Savage 99
Can you tell me what year Savage starting putting a serial number on the 99 lever gun? I have one that does not have a serial and do not know what model of the 99 it is. I can give some details. Chamber 300 Savage, 24" barrel, mag indicator, and an indicator when gun is cocked and chambered. Aside from that, I don't know what other info to include. Thanks.
I appreciate all the info. I have looked all over the receiver and everywhere else I could not find a serial...still have not found one. The sights have been removed and a scope mounted on it. I did take the scope and mount off to see if serial would be there...but the only thing stamped on top was SAVAGE 99...nothing else. It does have the lever lock for safety. Forearm is checkered with an upside down triangle...and the grip has checkering as well. I guess the Mag indicator is a counter for number of rounds in the magazine... I really don't know where else to look for a serial. Thanks again to all.
Okay, I just got an email back from Small Arms Shop and told them the same thing I have posted here...they told me that in 1947 some guns did leave without serial numbers because the machine that stamped the numbers were broke at that time and they were shipped out without serial on them. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks again.
I appreciate all the info. I have looked all over the receiver and everywhere else I could not find a serial...still have not found one. The sights have been removed and a scope mounted on it. I did take the scope and mount off to see if serial would be there...but the only thing stamped on top was SAVAGE 99...nothing else. It does have the lever lock for safety. Forearm is checkered with an upside down triangle...and the grip has checkering as well. I guess the Mag indicator is a counter for number of rounds in the magazine... I really don't know where else to look for a serial. Thanks again to all.
Okay, I just got an email back from Small Arms Shop and told them the same thing I have posted here...they told me that in 1947 some guns did leave without serial numbers because the machine that stamped the numbers were broke at that time and they were shipped out without serial on them. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks again.
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I have an old savage 99 that the barrel is shot out it's in 300 savage now needs new barrel thinking about getting barrel 22-250 is this a doable project 0 -
I'm not a gunsmith but a 4 pound trigger pull does not sound like a "hair" trigger to me. 0 -
hair trigger anything under 1/2lb of pull 0 -
Just tried my 99 it was right at 5 lbs 0 -
Pull sounds well within industry standard specs and definitely NOT a "hair trigger" by anyone definition. Critical, I would think, is your judgement that the trigger has not been altered.
Assuming you may be called upon to provide testimony I would contact Savage and get documentation of what trigger pull specs were for the 99. What any of us think wouldn't mean squat in a court of law.
Good luck.0 -
quote:Originally posted by celse
OK I'm looking for a Savage 99 guru of sorts! One who would consider themselves an expert on the Savage 99.
I inspected a Savage 99 with a letter prefix(it might have been a C or A). The gun in question was involved in an "accidental shooting" and there are criminal Proceedings. It has been suggested this gun might have a "hair trigger".
The defendant's lawyer has asked me to look into any possible design flaws or inherent problems in the trigger system.
I am a gunsmith but Savage 99 I do not see much at all. Maybe I've seen two or three in the last 15 years come into my store. My shop is in Illinois and center fire rifles are only used to hunt Coyotes nothing else. The trigger pull is just above 4 lb and none of the engagement angels have been touched(in my opinion).
Any ideas or suggestions?
I have a 1951 made 99.
If you remove the buttstock you'll see the interplay between the "sear" and the trigger. There's a fair amount of engagement and the trigger pull is very long and deliberate. I had an issue with mine (bought used here) and upon receiving the gun had to do a little tightening up. Once corrected the rifle has been flawless.
I believe the 99 has its "sear" as part of the firing pin, it's a flange that points down and is picked up by a trigger actuated bar, you can feel the mainspring compress when closing the action and the two parts interact.
When I bought mine a few years back I immediately noticed the trigger pull was inconsistent, so I removed the butt stock for a peek. The interaction of the sear and trigger is very easy to observe, IIRC a spring or screw was loose and that was the cause of the sometimes light, sometimes heavy trigger pull. It was easily corrected by tightening down a screw - been a few years so my memory has faded. I'll take a look when I get home and if anything further to add will do so.
Edit: I pulled the buttstock to refresh my memory. The problem I had was caused, I believe, by a combination of minor issues.
The trigger return spring screw was loose and as a result the trigger return spring (a flat type) did not impart full pressure on the trigger. The sear screw (left rear side of receiver) was not fully turned in. This allowed the front of the trigger to rub inside the frame when it was returning to position. The pivot point was caked with dried crud.
These conditions together caused the trigger to return to position slowly. Depending on how one worked the action, instead of the sear fully engaging the catch on the firing pin/hammer it engaged only slightly resulting in a lighter than expected trigger pull. I tightened the screws, did a little cleaning and it has since always worked perfectly
I think in the 1950s this would be called a maintenance issue. Since we're printing "don't hurt yourself" warnings on guns nowadays whether it's a design flaw is anyone's guess.
You may want to examine if any "work" has been done to reduce sear engagement or change the angle of engagement. The top edge of the sear should be blued, the angle of engagement between the hammer and the sear should be straight up & down.0 -
Where is the safety on the rifle you're discussing? If it's a sliding tab located on the right side of the lever (when lever is closed), the info posted by the previous folks is correct.
However, if it's on the upper tang, the trigger action is altogether different. Savage redesigned the trigger (and relocated the safety) sometime around 1960, and the newly-designed one functions like triggers in more modern bolt-action rifles - much less sear engagement and much more crispness, and some extra parts.
All that having been said, I've heard of very few trigger problems with the Savage M99, and have had no problems of any sort with the M99s I am personally aware of. And a 4-pound trigger pull is by no means a "hair trigger".0 -
My 99s break at just under 5 and just over 4 pounds respectively. 4 pounds is not a hair trigger. 0 -
My early model 1899 breaks at 4 lb. 0
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