New 99 Savage

Guv · November 12, 2013, 03:13 PM

How about it, Savage went through some rough times in the 80's but now seem pretty darn healthy. Anyone think it's time for them to try a new 99?

hammie · November 12, 2013, 04:49 PM

Well here's mine. The expert here on Savage 99's is Mike Irwin and perhaps he will see this and comment. From what I remember the 99 tooling was eventually sent to Italy with the idea of manufacturing and fitting the actions there. The actions would then be shipped back for installing the barrel and stock. Then I think the tooling was destroyed in a fire? In any case, Savage would have to completely re-tool from scratch if the 99 was to return.

I do have extraction problems with my 99 C, .308 win, with max loads, but backing off about 100 ft/sec solves that problem. If Savage started making 99's again, there would be room at my house for another one. 7mm-08, .260 rem, or 6.5 creedmoor would be wonderful chamberings for it.

yournodaisy · November 12, 2013, 05:08 PM

I have a couple of them myself. A 99 in .300 savage and one mint condition in 250/3000. These are definitely classics.

Tom Matiska · November 12, 2013, 07:28 PM

Count me in.

reynolds357 · November 12, 2013, 08:52 PM

I have always wanted one. Never found one I considered to be priced anywhere close to "right." I am sure if they did bring it back, they would price it in line with the BLR.

Guv · November 12, 2013, 08:54 PM

Yea I had a C or a CD in 7mm-08, one of those regrets you never quite get over.

Guv · November 12, 2013, 09:06 PM

You'd think with CNC machining that the manufacturer of a new 99 may possibly be viable? But I got a bad case of sticker shock the other day in Wally World, $700.00+ for a 700BDL,

maybe I've not been paying enough attention to new gun prices.

hammie · November 12, 2013, 09:49 PM

@Guv: Your Wal-Mart price doesn't sound that bad. In august I was looking for a .30-06 and the BDL at my local Wal-Mart was 799 $. I wound up buying a CZ 550 for 860$ (and sales tax was 10% on top of that). For a new rifle, it seems like the street price for the higher "trim level" guns, starts at 800$ and goes up from there.

To get back on topic, I agree with you and would think that a new savage 99 could be produced for 1200 - 1400 $ MSRP. Street prices would be a little less and that could make a new 99 viable. But who knows. I haven't run the production cost numbers or looked a a marketing study.

Savage99 · November 12, 2013, 10:27 PM

While the Savage99 is my favorite woods rifle I don't see a significant demand for new ones. True the prices on some of the old ones is up now that they are a item with some.

What's hot in rifles is the AR's. I don't want an AR either however that's whats selling and what I see at the range these days.

However the marketing of gun gear seems to be the idea that even old is 'new'.

Thus old obsolete cartridges and guns are reintroduced to sell some more product.

Good luck to them. The 99 is a great rifle. They are control round feed! CRF.

**Mike Irwin** · November 12, 2013, 10:51 PM

I'm truly afraid that we've seen the last of the 99s.

They were for awhile manufactured in, I believe, Spain, but even being made there, and only the clip-fed model, they were still very expensive to make, and they just didn't sell that well.

Savage ended up going through some seriously tough financial times around then, and the gun was dropped from production.

I don't know about a fire.

Even with modern CNC machinery the 99 is a complex gun to make. If it were brought back in rotary magazine form, I can't even imagine how much it would cost.

Gunplummer · November 13, 2013, 05:06 AM

May not cost as much as you think. The rotor and other intricate parts could be produced with powdered metal. I just doubt that the return would justify starting up a line to manufacture them. There are still plenty around, but like military rifles they are hoarded by a few. I have seven or eight yet (Could not bring myself to auction them) and know other guys with a lot more than I have.

**Mike Irwin** · November 13, 2013, 07:13 AM

True, and the receiver could also be investment cast and fininshed. There are ways to bring the cost down, but to be quite honest, I'm not really sure I'd be interested in such a gun.

Sure, it would be a Model 99, but it woudln't be. It would be like the Ford Thunderbird that came out some years ago. Sure it's a sporty convertible like the original.... But it's nothnig like the original at all.

I'm still looking for a good shooter in either .38-55 or .30-30.

Hunter Customs · November 13, 2013, 08:43 AM

Quote:

True, and the receiver could also be investment cast and fininshed. There are ways to bring the cost down, but to be quite honest, I'm not really sure I'd be interested in such a gun.

I agree Mike, I would bet they would not feel quite the same.
I would think the cast receiver may have to be a little thicker.

I have two 99's, a 300 Savage and a light weight take down model 250-3000, love them both.

To me the feel and balance of these rifles is great and they have a natural swing.
I've downed a lot of Missouri deer with a previous 300 Savage 99, and most of them were running shots.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

hammie · November 13, 2013, 11:28 AM

@Bobhunter: I see you live in northwest missouri. I lived in central missouri during the early to mid 60's and every year a local gas station raffled off a savage 99. You got one raffle ticket for every 10 gallons of gas. Those days are gone forever.

In those days only the rich owned a savage 99. The rest of us poor people used 30-30's or an occasional .35 remington.

Dirty_Harry · November 13, 2013, 12:20 PM

If they made one, I would buy one. I love lever actions for hunting.

boondocker385 · November 13, 2013, 12:34 PM

Heck yes!!!!

shafter · November 13, 2013, 01:11 PM

Now if they made a left handed Model 99. . . .

bamaranger · November 13, 2013, 02:29 PM

Yeah, I'd think about buying one, I've always wanted one of the straight gripped, short barreled models in 250 or .243, maybe 30-30.

But...I don't think the overall demand is there, and I doubt they'd sell all that well. Look at the demise of the '94, Marlin seems struggling, the big Winchester lever repros are not all that popular either.

Just keep shopping for a used one.

James K · November 13, 2013, 02:42 PM

We all wish that someone would "bring back" this or that gun, but in the real world the reason most of the "classics" were discontinued was because they didn't sell, and there is no reason to think most of them would sell any better a second time around.

Jim

**Mike Irwin** · November 13, 2013, 02:49 PM

Hence the Single Action Army, the Winchester 1873... and so forth and so on.

Hunter Customs · November 14, 2013, 02:34 PM

Quote:

@Bobhunter: I see you live in northwest missouri. I lived in central missouri during the early to mid 60's and every year a local gas station raffled off a savage 99. You got one raffle ticket for every 10 gallons of gas. Those days are gone forever.

hammie, yes I live in Northwest Missouri.
I sure would have liked to been close to that local station that was doing the raffle, that's where I would have purchased my gas.
I believe you are correct about those days being gone.

Quote:

In those days only the rich owned a savage 99. The rest of us poor people used 30-30's or an occasional .35 Remington.

I purchased my first 99 (a used one) in the 70's, having a wife and two kids at the time I was a long way from being a rich man, I still am.

As a matter of fact the deer I killed with the 99 helped a lot with the grocery bill.

When I was a kid I always wondered what the poor folks ate, Dad always told me beans and cornbread, I told Dad "hmm the same thing we eat".

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

reynolds357 · November 14, 2013, 10:54 PM

James, I kind of disagree. I think many rifles become un-popular because new technology moves them from cutting edge to not so new and shiny anymore. Sales drop. Model is discontinued. Then when a generation passes, people see them not as a technological marvel, but as a piece of nostalgia.

eastbank · November 15, 2013, 05:15 AM

savage 99 made in 1903 in 303 savage. a fine rifle. eastbank.

**Mike Irwin** · November 15, 2013, 05:21 AM

Uhm... Eastbank?

You have a pretty valuable rifle there...

I wouldn't be putting it down on asphalt without something between it and the hard ground.

That appears to be a Savage special order with factory engraving and other special order features, including high end wood.

You could be looking at a gun that's worth upwards $5,000.

SaxonPig · November 15, 2013, 06:53 PM

I suspect they quit making them for a reason. Either slow sales or too expensive to produce and sell. I doubt they will be coming back.

November 12, 2013, 03:13 PM	#1
Guv Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2012 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,126	New 99 Savage How about it, Savage went through some rough times in the 80's but now seem pretty darn healthy. Anyone think it's time for them to try a new 99?

November 12, 2013, 07:28 PM	#4
Tom Matiska Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2000 Location: Wilkes-Barre, Pa Posts: 1,029	Count me in. __________________ A gun is like a parachute... when you need one you usually need it pretty bad...

November 12, 2013, 10:51 PM	#10
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	I'm truly afraid that we've seen the last of the 99s. They were for awhile manufactured in, I believe, Spain, but even being made there, and only the clip-fed model, they were still very expensive to make, and they just didn't sell that well. Savage ended up going through some seriously tough financial times around then, and the gun was dropped from production. I don't know about a fire. Even with modern CNC machinery the 99 is a complex gun to make. If it were brought back in rotary magazine form, I can't even imagine how much it would cost. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 13, 2013, 07:13 AM	#12
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	True, and the receiver could also be investment cast and fininshed. There are ways to bring the cost down, but to be quite honest, I'm not really sure I'd be interested in such a gun. Sure, it would be a Model 99, but it woudln't be. It would be like the Ford Thunderbird that came out some years ago. Sure it's a sporty convertible like the original.... But it's nothnig like the original at all. I'm still looking for a good shooter in either .38-55 or .30-30. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 13, 2013, 12:20 PM	#15
Dirty_Harry Senior Member Join Date: January 11, 2006 Location: Kalamazoo, MI Posts: 1,484	If they made one, I would buy one. I love lever actions for hunting. __________________ "The only purpose for a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you never should have laid down." "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them." -John Wayne

November 12, 2013, 05:08 PM	#3
yournodaisy Senior Member Join Date: April 7, 2011 Location: Deep South Posts: 306	I have a couple of them myself. A 99 in .300 savage and one mint condition in 250/3000. These are definitely classics.

November 12, 2013, 08:52 PM	#5
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	I have always wanted one. Never found one I considered to be priced anywhere close to "right." I am sure if they did bring it back, they would price it in line with the BLR.

November 12, 2013, 08:54 PM	#6
Guv Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2012 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,126	Yea I *had* a C or a CD in 7mm-08, one of those regrets you never quite get over.

November 12, 2013, 09:06 PM	#7
Guv Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2012 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,126	You'd think with CNC machining that the manufacturer of a new 99 may possibly be viable? But I got a bad case of sticker shock the other day in Wally World, $700.00+ for a 700BDL, maybe I've not been paying enough attention to new gun prices.

November 12, 2013, 09:49 PM	#8
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@Guv: Your Wal-Mart price doesn't sound that bad. In august I was looking for a .30-06 and the BDL at my local Wal-Mart was 799 $. I wound up buying a CZ 550 for 860$ (and sales tax was 10% on top of that). For a new rifle, it seems like the street price for the higher "trim level" guns, starts at 800$ and goes up from there. To get back on topic, I agree with you and would think that a new savage 99 could be produced for 1200 - 1400 $ MSRP. Street prices would be a little less and that could make a new 99 viable. But who knows. I haven't run the production cost numbers or looked a a marketing study.

November 12, 2013, 10:27 PM	#9
Savage99 Senior Member Join Date: May 17, 2004 Posts: 567	While the Savage99 is my favorite woods rifle I don't see a significant demand for new ones. True the prices on some of the old ones is up now that they are a item with some. What's hot in rifles is the AR's. I don't want an AR either however that's whats selling and what I see at the range these days. However the marketing of gun gear seems to be the idea that even old is 'new'. Thus old obsolete cartridges and guns are reintroduced to sell some more product. Good luck to them. The 99 is a great rifle. They are control round feed! CRF.

November 13, 2013, 05:06 AM	#11
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	May not cost as much as you think. The rotor and other intricate parts could be produced with powdered metal. I just doubt that the return would justify starting up a line to manufacture them. There are still plenty around, but like military rifles they are hoarded by a few. I have seven or eight yet (Could not bring myself to auction them) and know other guys with a lot more than I have.

November 13, 2013, 11:28 AM	#14
hammie Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Location: Temple, TX Posts: 959	@Bobhunter: I see you live in northwest missouri. I lived in central missouri during the early to mid 60's and every year a local gas station raffled off a savage 99. You got one raffle ticket for every 10 gallons of gas. Those days are gone forever. In those days only the rich owned a savage 99. The rest of us poor people used 30-30's or an occasional .35 remington.

November 13, 2013, 12:34 PM	#16
boondocker385 Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2013 Posts: 640	Heck yes!!!!

November 13, 2013, 01:11 PM	#17
shafter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2009 Posts: 1,624	Now if they made a left handed Model 99. . . .

November 13, 2013, 02:29 PM	#18
bamaranger Senior Member Join Date: October 9, 2009 Location: North Alabama Posts: 8,308	me, you, but......... Yeah, I'd think about buying one, I've always wanted one of the straight gripped, short barreled models in 250 or .243, maybe 30-30. But...I don't think the overall demand is there, and I doubt they'd sell all that well. Look at the demise of the '94, Marlin seems struggling, the big Winchester lever repros are not all that popular either. Just keep shopping for a used one.

November 13, 2013, 02:42 PM	#19
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	We all wish that someone would "bring back" this or that gun, but in the real world the reason most of the "classics" were discontinued was because they didn't sell, and there is no reason to think most of them would sell any better a second time around. Jim

November 13, 2013, 02:49 PM	#20
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Hence the Single Action Army, the Winchester 1873... and so forth and so on. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 14, 2013, 10:54 PM	#22
reynolds357 Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2012 Posts: 6,165	James, I kind of disagree. I think many rifles become un-popular because new technology moves them from cutting edge to not so new and shiny anymore. Sales drop. Model is discontinued. Then when a generation passes, people see them not as a technological marvel, but as a piece of nostalgia.

November 15, 2013, 05:21 AM	#24
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Uhm... Eastbank? You have a pretty valuable rifle there... I wouldn't be putting it down on asphalt without something between it and the hard ground. That appears to be a Savage special order with factory engraving and other special order features, including high end wood. You could be looking at a gun that's worth upwards $5,000. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

November 15, 2013, 06:53 PM	#25
SaxonPig Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2006 Posts: 1,900	I suspect they quit making them for a reason. Either slow sales or too expensive to produce and sell. I doubt they will be coming back.