I have been nervous about taking apart my 99’s to clean. I have seen what the wrong tools can do to screw and bolt heads.
What size and length of screw drivers will best fit the heads on a 99? Any suggestions of other tools that are commonly used to basic service the rifles?

Thanks

I'd sart by getting a set of good hollow ground screw drivers. Chapman makes a handy little set. The land is littered with firearms with buggered screw heads from work done with ordinary hardware store variety screw drivers. Some people don't realize that a screw head on a rifle or pistol is not the same thing as a screw head on a light switch cover. But before I took a 99 apart to clean I'd first ask myself if it really needs it. If it aint broke don't fix it and most guns don't like being taken apart and reassembled numerous times.

I'd start by leaving it alone.It is IMPOSSIBLE to touch a screw without marking it, You do not "need" to take them apart to clean them. Your gun, do what you want. The BEST practice is don't buy a gun you need to work on. I've said my piece, ready for the flame show.

Just out of curiosity, is there another method to check that the receiver, forearm, butt stock and plate all left the factory as the same unit, without removing a few screws? Don't mean to come off as a wise a$$, just thought that is one of the first things one would do, before investing a lot of money into one of these not so cheap firearms.

no but you should have the proper set of screw drivers.

Did you already buy the gun?

Taking the forearm off is not big deal. Taking the buttstock off can be a disaster if you don't know what you are doing. And the 99's internals are another thing into themselves. I think it all starts with visual and functional inspections. If it all looks sound, then it probably is. If it cycles the cartridges without a hitch, then your work is probably done. Clean the bore and oil the metal and call it good. And to that I would add avoiding the cursed lure of taking things apart. If it works then you should go no further then taking the bullet apart from the case via the trigger. But do get a good sett of screw drivers.

Well, yeah, of course. That's true for any firearm.

You would be surprised how many firearms you come across where I swear that on one boring winter day some guy took to it with a worn out set of Monkey Wards screwdrivers and left his "mark" for all eternity.

There are several sets of gunsmithing screwdrivers out there with hardened interchangeable bits. Buy a set with a slew of different sized parallel ground bits, select the bit that perfectly matches the slot in the screw head- not close, but perfectly in both width and length. It's not rocket science, and a perfectly fitted hardened bit can't possibly mar a screw slot. The biggest risk at that point is a ham handed operator allowing the bit to slip out of the slot and marring the surrounding surface- therein lies the root of people advising amateurs against messing with screws IMO. If the screw won't budge, soak the crap out of it with penetrating oil (not WD-40) for a couple days and try again. If still no joy your best bet at that point is to seek professional help or conjure a way to live with it.

If I had a nickel for every gun screw I've applied a screwdriver to in my life I could take the whole Forum out for Christmas dinner at The Four Seasons, and I have never buggered a screw head (at least in the last 40 years since I bought my first set of dedicated gun screw drivers ).

The butt stock screw can be pretty nasty. Again with a long well fitted screwdriver. Some here mentioned using a tire iron out of the trunk of the family Chevy. I never tried that but I like it. The big big risk here is the screwdriver can get wedged outside of the screw slot, between the screw head and the wood, and you think you're firmly in the slot. Giving the screwdriver a manly twist at that point can and will see you open an unwanted vent into open air on the side of the stock- the web of wood at that point is pretty thin. Note: when re-installing said stock bolt don't over-torque the bejesus out of it. Firm is good, farmer tight is bad and can create the dreaded Savage tang crack.

I'm a firm believer of detail disassembling and cleaning of new and old guns upon acquisition. One doesn't know what crud, grease, and/or desiccated oil lurks in the innards that can jump up and bite you, and it will most assuredly happen at the most inopportune time.

This ^^^

It's easy to have a screwdriver or bit slip on a stiff screw - and that will scratch the bluing on the screw. Not using a perfectly fit bit on a screw can easily bugger up the top edges of the screw head. Never use "screwdrivers", use a good set of screwdriver bits. Gunsmith sets are good since they include the bits most commonly found in guns. But any set of screw bits will usually be far better than a screwdriver - screwdrivers are straight sided widening outwards, which puts the most pressure on the top of the screw slot which leads to buggering them all to heck and gone. Screwdriver bits are almost always partially curved, so a properly fit one will put pressure along the insides of the screw slot rather than just on the top.

i use a set of Wheeler's bits. my problem is the shakes and muscle fatigue leading to the reduction of pressure while removing screws.
this is why i just don't remove any that i don't absolutely need to. nothing pizzes me off more then seeing moonlight along the edges of a blued screw slot.

I guess part of my adventure with these rifles is to know more then I have before about any rifle. I totally agree that if it ain’t broke don’t mess with it but how will I know what to do when something feels not quite right. My current issue is I have an EG with the cocking indicator not working. I had a local gunsmith open it up and found the indicator broken and the spring gone. I got the new parts and he fit them in but it still doesn’t quite work. It was then that I was shown where someone had previously used the aforementioned tire iron to take the butt stock off. I accept the risk of things going horribly wrong but I aim to gather information so that risk is minimized and instead I have a story to add to a magnificent gun born long before me in 1949.
Thank you for clarifying the need for proper bits. Nothing will be attempted until I get some proper tool.
Once again great advice!

Don't sweat it. It would appear you have the right attitude. Pull up a stool and grab a beer.

When I was 15 my Dad bought me my first scoped deer rifle. It was one of those inexpensive Remington 788's in .243, and it came with a scope. Actually was a very accurate rifle. Anyway, I think it came with a scope but the scope was not mounted to the rifle. Keep in mind that Dad was not a machinist, he ran a dozer and was damn good at it, but not a machinist, if you see where I am going. Well, wanting a secure base to work from, Dad wrapped the stock of the bolt-action rifle in a wash-cloth, and put it in the metal vice on his work bench, and by the look of the stock he did a good job making sure it stayed in the jaws of the metal vice. The gun carried the imprint of that vice on the stock in the receiver area its entire life, along with some screw-heads in the scope mount that showed serious signs of a poorly fitted screwdriver. I don't think I ever said much to Dad about the marks in the rifle, after all, he bought it for me. Some of you are cringing at this story, but my Dad was a great guy, and this story is just one of many that make me smile.

I know my limitations.

I don't ever take anything apart that might have to be put back together again.

My expertise with tools are with hammers, saws and drills. I know how to wreck things.

No matter how bad it is when I start walking towards a gun with a tool...things are about to get worse.

Other than mounting scopes and working on sights, I don't wrench guns.

In the early 60s I was in high school and had a teacher who ran a gunshop out of his basement, pre-68 you know. I would buy a cheap gun and totally disassemble it, clean it, maybe work on the trigger, put it back together and shoot it before I traded it back to him. I had good screw drivers, patience, and a farmer granddad who could fix anything with nothing. I disassembled Krags, Springfields, Mausers, Stevens and Winchester shotguns and yes Savage 99s. I still have a R in 250 that I got for $40 and completely disassembled, cleaned, and put back together. One of the hardest was a 16 gauge Browning A-5 that would not eject a fired shell. I got so I could tear it down and put it back together with my eyes closed just like Uncle Sam had me do with my M-16 in Vietnam. I finally measured the chamber and it was 2&9/16 instead of 2&3/4. Grandad got a reamer somewhere and we cut it to 2&3/4 and it worked like a champ. I grew up to become a master machinist and part time gunsmith. Thats my story and I'm sticking to it. I just wish I had someone like gnoahhh around then. There is no telling what we might have accomplished. LOL.

Mike

If the screws on one of my guns are unturned they will remain that way....

Do what I did , buy a beater Rat 99 and go at it! maybe one thats already broken, best way to learn is hands on!

I can relate!

Good advice!!

I agree as well. I am on the look out for one but nothing inexpensive enough to not interfere with adding to my small collection.
Once I get the gear I will post a report of my first attempt at rifle surgery.

I always shine a small flash light down the buttstock screw hole to make sure the screwdriver blade is in the buttstock screw slot when I NEED to remove a buttstock.
I also learned to assemble and disassemble the receiver with a junk receiver that I had a machinist cut view holes in. This receiver is used in my gun show display so people can see how the 99 action works.

I bought a large Screw driver, I belive was here in the Class.. has a ring brazed around the end with the flat end in the middle, slips down on the screw head. works like a charm wasnt much! one could be made up pretty easy, if one knows how to braze or weld!

Thanks saddlering. That's a good idea. I have a very large screwdriver that I haven't used for anything except removing Savage stocks. A piece of half inch or three quarter inch black iron pipe should be just about right.

I still use a tire iron !! it fits pretty well in the buttstock and is self centering.

I don't think any of my tire irons are small enough to fit the hole in the stock.

You need the one that doubles as a jack handle. Hard to find these days.

Tire iron is the only way to go. The shaft is much larger than a screwdriver and that keeps it centered in the hole, No stock blow out.

I got one of those that doubles as a jack handle. It came with my Dodge 3500 dually and it's too stout to fit in the 99's stock screw hole. I prefer the ring on the screwdriver.

60's- chevy ,gm tire iron jack handle.

I am glad there are some good people who know how to get there 99's working properly. Unfortunately I am not one. Sooo my question is does anyone know a really good Savage 99 gunsmith who can lighten a trigger safely and maybe smooth the action?

Well, Lightfoot, Saddlering, Norm, Fireball, and me, along with a lot of other folks on this forum. You're not likely to walk into your LGS and find anyone that knows anything about a Savage M99. Mostly you'll just get a "huh."

90% of gunsmiths today are mere "fixers" or "tacticool" armorers. Increasingly one is behooved to learn to perform simple tasks oneself or learn to live with broken old rifles.

My local gunsmith says he wouldn't touch the trigger system on a 99 so I'm going to try and find a good qualified smith somewhere.. Thanks for your input anyhow.

Try calling these folks. https://ahlmans.com/ They're good. I just don't know how much they know about 99s.

I'm going to throw in that I'd be more worried about a smith who was confident he could lighten a 99 trigger than I would be of one who said he wouldn't touch it.

Hint: Overdo it, and you're looking at slam fires.

Not saying it can't be done.. but how do you know until after it's done whether he's good or a fool?

Remove the buttstock, clean insides well. Take steel wool and clean the engaging surfaces of the sear. Then, if it's still stiff, find some dummy cartridges (or make one) and work that rig until it smooths out. It wasn't designed to be a lightweight bench trigger, but it also shouldn't be real stiff. Most will loosen up with some cleaning and firing.

I bought a Savage 99 at a gun show for what I thought was a steal of a price. The seller warned me the "safety" had issues and when I slid the tang safety back and forth it was not smooth or consistent so I figured it needed to be cleaned and maybe a safety spring replacement. I sat on the rifle for a long time and then one day decided to mount a scope on it and sight it in. Luckily, the rifle was strapped into a Lead Sled pointing at the target on a very large berm. When I chambered the cartridge the rifle fired the second the lever came to a stop which resulted in a very unexpected slam fire.

Took it apart to find what looked like a home made trigger job done with a Dremel tool.

Years back I bought an article on how to do a trigger job on the Savage 99. All of the trigger parts work in concert together and when you change the surface on one part it also changes the relationship on the other parts. A little to much smoothing and polishing on one bearing surface will ruin the entire function of the entire trigger assembly. Earlier pre-mill triggers supposedly respond to slicking up better than post mill actions according to what I have read which makes sense due to real machined parts versus steel stampings. One of these days I am going to look into this and perhaps try it, but so far I do not have a 99 rifle who's trigger is so bad it needs work except for the above screwed up rifle I am going to replace with NOS parts.

Bottom-line is that if you have trigger work done, it has to be someone with a lot of experience with Savage 99's and with a track record of satisfied customers or you are taking a very large risk.

And if you do get it done, make sure your barrel is pointing somewhere that won't hurt anyone if it slam fires when you pull the lever home.

With a pre-mil 99, merely polishing the trigger/sear mating surfaces with a hard stone or crocus cloth with a hard backer is risk free- as long as you don't go crazy and just stop when the surfaces are polished without altering the geometry of the connection. That little task is all one should do and it results in a markedly better trigger pull (but probably still not a pull comparable to what riflemen have come to expect in modern rifles like Rory said). You're polishing a little bit, not excavating a lot of steel. A tiny drop of quality gun oil is then icing on the cake. Where idiots get themselves in trouble is when they try to eliminate creep in the trigger by shortening the nose of either the trigger or hammer, or both. Then is when slam fires occur. 'Tain't rocket science, nor is it voodoo, or alchemy- it's just plain common sense.

I pull the parts out and rub the surfaces on a hard black Arkansas oil stone, not vice-versa. Such stones used to be a staple in every gunsmith's tool kit.

I can't speak of post-mil 99 triggers. Never owned one, never messed with one, probably never will.

using two ceramic sharpening stones, fine and polishing, take away any risk of over working the surfaces

What JeffG said! My buddy who bought 9 of my Godfather's S99 rifles took a few apart (he is a gunsmith) and stoning and polishing is all he did. Super smooth actions now.

Tire Irons, Trigger Jobs, and other Savage 99 Must Knows.

I think we're on to something here.

Some of us were born in rural America shortly after WWII. We learned to make do with what we had on hand. We are the people who fix things that need fixin'. Don't matter if it's a vacuum cleaner, plow or a Savage 99. We just get 'er done.

And that's just the way we roll. If somethings broke we figure out how to fix it. The pre-mill Savage 99 action is probably the simplest action ever designed. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work it. Just someone that pays attention to detail and understands that when you work on something you make one small adjustment at a time.

Probly oughta throw in some 12' jumper cables for static reintroduction, a 3 lb sledge for moving sights (if you're working on iron sights you'll also need a 3' chunk of 1/2" rebar for drifting sights) , and a 6' crosscut saw for installing rubber pads. For polishing pins you're gunna wish you'd picked up some wire strippers from Radio Shack. If you got fouling in the bore, you'll need a right-handed crevice collimator. For tang safety models, you can't do without a spring compressimater, and because they never work, a giant magnet mounted to an overhead swing arm in the garage for finding that detent bearing. You won't find it btw, but you'll be well dressed for the occasion, and that's what matters.

I keep a little bench broom handy for sweeping up all the leftover parts too. Them little handheld vacuum cleaners don't like nuts and bolts.

From the looks of some of the 99's I've seen from that period, not everybody born in rural America shortly after WW ll was as good at fixin things as you were...

Mike nailed it.

I blame it on the auto industry as much as anything. Until a generation ago one was behooved to know how one's car worked so you could spend evenings and weekends keeping it running so you could get to work and the store- or else if you were rich you took the jalopy to the local mechanic for all the plugs/points/oil changes (and now the local mechanic is fast disappearing too). We now live in a turn-key world in which everything lasts longer (when was the last time your car needed new plugs or you had to change a flat tire?) and/or is too complicated for the average Joe to mess with, and the net result is a generation that can't manage the simplest repairs (and an older generation- us - that has gotten complacent too in that regard). As for appliances, the most common breakdown on washing machines is still broken drive line parts/belts- and when was the last time you saw a guy tear apart his own dead washing machine to replace a $30 part and not automatically go shopping for a new one? Or a new water valve? Easier to spend $500-1000 at the auto service center or Lowe's than to give up a Saturday and get one's hands dirty, I suppose. The same attitude is gaining traction in the gun world too, and the trouble there is that jack-of-all-trade gunsmiths are disappearing from the landscape also.

At least gunning hasn't been taken over by digitalization which is another nail in our coffin when it comes to reliance on one's wits to survive- but even that's making inroads via optics, loading, and cell phone apps for recording range data. (It does contribute to efficient machining/manufacturing of guns and that's not necessarily a bad thing. But on the other hand, the guy who can set up a lathe or a Bridgeport to make a one-off part with which to repair an old gun is headed toward extinction as the "basics" aren't even taught in public schools anymore. When was the last time you heard of a middle/high school shop class?)

I'm glad I won't be around in 50-100 years to witness the complete surrender of manual skills, the complete emasculation of manhood.

When I moved North 6 years ago a Good buddie hes 20 years younger than me, asked Why I had all of those books?, I do have alot of books.I like to read or be able to look up something if need be. Hes like you can just google it or read a book off your CP or Phone! I guess when my time is up my books will end up in a Dumpster, Friends our world is becoming a sad Place!

Thanks Skidrow-I called Alhmans and they said send the Model 99 and they will adjust the trigger pull. Thanks alot!