99 Failure?

B

Bella

New member
Why did Savage cease production of their model 99 lever action rifle? A few years back they came out with plastic-tipped bullets so that pointed bullets could safely be used in lever action rifles. Didn't the 99 solve this problem over a hundred years ago?
 
Savage ceased production of their model 99 because the 99 was not profitable.
The 99 solved the pointed bullet problem over a hundred years ago. So did the Winchester 1895.
 
With all the machining involved in a 99, I would guess that Savage would need to price it today at ~$1500 retail. This assuming they made it in the USA, with a quality walnut stock, and made enough profit to make it worthwhile...
 
As far as the title "99 failure"

The Savage 99 was a pretty big success for about 75 years.
 
The market place trended toward cheaply produced bolt action rifles with plastic stocks. So Savage went with the trend and remained profitable. Unfortunately it meant the death of their once popular 99.

Jack
 
Some guns just take a lot of machine work to manufacture. Savage 99, Winchester 94, Winchester Model 52, Ruger 44 Magnum Carbine, Browning Auto-5, Ithaca 37; all good designs, all expensive to make, all dead.
 
Ruger 44 Magnum Carbine
Click to expand...
...and THIS is the first time I've ever heard a reason anywhere by anyone as to why this neat and popular little thumper rifle was discontinued. It's a shame, it really seems like a fun, very useful firearm.
 
the ithaca 37 has been reborn, if its like the old 37, i don,t know. i own a older 37 in 12ga 3" mag that i like. if you take a older win md. 12, ithaca md. 37, remington 31 apart you will see what it took to make them the icons of the shotgun world. eastbank.
 
I certainly would not view the Savage 99 as a failure with all the 99s made and all the calibers they were chambered for, as a matter of fact I view them as a success.

In my opinion the 99 is an outstanding very well made rifle, well balanced that aids the shooter in having a natural swing and follow through.

The 99 along with many other fine older firearms were produced when manufactures made quality firearms for their customers and cared about customer satisfaction.

Unfortunately the trend today is to mass produce firearms as cheap and fast as possible, for a bigger bottom line so the bean counters will be happy, not necessarily a good thing for the buying public.

I'll take a 99 over most of the junk that's made today.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com
 
Several reasons I've never owned one:

1. First made for open sights or tang peep, and didn't like scopes until a monte-carlo was added later, which changed the character of the piece;

2. Cocked on closing, a departure from all other lever guns and one that didn't please me;

3. Didn't do well with longer cartridges...lots made in 300 Savage, .250-3000 (.250 Savage), .308 Win.;

4. Rotary magazine was very functional, but required chambering each round to unload...removable magazine was pretty well received, but later production;

5. The sliding safety on the lever didn't impress me, but the top tang safety was nice;

6. The shot well, but I just preferred free-floated bolt guns for reloads.

That said, they were very good guns. One of the nicest woods guns to carry.
 
I have a 1951 mfg date, Model 99 in 300 Savage, and it hasn't failed yet !! in fact, it will still put 3 - 165 grn Speer Grand Slams into an 1-1/4" and 5 into 2".
The 300 Savage is no "Hot Rod" (and is mostly a reloading proposition) and the 99 is not a high pressure action; but the two mate together well, and have been providing venison for generations.
It may not be answer to all hunting needs or circumstances, but for some; it's all that is ever needed.
My buddy has a 99 in 308 Win (super accurate) with a detachable magazine and swears it's the modern answer to the "Old" 99. :cool:
If you look on line you'll find plenty of them for sale, some very reasonably priced. I have never met a 99 owner who regretted it, and most love it !!:D
 
The originals also tended to have a long, though not hard, trigger pull. Unfortunately, that was not easily corrected, and some folks who tried ended up with ruined guns and sometimes injuries.

Jim
 
I have 2 of these 'failures': a 1954 .300Savage, and a 1957 .308winchester.

I never thought of the 'cock on closing' as an issue, as my Mauser 95 and Mosin-Nagant seem to do that too.

I've had the action open and worked on the sear, so I see why it is cock on closing. I can't conceive of a way to make it cock on opening with that striker design.

True hammer actions are obvious for cock on opening: the hammer has to be moved out of the way to slide the bolt back.

I only have one other lever action: Marlin model 39a. But the Savage is a nice gun. I really enjoy it.
 
I'd buy a new production savage 99 in 358win, especially in a synthetic stock

i'd want a cocking device thou like a blaser or other new weapons so I can safely carry it chambered

would be a really good walking with the dog moose/pig gun for me
 
the 99 was a complicated and difficult firearm to make. At the time a bolt rifle could be easily and quickly machined and put into a person's hands for maybe ten to thirty percent of the cost of a 99, just at a guess. The 94 with tubular magazine and simple mechanics was also cheaper. Savage made their rifles to a higher standard of finish, as well. It was a quality gun with a lot of work put into it, and had to be sold at a profit. To sell at a profit, it cost more than the other available options.

At this time, the bolt was the most accepted firearm; people returned from WWI familiar with bolts, and millions of military bolts flooded the market. People used bolts and levers, and not enough people were willing to pass over the easily available bolt rifles, and pass over the old reliable winchesters.

So, just like so many other companies, such as edsel, a good product failed to succeed at catching fire. I personally know people who reviled the 99, essentially because john wayne never used one. levers were a western gun, and a lever gun that didn't look western was just wrong.

Bill ruger's success is based partly, if not mostly, on his .22 lr pistol. He made a fine, functional pistol out of simple parts and little hand fitting, and sold it inexpensively. High standard and colt both made really nice .22 pistols , and neither of them could compete with the thousands of rugers put out for the public. both companies wound up halting production, just like the 99 did.
 
As far as the Ithica 37 design being dead, I would suggest you take a look at a current day Browning BPS shotgun. They look like one and the same to me.
 
There was a time that I used to rag on my dad for owning a 742. I realize at this point what a jerk I was being.

It did what he wanted to, it killed the critters he shot at, and he liked it. I own it now, and realize that it's really a pretty smart thing to own for the purposes it serves.

Just like the 99. It's accurate enough for 200 yards or farther, shoots powerful modern rounds, smooth action, easy to recover for second shots, what else does a guy in missouri need?

The 99 doesn't belong on an antelope hunt in western kansas, or hunting mountain top to mountain top for goats or sheep. It belongs in the other 80% of the country where you're going to probably shoot at something pretty small, and not any farther than a few hundred yards.

It's too bad that I grew up with such unreasonable opinions, I would have bought the 99 that was offered to me.
 
Two reasons:

- More expensive to machine/more complex a magazine design.
- Rear lug lock-up, making for limited loading pressures relative to cartridge capability

Neither of which was reason enough to not keep mine in 300 Savage -- enough gun/cartridge
for most American anything short of Grizzley -- and pure class along the lines of a that other classic:
The Model-12
 
On the heavy range of bullets, 300 savage was about 200 fps faster.

Again, add 200 fps, efficient bullets, and as I have been told, improved accuracy and the availability of scope sights, the savage was advanced compared to the 94. If the owner valued those things.
 
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