Savage Model 1899G 99-G Takedown .250-3000 Sav. Lever Action Rifle, MFD 1928 C&R

SOLD FOR: $1,276.02

LSB#: 190830GS87

Make: Savage Arms Corporation

Model: 99G Deluxe

Serial Number: 313890

Year of Manufacture: 1928

Caliber: .250-3000 Savage (Also known as the .250 Savage)

Action Type: Lever Action with Rotary Magazine. This rifle is a takedown model.

Markings: The front of the lever boss is marked “a”. The right side of the barrel is marked “HI-PRESSURE STEEL – PROOF ?ESTED”. The left side of the barrel is marked “.250-3000 SAVAGE” and with a circled “SP” proof. The top of the barrel is marked “SAVAGE” and “SAVAGE ARMS CORPORATION / UTICA, N.Y. MADE IN U.S.A.” (This is the correct address for this rifle – the address changed mid-year.). The underside of the receiver is marked “313890”. The top surface of the forend under the barrel is marked “313890” and the underside of the barrel above the forend is marked “890”. The front face of the receiver is marked “G” on both sides.  The top of the receiver’s chamber ring is marked “SAVAGE / MODEL 99”. The rear face of the butt is marked “313890” and “K” and the inside surface of the buttplate is marked “313890”.

Barrel Length: 22”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a steel bead dovetailed into a ramped serrated boss on the barrel. The rear sight dovetail has been filled with a blank. There is a peep sight mounted on the upper tang marked with a circled “MA” logo and “MARBLE ARMS”. The sight is folding and locks into the upright position with a detent. The stem is click adjustable for elevation and there is a knurled thumbpiece on the right side of the sight for windage adjustment. The sight has a screw-in aperture.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are checkered walnut with a lacquered finish. The buttstock has a pistol grip with a black checkered hard rubber grip cap and a serrated steel buttplate with a Savage Quality Indian Head logo at the toe. The forend is checkered and has a Schnabel tip and a serrated takedown latch on its underside. There is light oil staining in the grooves of the grip checkering and around the very edges of the upper and lower tang. There is a short hairline crack visible at the left rear edge of the receiver. There are several dings and drag lines in the surfaces with a light scrape mark through the finish on the left side of the buttstock. The checkering shows light to moderate wear with a tiny mar on the left side of the grip and another on the right rear of the forend checkering. The grip cap shows a few small dings and drag line on is edges, and its checkering is sharp. The LOP is 13 3/16” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The buttplate shows thinning and a few light marks with sharp serrations. The buttplate is in about Fine overall condition. The stocks rate in about Very Good to Fine overall condition.

Type of Finish: The rifle is blued with the bolt ”In The White” and the lever case colored. The trigger is serrated.

Finish Originality: The finish is original.

Bore Condition: The bore is bright, tending to gray near the muzzle. The rifling shows light wear. There is no erosion in the bore.

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 85% of its metal finish. There are a few light handling marks scattered over the barrel with tool marks in both sides of the rear sight blank and in the barrel on the right side of the blank. There are marks through the finish in the top of the barrel where the rear sight was once located. There are several light handling marks in the receiver with a short drag line on its underside, finish loss on its edges and light thinning on its underside. The case coloring in the lever is still vivid in spots but slightly muted on its underside. The screw heads are sharp and the markings are clear except for a single letter covered by tool marks in the barrel.  Overall, this rifle rates in about Fine condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. It has a flat safety on the right side of the receiver that locks the lever and the trigger. The lever locks up tightly. We did not fire this rifle. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None

Our Assessment: The Savage 1899/99 model rifles have quite a history. They were preceded by the Model 1895, which was the first hammerless lever-action rifle produced. A hammerless action was useful as it reduces the lock time, allows the rifle to be fired more accurately and is less likely to jam in brush or snag in clothing. The 1895 and 1899/99 models used a rotary magazine to hold the cartridges, using a spring-loaded spool with grooves. The 1899/99 models added a counter to the spool to indicate how many rounds are loaded. This design allowed the use of spitzer bullets, which could not be used in the Winchester rifles of the times because the pointed tips in the tubular magazines could cause accidental discharge. This gave Savage a lead in producing rifles that could handle high velocity smokeless powder cartridges with bullets offering flatter trajectories than other lever-action designs. The .250-3000 Savage cartridge first came out in 1916, and was the first American cartridge to obtain a velocity of 3000 fps. To promote this new cartridge, Savage released it in a Deluxe Model, specific to this cartridge, that incorporated the most popular special-order features of prior years. Later, the cartridge appeared across the model line. This rifle is a Model 99 Deluxe Takedown Model with a 22 inch barrel, checkered stock with pistol grip and grip cap, and a Schnabel tipped forend. The rear sight has been replaced with a blank and a Marble Arms peep sight mounted on the upper tang. This rifle is in about Fine condition with 85% of its original finish remaining. The bore is bright, tending to gray at the muzzle with light wear in the rifling and no erosion. The serial numbers on the barrel, receiver, forend, buttstock and buttplate are matching. This is a great find for the Savage 99 collectors. We see a lot of vintage 99’s come through our shop, but very few in this nice of a condition. If the collectors don’t pay enough attention, this rifle will make a great deer rifle, offering a flat shooting trajectory similar to that of a .243 Winchester, and is great for those who can’t stand a lot of recoil. With use of lighter weight bullets, it also makes a great varmint rifle.