Hopefully this is ok to post since it's gone thru a few times with no bites yet. I don't know enough about these to know what I'm looking at. Figured it must be overpriced or it would have been bought by now in that condition. Is it still original and factory?

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/672452413

I would have expected a letter be available hoping it would show delivery to Great Britain and in what form with regard to sights. The BP is rare but has been seen. That's all I got Roy, didn't see anything fishy.

Pretty rifle. I'd want a letter.

Is that a crack in photo 12?

Might be? I'd sure want a letter on it too! The barrel stamping leaves me scratching my head...

I don't know about the fancy 99 but I'd go for the carbine if I had the scratch.

Why would you bid 9500 for a savage when new ones go for 299?

His price has dropped, it was up around $12,000. He had several interesting guns, one was a 4 digit 1895 that he advertised as a very early 1899, Joe.

Sure looks like it!

He has 7 less than he used to.

That's an 1895 buttplate. I wonder if it's numbered to the rifle? It's unlikely the factory would still have one lying around in 1906. I paid about 2/3rds that much for "B" engraved, flame checkered 1902 vintage 1899A that is almost that nice. While I got a good deal, I think that rife is overpriced especially if the number on the BP doesn't match. David

I know I'm arguing minutiae here but 1906 is only 11-years after 1895. I think its quite possible for factories to have items such as butt plates kicking around for that long. Now back to that discussion about angels and pinheads (I mean the sewing implement and not people of slow wit and limited reasoning).........

First thing I thought of.

How likely is it that butt plate made it from the Marlin production line to Utica, NY?

Second thing I thought of.

If I were going to spend XK on that gun, I sure would want to see the letter and the matching serial numbers.

Just me.

"Ok, you guys. We want all the leftover parts- everything you got- loaded into that box car by the end of the week, 'cause we're outta here! Da boss sez a barrel of beer for the lot of youse if nuttin's broke."

Very likely. If my contract for producing guns had came to completion at a certain factory (like Savage's was at Marlin) and I was setting up shop in a new plant (like Savage did in Utica), I would be certain to take everything with me that I paid good money to have made with my name on it. I can easily see a lot of Marlin made "private label" Savage product going out the door to the new plant. Now pass me another barrel of beer!

Those are British Proof marks. They always use the term NITRO PROOF, ( Nitrocellulose) and then Tons Per sq. in. and the square inch mark is just a square drawn in small. I recognize the Proof Marks as British Crowns, If you buy the little book on proofs, or pick it up at the Library you'll see it all there. Also I'm sure that that is English walnut on the butt, but the forearm may be American black Walnut. The backsight looks to be for hunting close up in bush. A fast rifle maybe in Africa used by an Englishman. They look after firearms very well in Great Britain. I'l bet you the bore is pristine.

That back sight also looks way to tall to work with the front sight, from what I can see of the front sight in picture No 1, the only picture that shows it.

Anyone really think its worth 9.5K?

I've never been in a position to pay that much for a rifle. For that kind of money I could buy 4 or 5 of the nicest '03 Springfields out there, a couple Dakota single shots, a presentable Harley-Davidson, or a decent used Audi. In other words, although I appreciate such fine guns I have other more pressing interests, and I'm happy to let them to the well heeled collectors or those who need to stroke their egos.

The factory definitely got leftover parts from Marlin. I've seen several early 1899's with 1895 parts such as the forearm on my half octagon serial number 104xx. Savage wasn't making many rifles with plastic buttplates at that time so it's possible it came from the factory that way. A matching number on the buttplate would confirm that. With Savage never say never. David

A matching number on the buttplate would only be a scratched number, they didn't stamp them. So that would help, but hardly be absolute proof against somebody faking one. But other hard rubber buttplates like this have been seen on 1899's so it's not like it's impossible.

Beautiful gun, be interesting to see what it would sell for at Julia's.

It seems like there was an 1899 with a SRAC buttplate at the Julia auction in March 2013 but I don't see anything in my notes. There were a lot of bubbaed rifles there and I probably thought it had been messed with. Maybe not. Few 1895's had the SRAC bp and maybe they had produced quite a few and there were a bunch of them left over. What Rory just said. David