Savage Model 99—The Jeep of the Gun World

[Talyn]

Luv my two 99's.
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Arthur Savage, an astute inventor and businessman identified the deficit in contemporary lever-action offerings. They couldn’t accommodate trajectory advantageous bullets safely. Ironically, over 120 years later, the basic premise still holds true.

Arthur Savage and his son, Arthur John, created the predecessor to the 99, namely the Model 1895. The 99, though, was and is the pinnacle of Savage lever engineering efforts for shooters and hunters seeking a high performing, reliable, accurate and iconic rifle.

The timeless design of the Savage 99 was produced in either rotary or detachable magazine format (in the case of the 99C line). This allows for the use of traditional, round-nosed lever gun bullet, as well as the more modern spitzer design.

Another design component that sets the Savage 99 apart is the lack of an external hammer. From an aesthetic standpoint, this creates a very clean and streamlined look. As far as functionality, this unique feature allows for scope mounting options more consistent with a bolt rifle—no hammer means no clearance issues.

An Official Journal Of The NRA | Savage Model 99—The Jeep of the Gun World

Savage 99 represents a full circle of rifle design. Join Andi Bogard on a whimsical exploration of both the technical brilliance and timeless effectiveness of this iconic design.

www.americanhunter.org

 

[PieterCoetzee]

The Reverend Harry Caldwell used a Savage 99 to hunt a tiger. His gun was chambered in 22 Hi Power. It wouldnt have been my first choice of rifle or cartridge but it proved successful....and if youre a Hollywood gun buff they used a scoped Savage 99 to kill zombies in "Dawn of the Dead"

 

[meistermash]

The Savage 99 is something better than to be equated to a HEEP.
M1 carbine HEEP, not so bad.
Savage 99 HEEP? Noper.
Always wanted a 250-3000.
Or I also wished they would have done a long action.

 

[BarryinIN]

When I think of Savage 99s, I always make the comparison of the Savage 1895 and the Winchester 1895. For those who don’t know, the biggest structural difference between the Savage 95 and 99 is the bolt rear and matching receiver contour. The 95’s is squared while the 99 gets a subtle rounding to remove the sharp cornered stress risers.

Back to the Savage 95 vs Winchester 95, just look at them. It might be heresy, but an argument could be made that Arthur Savage obsoleted all Winchester lever actions in 1895.

I’ll pause to find cover now.

There were a lot of Savage 99 variations and even more prototypes. From light and fast-handling “saddle gun” models to heavy stocked scope-only models. The largest cartridges I know of were the .375 Win and It’s predecessor the .38-55. There were prototypes in longer form for the .30-06 family. I don’t know why those never went into production.

I have only owned one, a 99G (takedown) in .300 Savage. That cartridge is kinda neat, being an almost-.308 that appeared way back in 1920. One in .250 Savage (.250-3000) is the next I want.

Mine isn’t super accurate, but does OK. It sounds like most are at least a little better. It’s still at least on par with other lever actions. I’m a sucker for takedowns, so I had to have one of the takedown models. That takedown system is very simple. The barrel threads into the receiver, and when the forend is snapped onto the barrel, a steel tab on the rear of the forend matches a slot in the barrel to prevent its turning. When you take the forend off with a shotgun-like latch, there is a steel receptacle in it that matches the latch lug on the barrel. Hold the forend’s receptacle onto that lug and the forend becomes a handle to unscrew the barrel.

 

[Talyn]

When I think of Savage 99s, I always make the comparison of the Savage 1895 and the Winchester 1895. For those who don’t know, the biggest structural difference between the Savage 95 and 99 is the bolt rear and matching receiver contour. The 95’s is squared while the 99 gets a subtle rounding to remove the sharp cornered stress risers.

Back to the Savage 95 vs Winchester 95, just look at them. It might be heresy, but an argument could be made that Arthur Savage obsoleted all Winchester lever actions in 1895.

I’ll pause to find cover now.

There were a lot of Savage 99 variations and even more prototypes. From light and fast-handling “saddle gun” models to heavy stocked scope-only models. The largest cartridges I know of were the .375 Win and It’s predecessor the .38-55. There were prototypes in longer form for the .30-06 family. I don’t know why those never went into production.

I have only owned one, a 99G (takedown) in .300 Savage. That cartridge is kinda neat, being an almost-.308 that appeared way back in 1920. One in .250 Savage (.250-3000) is the next I want.

Mine isn’t super accurate, but does OK. It sounds like most are at least a little better. It’s still at least on par with other lever actions. I’m a sucker for takedowns, so I had to have one of the takedown models. That takedown system is very simple. The barrel threads into the receiver, and when the forend is snapped onto the barrel, a steel tab on the rear of the forend matches a slot in the barrel to prevent its turning. When you take the forend off with a shotgun-like latch, there is a steel receptacle in it that matches the latch lug on the barrel. Hold the forend’s receptacle onto that lug and the forend becomes a handle to unscrew the barrel.

My two are G's in 300 Savage & 250-3000.

 

[HayesGreener]

I had one in .22HP but never used it so I sold it a while back thinning the herd