I just ran across my Grandfathers Model 99. The serial # is 230xxx. Any idea how old it is? I suspect the 1930s. It says it was from Utica, NY. It is .30-30 caliber. Can I use other calibers in this? I don't really know much about this gun. I don't even know how to load it. He used it for deer hunting in NY and PA. Thanks for any info you can share.

It was made around 1921. Use .30-30 only, as that it what it's chambered for. You might want to take it to a gunshop in your area & have a gunsmith go over the ins & outs of the gun, especially for safe handling. Hang onto it. Being your Grandfather's gun, it's a family heirloom & priceless. Good luck.

1)1920's
2)NO!....30 30 only.

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a nice piece, take good care of her.

Welcome to the forum! Where you located? Sounds as though you're pretty much new to rifles, and it might be best if you can find someone to walk you through the basics.

A good place to start might be a hunter safety course given by your state Game and Parks division, if they do that. A quick call should get that information easily.

A second place is to find a relative or friend that hunts or shoots a lot and ask them to take you out to a range or to their farm and shoot it.

Since the gun is 84 years old, I'd REALLY suggest finding a gunsmith and have him check it over for safety. I have a 110 year old gun being checked now.. paranoia is a good idea sometimes! Probably run you $30-$50 and a week or two of time.

And last... NEVER try to switch calibers on a gun. The gun is form fitted to the case for a specific caliber, and if you put in a different caliber you run the risk of hurting the gun, up to killing yourself. BAD idea... And make sure it REALLY says 30-30, and not 300 Savage or 303. Those are three distinct bullets that can't be interchanged.

And last, let me know if you want to get rid of that thing. You surely don't want an OLD gun like that, do ya?? <evil grin>

And digital pictures are always appreciated by this group.. amazing what all they can tell you about it.

Thanks for the replies. I'm in Memphis, Tn. I don't plan on using the gun, but I'm not interested in selling (sentimal reasons). I took a hunter safety course years ago even though I don't hunt. I'll post some digital pics tonight. Do I need a gunsmith to look at it even if I'm not going to shoot it?

You only need to have it checked for safety when you're wanting to shoot it. You may want to have a gunsmith at some point do a good cleaning on it, just so that it'll be in good shape in later years.

For maintenance, be sure to keep the metal lightly oiled and put the rifle someplace with low to no humidity. If you can get it lightly oiled and then put into a decent, reasonably sealed gun case that'll be enough if you take it out occasionally to check it.

They make little containers of pre-oiled cloths that you can pull out individually like baby wipes. Pick one of them up and wipe the metal down every 6 months to a year and it'll keep the rust off.

Excellent advice, Calhoun...

What Calhoun said +1... on both of his posts.

And, BTW, that ".303" that Calhoun mentioned is a SAVAGE .303, not a BRITISH .303 since you seem to be a real "newbie" about firearms.

I say this because you might "get-the-urge" to shoot it, which isn't a bad idea, but I'd hate to see you get hurt due to a lack of knowledge about the gun or about gun safety. As Calhoun said, get a good friend or relative who is a hunter/shooter to give you some much needed help if you decide to ever shoot the rifle.

I know a number of people who enjoy shooting as a sport unto itself... and have never hunted and don't intend to become a hunter. Regardless, shooting is fun... but gun safety and the "safety rules" apply across the board when handling or keeping firearms.

In truth, there are NO "gun accidents"... guns won't go off by themselves. It is the people who don't handle firearms SAFELY who cause the so-called "accidents" with guns... and those "accidents" hurt us all by giving "guns" and even "hunters" a bad name and create a "negative" opinion of guns and gun-owners/users to the general non-shooting public.

By the way, the .30/30 is a good deer or hog caliber if you ever decide to go hunting for either one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

But being a "newbie" is not a "bad thing"... we ALL were once "newbie's" ourselves. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

Thanks Ron.

Forgot... for loading, not that you'll be doing it, but it's loaded by working the lever to open the bolt. Then it has a rotary magazine inside. You just slide the shells into the opening from the top, and as you push down the magazine will grab it and hold it in. Holds 5 in the magazine. If you look on the left hand of the receiver, you'll see a "0" in an inset. As the shells are fed into the magazine, that counter will climb to "1", then "2", etc. This obviously tells you how many are loaded into the magazine. There is also probably a small metal piece at the back of the top that will rise up when the lever is closed and the gun is cocked. This shows the gun is ready to be fired. After firing, the metal pin will go down.

Don't pull the trigger on an empty chamber. Old gun, could break the firing pin.

There is a safety beside the lever. When the lever is closed, you can slide the safety forward which will prevent the gun from being fired. Sliding the safety back will allow the lever to open and the gun to be fired.

Okay.. I think I covered the basics of the 99. Now everyone can correct me<grin>.

Calhoun and Ron T have provided some exellent advice.

I would suggest that you get it checked out by a competent gunsmith, even though You don't intend to shoot it. As its your Grandfather's gun, it is likely that it will stay in the family. In the future it may end up in a family member's hands who does not ask the question "should I get it checked out before shooting it?" My vote is to go for the peace of mind.

Chris

I have a question regarding the magazine loading counter. I have a newly acquired Savage 99 in .300 Savage (circa 1940 by the SN) . I had a gunsmith clean it and check it out. He had some concerns about the shell stop. He noticed that as you loaded cartridges into the mag the numbers only partially indexed. In other words, the number did not squarely line up in the counter window. He thought that the cartridge stop might have been worn as it did not aparently hold the last loaded cartridge far enough down into the mag to get a full indication. However, when you close the bolt with the lever, the right numbers always line up squarely in the window. Do I have an issue or is this all normal? Feeding, extracting, and ejection all seem to work very smoothly.

No problem - that's how they work. Don't let him 'fix' it.

I seem to remember mine looked offset as I was loading, but settled down as I closed the bolt (1946 model EG). I'll trust Lightfoot and believe it's operating as designed.

what Lightfoot said.