Which savage 99 to get?

[lance]

I have thought about searching for a new gun. I don't have a savage 99 and think I want one. The choice I can't make is what caliber to get. I don't want something with too much recoil, so I am taking the 308 out of the picture. I was thinking about the 250-3000, 300 savage or 30-30. This rifle will be my hunting rifle for the 2010-2011 season, it will be used to hunt pigs and deer. What should I look for? Please give your opinions. Thanks.

[Barcelona Rick]

Lance welcome to the forum. I have let two 99's slip thru my hands in the last 30 years....a rough as a cobb .300 with more drilled and tapped holes everywhere but that sucker was fun to shoot. My biggest mess up was letting a 99EG in .250-3000 go because of tough times. It was made in the very early '50's and was near mint.....an estate sale find.....if you are gonna be shooting over 150 yards I would probably pick the .250 otherwise the 30-30 or 300 would work. My .300 probably kicked as much as a .308 but the ammo is awhole lot easier to find and cheaper than anything but the 30-30.....man just buy one of each....(easy for me to say)

jumbeaux

[BigSky56]

You probably should narrow it down to the cal you like the most but with a 308 or 300 you can always load down and if you need them one day for a elk hunt youll have it for distance shooting. My personal preference is any 99 except the ones that have a detachable clip. danny

[win92]

I have a 99 in 250-3000 and without a doubt it is the most accurate lever gun I've ever shot.
It's an oldie from the 50's when I went looking for a Savage I knew that was the caliber I was looking for. Win 92

[pokey]

30-30

sav992.JPG

[Ben_Rumson]

I'd go for one in 300.. Big 5 even carries the 300 in 150 grainers.. My rifle is the 99E w/20 inch barrel early 60s vintage..The E is the Economy model 99 and doesn't have the counter for the rotory magazine...it also retains the old style safety on the lever... I've heard the tang safety models can have problems with the linkage bending and getting out of order when crud gets in the works...Picked mine up about three years ago $450 OTD... Mounted the 1.5-5x on it.. It came factory D&T'd for the scope...Williams makes a receiver sight that uses the rear holes for the scope mount...

[iceman]

I would also go for the 300. I picked up a 99F this summer to replace one I foolishly traded away 30+ years ago. My loads are coming along fairly well. It seems to like 165 grain Hornadys with either IMR 4895 of RL 15. Right now grouping around 1 1/2" at 100 yds and it feels that with a little tweeking of loads I can get better. If not, so what still deer medicine to as far away as I can shoot. I don't find recoil all that bad either. Good luck on your search.

[Gobblerforge]

This is just me but I like older better, so I would vote for a Model 1899, instead of a 99. I'm the same with Winchesters. I would prefer a model 1892 over a model 92, 1894 over a 94, and so on. However, this could rule out some folks calibers that came out after 1920ish. For me, buy Savage, stay Savage. So I vote "303 Savage". Yes I know this can be a little pricey but I have found it to be soooooooooo cool.
Gobbler

[2ndovc]

I got my first 99 (H) just a couple monhts ago. This one is a 30-30 and I just love it and want another one ( or two). I like the 250-3000 since I already reload for it but wouldn't pass up a .303 or .300 Savage. The one I really want is a .22 Savage High Power.

here's my 30-30. I have to replace the nylon still!




jb

[wm]

The difference between a 308 Win and a 300 Sav is about a width of a gnats hair so if you are recoil shy I would scratch them both.

On the other hand if you reload you can handload to 30 WCF velocities and be quite comfortable and if an opportunity should present itself to go Elk or bear hunting you can go full throttle.

And I believe these calibers are more appealing when it comes to resale value, if that matters.

I would encourage you to look around and try and buy one in 38-55 Win or 358 Win and then handload them to match the 35 Rem. They are harder to find but when you get tired of them I will be here ready and able to take them off your hands.



Wm

P.S. I am hunting this year with a Savage 99 in 300 Savage.

I just love the lines on the 99!!!

[Ben_Rumson]

The difference between a 308 Win and a 300 Sav is about a width of a gnats hair so if you are recoil shy I would scratch them both.

In factory ammo the difference is close to 200 fps between the 308 Win and the 300 Savage with 150 gr bullets.The SAAMI maximum average pressure for the .308 Win. is listed at 62,000 psi while the .300's is 47,000 psi. 2630fps vs 2820fps. Interestingly with 150 grain factory ammo the 300 is about 200fps faster than the 30-30...Saying it another way the 300 is to the 30-30 what the 308 is to the 300 and we all know 30-30 is plenty enough. You'll find a 99 in 300 a lot cheaper and faster than you'll find one in 30-30.

[lance]

I like the straight stock models best. I handload everything, so I have thought about loading down the 300. The 30-30 right now appeals to me the most, and I think that with enough practice it will be plenty of gun for a moose or elk. On the other hand a little extra power never hurts and with the practice I can work up my loads and get used to the recoil. Choices, choices....

[Ranch Dog]

My previous spouse, now deceased, hunted with a 1938 Takedown chambered in 300 Sav. I sold the rifle a couple of years ago but it was a great hunting lever. If I ever see one chambered in 375 Win (few and far between), I will buy it in a heartbeat! But not for $1000.... http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =139235832

[natedontgo]

RD:I see what you mean re:the 375 on G.B...Mine will be marked up at this wk'ends G.S. as it is a LOT better than his... problem is,when you sell one of these,wherein'ell will you find another ??? Nate

[Hobie]

I was where you are and I got a 1972 made 99A saddle rifle in .308 Winchester.

The .308 is good for several reasons. One can easily load it down to .300 Savage or .30-30 levels, one can get brass and ammo everywhere, and good components are relatively common. the .250-3000 (.250 Savage) is a great cartridge but ever so slightly problematic EXCEPT that the guns will be valued more highly due to rarity.

[Ranch Dog]

RD:I see what you mean re:the 375 on G.B...Mine will be marked up at this wk'ends G.S. as it is a LOT better than his... problem is,when you sell one of these,wherein'ell will you find another ??? Nate

That is why you don't sell it unless you have two of them! Do you have your's FS on this site?

[fordwannabe]

I was shooting my 99 yesterday with some RCBS 30 180-fp's I cast from WQWW. At 50 yards no recoil and 1 little itty bitty hole. It isn't a 600whizbangsupermagnurdeerassassin but we're only shooting whitetails. Around here a bunch of guys use a stick with a string on it to launch another stick with feathers on it and it kills deer so I think I'm okay with the 300. Tom

[Hobie]

I was shooting my 99 yesterday with some RCBS 30 180-fp's I cast from WQWW. At 50 yards no recoil and 1 little itty bitty hole. It isn't a 600whizbangsupermagnurdeerassassin but we're only shooting whitetails. Around here a bunch of guys use a stick with a string on it to launch another stick with feathers on it and it kills deer so I think I'm okay with the 300. Tom

EX-ACTLY!

[natedontgo]

R D : you have private mess. re: Marketing 99's... Nate

[tman]

I was where you are and I got a 1972 made 99A saddle rifle in .308 Winchester.

The .308 is good for several reasons. One can easily load it down to .300 Savage or .30-30 levels, one can get brass and ammo everywhere, and good components are relatively common. the .250-3000 (.250 Savage) is a great cartridge but ever so slightly problematic EXCEPT that the guns will be valued more highly due to rarity.

got the same one.+2

[Mike D.]

One of my biggest MIS-TAKES was selling my 1899F SRC .250-3000. It was bornded in 1919 and shot like a dream. I got 1886 fever and sold it for next to nothing to buy the other for a teensy bit more. Now, I only have a little TD in .30-30. One good thing about them is that they shoot pointy bullets

[Wes]

I have two in 300 Savage and one in 250-3000. I like them both. My oldest daughter loves her old 300 and shoots it well. My son loves shooting the 250. I don't really think you'd go wrong with either one but think that the 300 would be better on the hogs.

[Pisgah]

The difference between a 308 Win and a 300 Sav is about a width of a gnats hair so if you are recoil shy I would scratch them both.

In factory ammo the difference is close to 200 fps between the 308 Win and the 300 Savage with 150 gr bullets.The SAAMI maximum average pressure for the .308 Win. is listed at 62,000 psi while the .300's is 47,000 psi. 2630fps vs 2820fps. Interestingly with 150 grain factory ammo the 300 is about 200fps faster than the 30-30...Saying it another way the 300 is to the 30-30 what the 308 is to the 300 and we all know 30-30 is plenty enough. You'll find a 99 in 300 a lot cheaper and faster than you'll find one in 30-30.

All true. But, in FELT RECOIL, I'd stack the .300 up against the .308 any day -- full-power loads get your attention, even in my 99A with its added Pachmayr pad. But, as mentioned, .308 can easily be loaded down even below .300 level and still be whitetail-capable. And frankly, the more I shoot my .308 with factory-equivalent loads, the less the thump bothers me. I take this to mean either that the recoil is really less of a bugabear than I first thought, or (as I suspect) the cumulative loss of brain cells has crossed some new boundary.


Practically speaking, for the handloader the versatility of the .308 is hard to beat.

[Remington40x]

I was making the same decision recently. I decided on the .300 Savage in a 1950s era Model 99R (24" barrel, pistol grip, beavertail forend). It's on its way to me right now.

To be honest, I picked the model because I like the configuration better than the schnable style forend. I picked the .300 Savage because it's a classic caliber and I didn't own a rifle in that caliber. I also noted that the 150 grain .300 Svage factory load is the ballistic equivalent of the original 150 grain .30-06 load that was so much a part of the .30-06's early successes. Can't really say that even an early 1900s .30-06 was too little gun for anything on the North American continent except maybe the biggest bears.

FWIW.