Got the Savage 99K 30-30 scoped !

Greetings,

Bud, as another Savage 99 owner, I really like the looks of yours.  Mine is in .308, and I bought it just outside the gate of the Benning School For Boys summer of 1975.  I told the shop owner I would be back the next day after talking to my wife as funds were really tight, and she agreed to the buy.  I mounted a 3X6(?) Weaver, and shot it until about 4 years ago when the scope eyepiece came loose and would not hold so replaced it with a 3 or 4 x 12 Nikon I bought at a Cabelas sale up here. It still shoots 1 inch groups regularly at 100 yards, usually about an inch and a half.

I have had 2 problems with it over the years.  1st, it would not fire when the trigger was pulled but when you went to open the lever it would go off.  Gunsmith figured out my resized cases were not resized quite enough so I turned the die down another 3/4 turn, and problem went away.  The bore is really tight, and while my cases worked fine in the M1A, they were not resized enough for the Savage.  Second, groups went away, and even with the new scope groups were horrendous.  It seems the cross bolt just ahead of the stock was loose, almost loose enough to fall out.  I was looking at the rifle, and noticed the hole in the receiver where there should have been the end of the bolt.  Tightened up the bold again, and groups returned from their vacation.

Another non-gun problem was with the scope.  Years ago I noticed my groups started to wander, and realized the scope was so close to the barrel that evidently the barrel was smacking the scope upon recoil.  I got higher bases, problem cured, but probably not early enough.  Eventually the eyepiece became loose, and even with the tightening ring up tight the eyepiece would move up and down when wiggled.  Often have I wondered if going from warm to extreme cold in the minus 30s (and more at times) up here in Alaska may have attributed to the scope problem; expanding and contracting the metal may have been too much.  Called Weaver, they said they had changed ownership 3 or 4 times since I bought the scope, couldn't fix it, but an independent scope smith could but there was  at least an 18 month wait.  Cabelas had Nikon scopes on sale, bought 2, put one on the Savage, have good space between the barrel and scope, and figure last change of scope.  I really like the looks of the scope you have on yours.

My brother slipped and fell breaking the original stock, so I had it replaced.  The new stock is definitely is not walnut, it looks like birch.  I don't know what it is, but it is very light, straight grained, very plain, and the varnish or shellac or whatever was used completely covers the wood providing for no aesthetic value.  But, as long as it continues to shoot well it is not going to be changed at this late date after being used for around 30 years.

My most accurate load has been 130 grain Speer Hollow Point over 44 or 45 grains W748, CCI 200  primer.  I have hunted deer, and now hunt caribou, with a 165 grain Soft Pont.  Haven't shot one lately as I have been on a quest to shoot a caribou with every rifle I have over .22.  This year I am concentrating on the 25-06 with cast bullets, and one of my trapdoor 45-70's; I have hunted with both over the last few years, but never was near a caribou when I one of them in hand.

Anyway, thought I would drop a post on my Savage 99.  A great 45 year old to me pawn shop gun.  I wish mine looked as nice as yours.

TK