Savage 99CD .308 Win

[Grampa]

I have a co-worker that asked me to check out a rifle she and her husband bought over 20 years ago as they were heading out to live in a logging camp. She couldn't tell me what make or model it was, only that they had lost the little thingie that you put the bullets in to put them in the rifle. She later brought in the "bullets" they had bought with the rifle, a partial box of .308 Win with five rounds missing.

I agreed to look at, clean and shoot it for her. She also mentioned that maybe I'll be interested in buying it. She brought it in, and it is a pretty nice Savage 99CD. It had several very minor dents in both the fore and butt stocks, with paint imbedded in the dents. The bluing is excellent, but there was a lot of surface rust. I took the fore stock off, and was pleased to find no rust. I rubbed the metal down with FP10 and patches, and the first few were almost blood red, but I found no pitting. The bore was dirty, but it cleaned up and now shines. I cleaned the paint off the stock with Goof-Off, then rubbed it down with Watco oil. Including cleaning the checkering with a soft toothbrush and Watco oil.

The only real severe "scar" is a small circle bored into the back bottom right side of the butt stock, back close to the recoil pad. It looks like an aborted attempt to mount a sling stud. Someone was telling me that it used to hold a medallion. I can't find a confirmation for that.

Anyway, the rifle has turned out looking very good. And, I may want to buy it. So, what would be a good price range for this rifle? My searches on Gunsamerica, GunBroker.com, and AuctionArms.com have given me a wide range of results, mostly because of the wide range of models. I've also done some Yahoo searches, without much in the way of good results. So, I thought I'd ask the experts!

 

[Sodbuster]

Risking sounding too foolish when someone like Mike Irwin chimes in, I'll offer an opinion. If this rifle is only twenty years or so old, it's not collectible, and therefore shouldn't command a premium price. Collectible specimans have a serial number under 1,000,000 and are not letter-prefixed. I would say somewhere in the $250 range would be fair if in the condition you describe. I'm guessing you probably saw higher asking prices on those sites. BTW wait for the real experts to show up.

 

[Big_R]

A lot of people collect the '99s and the year of manufacture really doesn't matter, although the older ones definetly go for a premium. Around here a tang safety, clip fed model goes for around $300.00 retail. Rotary magazine with the safety on the levers go for a bit more. Older ones go for a lot more.

I think $250.00 is reasonable. Did they ever find the "thingy the bullets go in"? You should be able to find a magazine easily.

Ryan

P.S. I'm a big fan of Savage '99s.

 

[Grampa]

No, I didn't expect it to have collector's value at all, just was trying to figure out what its value would be as a shooter. I was thinking of offering them $250 for it. The bluing is near new -- just the stocks show dings. It did find a magazine for it, so it's ready to shoot. I just seems like a really handsome rifle. The trigger is remarkably crisp.

 

[Grampa]

Update

My favorable opinion of this rifle took a real hit. I just got back from the range, and it had feeding problems. It would not feed the next round out of the right side of the mag. It was as if it couldn't the round up under the extractor and align the round with the chamber. I think it needs to visit a gunsmith.

 

[Sodbuster]

For more help and info

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=Savage
would be a good site to visit. I spent a lot of time at gunsandknives.com when these people were over there. Very knowledgeable.

 

[Mike Irwin]

No problems at all with that, Sodbuster. Pretty much what I would have said.

Agree with the price range, too, although here in Northern Virginia it would fetch a bit more, probably $350 to $400.

It's REALLY easy for the older 99s to creep into the 4-digit price range depending on the condition, caliber, and wood. 99s don't have the following that Winchesters do, but they do have their loyal collectors.

As for the feeding problems, I think you need a new magazine, Grandpa. That sounds seriously like a damaged magazine.

I don't care much for the detachable magazine 99s. The stocks are generally those funky 1960s high comb jobbies, and they just generally lack the grace of the older guns.

That said, though, they're still EXCELLENT rifles, among the best ever produced in this country.

The Savage 99 was made, over its lifetime, in more standard production calibers than any other lever action.

I'll never understand, though, why Savage never chambered it for the .35 Remington round. It would have been an excellent match. Savage did chamber it in .358 Winchester, but that round never did much.

 

[Grampa]

Thanks Mike. The magazine is a brand new one, from Numrich. I tried loading some dummy handloads with a round nose bullet, seated to a variety of depths. Not much help. I did have some success pushing the extractor over the rim of the case. Weird, because it loads easily if the cartridge is on the left side of the magazine.

But, I would really like to try another magazine.

I also wish I could get the extractor out so I could polish its rough edges. It has very sharp edges.

Oh, and I have a friend that has a very nice 99 in .358 Winchester. He doesn't seem to be too interested in getting rid of it...

 

[Mike Irwin]

Hum...

could be a damaged extractor, but my guess is still on the magazine. Is it an actual Savage magazine, or is it an aftermarket?

The .358 Savages are bringing pretty high prices these days. No one who has one wants to get rid of it, and they're apparently pretty popular in bear areas.