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After I began looking within the Nineties, my first deer rifle was a Winchester 1894 in .30-30. Whilst I obtained my head round bolt actions, single-shots, and semi-automatic rifles, my affinity for lever motion rifles by no means left. Lever motion rifles are fast to fireside, and the lefty in me preferred their naturally ambidextrous nature. In addition they regarded very completely different from a rising sea of looking rifles that look the identical from a distance. In addition they function a snapshot into what hunters and shooters account for of their pursuit. This led me to my very own pursuit of learning and gathering Twentieth-century looking images. A wholesome portion of those function lever-action rifles with joyful homeowners and downed recreation.
Winchester and Marlin made most, however I quickly found a special kind of lever-action rifle. It didn’t have a hammer, loading gate, or journal. But it surely did have a particular lever. It turned out to be a Savage Mannequin 99, the primary mag-fed lever motion made.
Journal-fed lever actions mix the practical enchantment of a lever motion with faster reloads and higher ballistics with fashionable ammunition that can be utilized in removable magazines. The revival of the lever motion generally has pulled the idea again up. Rifles just like the Fightlite Herring and Henry Repeating Arms’ Lengthy Ranger and Supreme have debuted to some fanfare. They’re nonetheless a far cry from what we image as a lever-action rifle. However then there was the Mannequin 99, which has been round because the begin of smokeless ammo.
The Savage Mannequin 1899 didn’t come near toppling Winchester or Marlin, however this odd duck loved a century-long run and continues to hang-out the Savage Arms firm to today. That is an analysis of a typical 99, each within the context of its time and what it nonetheless has to supply as inspiration and performance right now.
The Origins of the Savage Mannequin 99
The benefits of mag-fed lever-action rifles are clear. They keep away from barrel harmonics points from tubular journal loading and unloading. Pointed spitzer ammunition works safely in field magazines, stacked securely on one another. Tube magazines stack rounds tip-to-primer, requiring round-nosed bullets to stop unintended detonation. Magazine-fed rifles eradicate these disadvantages, fixing points that plagued lever actions for years. Arthur Savage unknowingly solved this drawback as early as 1893.
Arthur Savage Sticks the Touchdown
Savage tried his hand at every thing from homesteading to railroad work to inventing the radial tire. However within the late Eighteen Eighties, he settled on firearms design and contracted with Marlin to make his early fashions. Savage didn’t foresee pointed bullets. He did wish to construct a rifle robust sufficient to make the most of new smokeless powder. Savage entered a hammerless lever motion rifle into the US Military’s 1892 rifle trials, which resulted within the Military dropping its black powder single-shot Trapdoor rifle for the smallbore smokeless Krag Jorgensen.
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Savage’s refined Mannequin 1895 within the smokeless .303 Savage debuted the identical yr because the .30-30 Winchester cartridge within the Winchester 94 and gained a number of militia contracts, however the rifle proved extra profitable as a looking arm. It featured a two-piece inventory, a strong breech block, and a six-shot rotary journal.
A Lengthy Run
The Mannequin 1899 is visibly equivalent to the Mannequin 1895, however includes a lighter, pointed fore inventory, a loaded chamber indicator, and a .30-30 chambering. Bigger black powder rounds like .32-40 and .38-55 had been additionally added. In 1921, the .300 Savage debuted. It turned the preferred spherical used within the 99 sequence, however the rifle got here in over a dozen completely different chamberings by means of its manufacturing run starting from .22 Hello Energy to .243 Winchester, and .308 Winchester.
The Mannequin 99 got here in a variety of configurations throughout its manufacturing run, together with carbine, rifle, featherweight, and take-down fashions. Within the Fifties, scope mounting choices turned a manufacturing facility choice. Within the Seventies, the box-fed Mannequin 99C, made the rounds. The Mannequin 99 was quietly discontinued in 1999 due, partially, to excessive manufacturing prices and declining demand.
A Mid-Century Savage Mannequin 99: Quirks A Loads
Though I’m an advocate for Winchester and Marlin lever weapons, as soon as I noticed the Savage 99 in black-and-white, I needed to have it in residing colour to see what it’s about. My Mannequin 99 was made in 1941 and proven loads of in-the-field carry the place the journal and butt plate has rubbed white. Nonetheless, the wealthy blued end is current alongside the barrel, and the lever retains its case-hardened end. The checkered blonde walnut shares are immaculate as is the bore and the motion itself.
Pre-Tweaks
The actual mannequin I ended up with is a typical instance manufactured a long time earlier than Savage started to make tweaks to deliver the fee down. The buttstock includes a knurled naked metal butt plate and a low comb that makes for a simple cheek weld and sight image on the iron sights. Some Mannequin 99s featured a cheek piece, however a slick-sided buttstock like this one is extra widespread.
The inventory includes a press-checkered pistol grip, though straight shares had been additionally obtainable. The fore-end has extra uniformity. It tapers to a scallop and shares related press checkering. The shares put on metal sling swivels for mounting a two-point sling.
Savage 99 Motion
As with most lever motion rifles, the Savage 99 has a two-piece inventory bisected by the receiver and lever. However the Mannequin 99’s motion is the true property that defines that rifle most. The receiver is one strong piece of billeted metal enclosed on the backside with two beefy tangs that run on the backside and prime of the motion to safe it to the butt inventory. The lever rides within the decrease tang behind the receiver. When opened, a clockwork assortment of linkages follows it, adopted by the huge breech block. The Savage 99 has no hammer has a striker-fired motion that cocks because the breech block tilts up and locks in place towards the ejection port.
The striker motion and lockup echoes Glock greater than Winchester, however with the motion open, we will see inspiration from Mannlicher because the Mannequin 99 makes use of a rotary journal. Like a steampunk Ruger 10/22 journal, rounds are fed previous the spring-loaded feed lip onto a brass sprocket. Every subsequent spherical fills every chamber of the sprocket as you’re employed towards a rigidity spring till the journal is full. The journal holds six rounds.
Spherical Counting
If that was not wonky sufficient, the traditional Mannequin 99 has a spherical counter. Whereas the journal just isn’t clear like fashionable round-count succesful magazines, the left aspect includes a brass counter that reveals you what number of rounds you have got left within the journal.
The Savage 99 got here in a variety of barrel lengths, however my 24-inch barreled mannequin is the imply size throughout the completely different fashions made. It’s a tapered barrel made for fast pointing and lightweight packing. It wears a dovetailed entrance sight publish and a semi-buckhorn sq. notch rear sight that’s each dovetailed and step-adjustable for elevation.
.300 Savage: The Most Distinguished of Many
My Mannequin 99 is chambered for the .300 Savage cartridge. Developed in 1921, it aimed to copy .30-06 ballistics. The .300 Savage makes use of pointed .308-inch bullets between 150 and 180 grains. This short-action cartridge predated the .308 Winchester by a long time, proving the idea early. It falls barely beneath .30-06 energy, pushing bullets about 200 ft per second slower. Many mid-century rifles chambered it, together with the Winchester Mannequin 70, Remington 700, and 722. Regardless of its use in different rifles, the Savage 99 defines the .300 Savage.
Savage 99 Fast Specs
Caliber: .300 Savage Capability: 5+1 Barrel Size: 24 inches Total Size: 42.5 inches Size of Pull: 13 inches Weight: 6.2 lbs. (unloaded)
On The Vary with the Savage 99
We kind preconceptions about each rifle class based mostly on firsthand and secondhand experiences. These perceptions simplify shopping for selections amongst numerous choices. Lever-action rifles are recognized for fast hearth, light-weight design, and ambidextrous dealing with. Nevertheless, they’re typically typecast as cowboy weapons or close-range brush rifles. Taking pictures the Mannequin 99 proved that Arthur Savage and its customers envisioned far broader roles for the rifle
Loading Up
After finding out some .300 Savage ammunition, I added a sling and Leupold Freedom 1-4x rifle scope to my Mannequin 99 and headed for the vary. After an preliminary optimistic sight-in from the bench at 25 yards, it turned clear that the prevailing tip-off Weaver mount that got here with the rifle was off heart. At 100 yards, I ran out of windage changes whereas barely hitting paper. Later Mannequin 99s got here tapped for the standard Weaver mount, however this gunsmith job on this earlier rifle was not effectively executed.
I tipped the mount to the aspect and reverted to the manufacturing facility iron sights. That obtained me on paper. I returned sans scope and with extra ammunition in tow for a second journey. Loading the Savage 99 is like loading a fixed-magazine 10/22 with an added feed lip on the left aspect of the journal. Rounds are pushed down and to the left previous the lip till the final spherical sits underneath the lip. Pull the lever house to the grip and the breech block goes house, with the extractor choosing up the primary spherical early in its journey. The motion opens in a spring-assisted and easy vogue, however as you push the lever house, you may really feel the snag of the striker towards the set off because it cocks when the bolt locks towards the receiver. Now the rifle is loaded.
Preliminary Ideas
Later, Savage 99s got here with a tang-mounted security just like a Mossberg shotgun, however most have a lever-mounted security on the precise aspect. Pulling the security tab again locks up the lever and set off. Pushing ahead with the set off finger makes the rifle prepared to fireside.
The iron sights aren’t good. Aftermarket Marbles and Lyman peep sights had been fashionable additions, as had been scope mounts. However even in its inventory configuration, the setup is best than too many fashionable iron-sighted rifles that have a tendency to come back with blocky sights attuned to fast-close capturing. The entrance sight is simply giant sufficient to make out however sufficiently small to not cowl up my bullseye targets out to 100 yards.
Accuracy and Energy
From my Caldwell Rock Jr. relaxation, I threw in 5 rounds of Hornady Superformance 150 grain SST ammunition and fired them by means of my Caldwell Chronograph with a goal at 100 yards. With the primary shot, the butt wrapped well towards the shoulder, however the width of the plate stored felt recoil down. The sunshine and trim muzzle bucked however settled again on track in a fraction. I recorded my shot then repeated till the journal was empty, and I had a uncommon smile on my face. The typical muzzle velocity of this load is 2,792 ft per second–a rival to modern 150 grain .308 Winchester masses and about 100 ft per second slower than a comparable .30-06 load.
Preserve Attempting
After letting the barrel cool, I attempted once more utilizing Winchester’s 150 grain and 180 grain Energy Factors. Muzzle velocity was 2,622 and a couple of,446 ft per second, charges which can be nearer to historic masses used within the .300 Savage. Recoil was noticeably much less.
The .300 is definitely no intermediate cartridge, however one can inform it’s a slight step beneath different .30 caliber rounds. However the .300 and different cartridges that the 99 used had been a lot nearer to the bolt-action league than the lever motion camp, like .25-35, .30-30, and .32 Particular. Rounds just like the .250 and .300 Savage had been quicker and extra aerodynamic, making them superb at intermediate ranges. To that finish, I introduced alongside my Marlin 336 in .30-30 and engaged a metal silhouette at 300 yards. I needed to maintain my scoped .30-30 two ft above the goal to hit the popular heart level utilizing Winchester 150 grain delicate factors. With the Savage, I might maintain on to the goal and hit it each time with a deliberate set off squeeze.
Vary Outcomes
Even at nearer ranges, the Savage doesn’t fairly shoot like a lever motion. From the bench at 100 yards, I can coax 5 rounds of Hornady SST ammunition right into a 2-inch group. The opposite rounds hit wider however nonetheless gave a decent 3-inch group. My Marlin .30-30 can obtain that kind of accuracy with its 3-9x optic. When extended capturing is required, the Savage does fall quick. The skinny, tapered barrel teams admirably for the primary three rounds earlier than warmth begins throwing rounds, widening in any other case MOA teams.
Clearly, the ol’ 99 was meant as a useful pack rifle meant for a number of quick pictures on recreation. Regardless of its considerably bulbous look and strong receiver, the rifle weighs little over six kilos and balances proper underneath the journal for ease of carry. It is the same as the Winchester and Marlin, however with rather more potential.
The Savage 99: Discontinued, Not Discounted
The Savage Mannequin 95/99 sequence was out a dozen a long time earlier than the idea of the magazine-fed lever gun turned the most recent fad. However on wanting on the Mannequin 99 one can see why the idea didn’t catch. The Savage 99 has a clean and powerful motion and shares parity within the handiness division with different lever actions, whereas boasting flat capturing energy that these different rifles couldn’t rival. A rifle like this might not be made so effectively right now.
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Manufacturing facility magazines had been not often trouble-free, and cleanly assembled manufacturing facility rifles had been even tougher to search out. The 99 was at all times dearer than comparable Winchesters or Marlins, even at its peak. Winchester and Marlin rifles met most People’ wants effectively sufficient, making them fashionable selections. As expert labor aged and equipment wore down, prices rose whereas productiveness declined. New staff demanded increased wages however produced lower than their predecessors. It’s a standard story for any sturdy product that ages over time.
Conclusion
Within the remaining years of its run, Savage economized to maintain the mannequin alive, however it proved cheaper to kill the 99 and give attention to bolt-action rifles. Quick ahead to the 2020s, and CNC machining has introduced the lever gun again and with it, the ghost of the 99 reappears each time Savage provides a brand new product. Though reintroductions are the following nice fad within the firearm trade, Savage has no plans to reintroduce the Mannequin 99. That’s in all probability for the very best, as they in all probability couldn’t do it justice. That isn’t an insult, however an outline and, maybe, a problem. However till, if, and when that occurs, there are many 99s on the market, and those that personal them have a tendency to hold onto them. I do know I’ll quickly be on the hunt for my subsequent one.
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Jim has written tons of of articles and revealed dozens of movies within the firearms sphere for the final twelve years. A army and financial historian by coaching, he can’t resist spinning a yarn on historic designs and firm declines. Nevertheless, his pursuits range from muzzleloading to rimfire ballistics to mastering right now’s newest programs.
When Jim just isn’t on the firing line or in entrance of his spreadsheets, he enjoys spending time with household, perfecting his fire-starting strategies, and rediscovering his love of hunt and fish.
