same microwave!

I did like that old microwave...

But the new one has "CONDITION"


Mike...

Put a Savage medallion on it and sell it on Ebay.

Rory, throw me some serial numbers and we'll find out when your guns were made.

When dropping the hammer on an empty chamber you run the risk of breaking a firing pin. I leave an empty shell case in the chamber of those guns that can't be slip closed.

It Weaken's the Spring.

Nice Bottle Of Yellow Tail!

to be honest one of the things I like about older 99's is the "decock" feature...along with the number,or lack of,moving parts.

there's genius in the simplicity of it.

You can do the same thing on most bolt actions as well.

I have a DL, serial 1,014,xxx that will slip close but, not as easily as my pre mils. and my brother has a tang safety F in .284 that will also.

I don't know Joe(Mad_Dog) & Mike(Lightfoot)...

I can't believe that "all" these tang safety model 99's have been modified. I know that mine were not!!!


Any thoughts???


Mike...

Had half a dozen tang safety's and not one would slip close. Only had one lever safety that wouldn't. Doubt that these folks' tang safety's have been modified, might just be less quality on the tolerances or wear that allows it now.

Joe, serial numbers are F6098xx, F6154xx, F8263xx and D1564xx (22-250 NIB). Now I just need to start finding some NIB pre-mils. Though a 7mm08 and 284 would round out this bunch nicely.

Rory, a pair of 97's and a 1979.


Guys, I'm not gonna argue the point that some can and some can't. What it all boils down to is that they're NOT SUPPOSED TO!!!!

Exactly! After I bought my first 99 (the one I have) I looked it up in Phil Sharpe's book "The Rifle in America". That's where I learned that holding the trigger back during the last stage of lever closure allowed the hammer to stay uncocked. Pure genius of design!

Again, this is with a 1958 "as new" EG.

I thought every one knew that!