Savage 99F Rotary Magazine

F

Freds484

Inactive
:)
Hi new member here.
I own a Savage 99F rifle in 308 Winchester Caliber bought new in 1965.
If 100 rounds have been fired out of this rifle it would be alot.
It has been a safe queen and is in mint condition.
I started buying Weatherby Mark V rifles and forgot about the Savage 99.
I took it out once a year for a cleaning and oiling and check the bore with a bore scope.
Since I retired I decided to take it to the range.
The first couple of shots were fine, after it started to heat up it would not eject the empty shell casing.
I had to stick a cleaning rod down the barrel to knock out the fired casing.
The gun is clean, no pits rust etc.
I cleaned it good again and took it to the range again.
After 6 rounds it started not to remove the spend cartridge again.
Any advice.
Fred
 
Without having the rifle in hand it is difficult to make a good diagnosis, but I would be willing to bet money that the extractor is gunked up on the inside. That much cleaning and oiling and that little range time will gunk up even the best mechanism. My advice is a DC&O (complete disassemble, clean and oil).While the bolt is out, drive out the pin that holds the extractor in and clean the extractor and inside the groove.
 
:)
Thanks Scorch
I will tear it down complete and give it a good cleaning with the bolt out.
Then give it another try at the range.
Thanks for the info.
Fred
 
Savage 99s are known for having a weak extractor. The extractor is essentially a long thin strip with a very small hook on the end; it doesn't hold tension well and the hook itself is pretty small.

In the FWIW department, I've had more issues with the 308 based units than lower pressure chamberings like 30/30.

Cleaning the chamber is important. Also, be careful when you remove the extractor that you don't bend it; it's quite easy to make things worse by deforming the extractor during its R&R.

Does the issue occur with different ammo selections or just one brand/load?
 
Scorch is probably right. I got some that had carbon and "Woods gunk" jammed in the slot in the barrel where the extractor rides up when the bolt is closed. Sometimes it is enough to lift the extractor so it misses the rim on the way out. You can check that, but it usually is junk under the extractor though.
 
DON'T mess with the rotary magazine !!! Even in gunsmithing school they told us that !
If the gun has had poor quality oil ,over the years that oxidizes and forms a varnish . That gunk does bad things.
 
You're not kidding. You either need Savage's jigs, or a technically inclined octopus.

I took one apart once, and I'm still not sure how I managed to get it back together such that it actually worked.

I know it took a LONG time and many attempts, though.
 
Reassembling a Model 99 rotary magazine is sort of like trying to reassemble an automatic fly reel. Don't start if you plan to finish. Ask me how I know...:o
 
Oh, c'mon, guys. A Savage 99 rotary magazine is simple to disassemble and reassemble. 15 minutes tops. I do it all the time. Hmmmm. Come to think of it, that's probably why I think it's no big deal.;)
 
Freds-Please follow up and post your results after cleaning. I have one in .308 and have had the same trouble. Had to use a wooden dowel to remove the spent cases after firing. Since I just bought it at a gun show last year and it looked well used I was thinking it was just an isolated problem. Didn't realize this was common with some calibers. I did thoroughly clean and oil the bolt and extractor. When I took it back to the range it did seem to function much better, but I don't know if it was from the cleaning or because I was using handloads instead of the previous factoy ammo.
Good luck!!
 
I hear you. I made plenty of new rotor studs for guys that thought the nut was right hand. Really not much to it once you get used to them.
 
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