Savage Model 1899 99 22″ .250-3000 Sav. Takedown Lever Action Rifle, MFD 1915 C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,125
LSB#: 200129CP60
Make: Savage Arms Company
Model: 1899 .250-3000 Savage
Serial Number: 171303
Year of Manufacture: 1915
Caliber: .250-3000 Savage (Also known as the .250 Savage)
Action Type: Lever Action Takedown Rifle with Rotary Magazine
Markings: The top of the barrel is marked “MANUFACTURED BY SAVAGE ARMS COMPANY UTICA, N.Y. U.S.A. / PAT- FEB7 1893. JULY 25 1893. OCT 3 1899. MAY 25 1909. JUNE 1 1909.”, the left is marked “SAVAGE HI-PRESSURE STEEL. / -MODEL 1899-” and “250-3000 SAVAGE”, the bottom is marked with an arrow through “OFF” indicating the direction to rotate the barrel for removal. The rear face of the forend is marked “171 / 303” with “W” and “H” between the two lines of numbers. The underside of the receiver is marked “171303″ in front of the lever boss and “H” in circle on the front of the lever boss. The front face of the receiver is marked “Z”. The top of the rear sight is marked “SAVAGE ARMS CO. / PATENT APP’D FOR”. The inside of the buttplate is marked “171303”, the rear face of the stock is marked “65” and “171303” under the buttplate.
Barrel Length: 22”
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded blade pinned to a slotted base integral to the front of the barrel. The rear sight is a an elevator sight adjustable for windage and elevation dovetailed to the rear of the barrel. The top tang is drilled and tapped for a receiver sight (none included).
Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are two-piece checkered walnut with schnabel forend, capped pistol grip, straight comb, perch-belly and serrated steel buttplate with Savage logo at the heel. The stocks have scattered light nicks, scuffs and scratches with thinning finish at edges and in the grip areas. There are no chips or cracks. The LOP measures 13″ from the front of the checkered trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate is mostly worn to white with some scattered light wear and minor surface oxidation, the serrations and logo are still well defined. Overall, the stocks are in about Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: The finish is original.
Bore Condition: The bore is bright, the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore.
Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 55% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The barrel is mostly worn to white, retaining strong finish only under the forend. The receiver has generally strong finish with some loss on the right which appears to be from a chemical rather than wear and scattered lgiht nicks, scratches scuffs and infrequent surface oxidation. The forend iron has scattered wear including matching wear on the right which appears to be from a chemical. The lever retains much of its case color with the lever loop showing the most finish wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle is in about Very Good 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 1914, 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. The Savage Deluxe Model 1899 .250-3000 Savage rifle is a takedown model with a 22 inch barrel, checkered stock with pistol grip and grip cap, a Schnabel tipped forend and a checkered trigger. This rifle is in great mechanical condition for being more than 100 years old: the bore is bright with sharp rifling and the lever locks-up tightly. This is a great find for the Savage 99 collectors. Although Savage chambered many of their models in caliber .250-3000 Sav., the .250-3000 Model was only made for seven years between 1914 and 1921, making it one of the rarest models. 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. Please see our photos and good luck!