FINALLY !!!! got my great grand fathers gun MODEL 99 SAVAGE 303

[ttaowner]

this gun was my great grand fathers and he bought it new in 1918 or 1919 there is a descrepency when you look up the serial # i guess because they didnt keep good records back then. i never ever met the man or if i did i dont remember it. i do remember my great grand mother all though i didnt enjoy going to her house because she didnt have any toys or cable. my grand father which i half ass kinda know he was kinda of a gypsy between florida and up vermont/ new hampshire he decided to give my parents this gun and a stevens shot gun to hold for me and my brother this was at least 25 -28 years ago and i went over there tonight to finally claim what was mine and my dad did not seem to keen on giving it up AT ALL !!!! i think he thinks it was his! this isnt the most valuable gun either he or i have but it means the most to me and im thrilled to finally have it in my posession. i have a box of of 20 silvertips that i bought and due to the odd ball caliber they were $40 and that was a good deal too. they finally started remaking the brass and all the rest so you can finally buy a new bullet for this gun. the new rounds are not being made by the big names like remington or federal or winchester but at least i will be able to fire this gun after i give it a good cleaning. this gun hasnt been fired in at least 50 years so i cant wait !!!

 

[ttaowner]

i like how the front sight is brass. the ammo counter is also brass which i am gonna attempt to clean without messing with the steel. i dont really care if messing with it affects the value since its nearly been in the family nearly 100 years its not going anywhere as long as im alive

 

[Turbo-Archie]

When you "clean" don't polish or alter the finish...


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[ttaowner]

When you "clean" don't polish or alter the finish...


..

My cleaning is gonna be done to the inside of the gun. It has a system where you load the ammo and it rotates and that's what makes the counter work and I figured cleaning the inside of the barrel might be a good idea as well

 

[Turbo-Archie]

I can't see the pictures so I have no idea what it looks like..

My dad had a savage 99 but newer, SN was 1,000,666...

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[ttaowner]

MIne has a serial # in the low 200,000 range. Too bad you can't see the pics it's a real pretty gun in what I would call nice condition for its age. I wonder how many deer this gun has taken down or perhaps a bear .

 

[charlief1]

The rotory mag was used on the Krag as well as a few other guns and they're kinda neat but may need some tuning up James. Very nice color case hardening on it and wood looks to be in good condition. The splinter for arm and snable tip are really nice as well. The newer ones have a bever tail fore arm and grip better but don't look as nice as a splinter and snable design.

 

[ttaowner]

The rotory mag was used on the Krag as well as a few other guns and they're kinda neat but may need some tuning up James. Very nice color case hardening on it and wood looks to be in good condition. The splinter for arm and snable tip are really nice as well. The newer ones have a bever tail fore arm and grip better but don't look as nice as a splinter and snable design.

THANKS CHARLIE the compliments mean a lot coming from you !!! i know you forgot way more than i know i about guns. i was hoping you would be able to see the pics . i know its easier for you to see them if if upload to the board that way doesnt seem to work good for me for some reason.

i like the colors of the gun as well and those little brass touches here and there. i know some of the later 99's also have brass triggers which i like. i may try to buy a later 99 in .308 cal when i get a little extra cash maybe in the fall. i think the later ones are also great looking, well the same but only diffrent

 

[charlief1]

If you can find 1 of them in a different caliper or a take down model it's really neat James. The take down design has a lever under the fore arm that you pull out and then unscrew the barrel for cleaning and compact storage. Had a friend that got his grandfathers rifle and it was an even harder caliber to find 358 if I remember right.

BTW, it took me several time refreshing to see all the pics.

 

[Turbo-Archie]

I could see the pictures at home..
That gun looks really cool....


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[ttaowner]

THIS GUN KEEPS GETTING COOLER AND COOLER !!! i had often heard around the house it was a take down but as ignorant as i am on the subject i didnt know that meant it could come apart. thanks charlie for cluing me in on what that meant. pop the wood off and open the action and give the barrel a 1/4 turn and it comes right off !!!! not all the 99's do this? how do you tell if your looking online on gunbroker and the guy doesnt tell you its a take down whats diffrent? thanks guys

 

[charlief1]

If you look at the reciever carefully you'll see where the forearm has metal attached to it, that's the clue. The normal 99 doesn't have that since the metal is part of the reciever only and the forearm just fits into the front of it.

Now for the interesting part of this James. Do you still have access ot a lathe and mill? If you do then look at the diameter of the base of the bullet and see if it matches a common cartridge. If it does then you can buy a barrel blank that's partially chambered and make a second barrel for it in a different caliber so you have some interchangability and less expensive ammo to boot.

The travel model is somewhat rare but not that uncommon. The ones that are really rare are the 2 and 3 barrel guns that they made, but those are very few and far in between.

 

[ttaowner]

If you look at the reciever carefully you'll see where the forearm has metal attached to it, that's the clue. The normal 99 doesn't have that since the metal is part of the reciever only and the forearm just fits into the front of it.

Now for the interesting part of this James. Do you still have access ot a lathe and mill? If you do then look at the diameter of the base of the bullet and see if it matches a common cartridge. If it does then you can buy a barrel blank that's partially chambered and make a second barrel for it in a different caliber so you have some interchangability and less expensive ammo to boot.

The travel model is somewhat rare but not that uncommon. The ones that are really rare are the 2 and 3 barrel guns that they made, but those are very few and far in between.

in theory why couldnt i just buy a barrel like this 1 and do the same thing without the headache?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=296380636

 

[charlief1]

in theory why couldnt i just buy a barrel like this 1 and do the same thing without the headache?
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=296380636

Theory is 1 thing but practicle application is another James. Head spacing will become an issue since the barrels arent indexed to one specific location so the chamber may be to tight or to loose and cause a major issue. On a Garand or Springfield rifle it's not a major issue but on a mass production weapon that ment for the civilian world it's not the same. Each action has to be fitted for each barrel.

 

[ttaowner]

more great news !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/3-0315903

commercially available ammo. this may not seem like a big deal to most but this ammo is only for this gun and from what i read 6 months ago been out of production from everyone for over 10 years. most older boxes of ammo were around $45 for 20 rounds. i did manage to find 1 smaller company using new brass making new rounds now i believe there must be at least 2 smaller companys making them and now hornaday is making them available so they should be able to be bought easily again, looks like most of the older rounds are silvertips and i dont believe the new rounds are dont know if that matters?

Theory is 1 thing but practicle application is another James. Head spacing will become an issue since the barrels arent indexed to one specific location so the chamber may be to tight or to loose and cause a major issue. On a Garand or Springfield rifle it's not a major issue but on a mass production weapon that ment for the civilian world it's not the same. Each action has to be fitted for each barrel.

so i could buy a barrel like the 1 in the link and have the barrel fitted to the gun? or is it the other way around? i dont know how this works thats why i ask? i appreciate the advice.

does any of the other american companies like remington ,winchester or marlin or??? make take down rifles?

 

[charlief1]

so i could buy a barrel like the 1 in the link and have the barrel fitted to the gun? or is it the other way around? i dont know how this works thats why i ask? i appreciate the advice.

does any of the other american companies like remington ,winchester or marlin or??? make take down rifles?

The issue we have here is that you've got a very limited amount for head spacing James. If the barrel has to long then the cartridge will possibly blow apart and if it's to short then you'll need a chamber reamer and head space guages to set it right. The barrel may fit just right or may be out of demetions and the sights may even be off. If you look ar ERSHAW.com they make blanks in many different calibers and if you get an unthreaded one yout you'll need a roughing reamer and a chamber reamer as well as head spacing guages. I know you're a machinist and have some idea of what I'm talking about but think about it this way. The clocking of the threads on the barrel in relation to the clocking of the threads on the reciver ae going to be the issue.

Remington, Winchester, and many oghter companies have made interchangeable barrel guns but in most of the cases each weapon needs to be fitted for each action.

 

[ttaowner]

Little update ! My ammo showed up on Thursday from cheaper than dirt and did some shooting with this gun on Friday. I admittedly can not shoot with iron sights worth a crap !!! The ammo is only 150 grain and was designed for 180-190 so I didn't get the full kick but what I got was fairly mild especially since I shot my friends bolt action 30-06 a minute later and their gun had way more kick than mine.


Another update for you Charlie that other gun we were talking about you helped with some info on I shot that 1 on Friday too and today as well and I really like the way it feels in my hand and it shoots pretty well and I did shoot that 1 way better than the rifle. Thanks again with the info you gave me.

I'm looking for a savage pistol next I seen a few on the auction sites do you know anything about them? Good or bad? I like the way they look. Might try to get one in .380 since I don't have anything in that caliber

 

[charlief1]

Don't know much about the pistols but with the age of them they should be quality pieces. As far as the sights on the rifle go you can get a better rear sight and replace the original which will help some. Might want to look at a buckhorn or semi-buckhorn design. Did that on my 357 lever and it was one of the better things I've done. Really helped the sighting of the target after I did it.

 

[ttaowner]

My model 94 Winchester made in 1949 30/30 and my 1956 32 spl both have the buck horn sights and my Winchester model 1895 30/40 krag has a good sight on it as well and I still can't hit crap. My cheapie/ beater savage .22 my friend can hit bowling pins with it at 100 yds with regular sights on it and I have a hard time getting it to hit a 10" target at 30 yds so I know it's me and not the guns. Both my parents have glasses before 40 so it my by that or I just need more practice. I do well with a scope or the holographic sight on my AR 15.

 

[charlief1]

I've worn glasses since I was 5 James so it sounds like you need a little more practice with open sights. As a kid I used to shoot a BB rifle a lot and a few times I atually shot the head off a butterfly at about 30 feet. Only reason I had to do it more than once is because no one believed I did it the first time. Get a Daisy and practice in the back yard some so you can get better with open sights. My old BB gun was a lever action that looked like a Winchester 94 but I don't think they make it anymore.