Make: Savage Arms Corporation

Model: 99-EG

Serial Number: 726111

Year of Manufacture: 1954

Caliber: .300 Savage

Action Type: Lever Action with Rotary Magazine. This is a solid frame model.

Markings: The front of the lever boss is marked with an ovalled “4F”. The left side of the barrel is marked “.300 SAVAGE” and with an ovalled “SP” proof. The top of the barrel is marked “SAVAGE ARMS CORPORATION / CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS. U.S.A.”. The right side of the barrel is marked “HI-PRESSURE STEEL – PROOF TESTED”. The underside of the receiver is marked with the serial number. The top of the chamber ring is marked “SAVAGE / MODEL 99”.

Barrel Length: 24”

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a beaded dovetailed into a serrated ramp machined to the front of the barrel. The rear of the barrel has a dovetail cut that is installed with a flat filler. The rear sight is a v notch elevator sight dovetailed to the barrel. The top of the receiver has two pairs of drilled, tapped, and filled holes.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The stocks are checkered walnut with a pistol grip with a black checkered hard rubber grip cap, straight comb, schnabel tip forend, and a serrated shotgun style buttplate. There are some scattered light handling marks. There are a few scattered light compressions and a couple of little marks through the finish. The checkering is mostly sharp with a couple of light marks. The LOP is 13 1/4” from the front of the trigger to the back of the buttplate. The plate has some patina, little scratches, patina, and a few scabs. There is wear on the wood around the buttplate. The stocks rate in about Fine condition.

Type of Finish: Blued with Case Color Lever

Finish Originality: Original

Bore Condition: The bore is bright with sharp rifling. There is no erosion. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 10/10. 

Overall Condition: This rifle retains about 90% of its metal finish. There are some scattered little spots of frost on the receiver and a couple of spots of thinning. The edges have finish loss. The barrel has some minor finish loss at the muzzle. There are a few little spots of faint surface oxidation on the barrel. The case color on the lever is vibrant with only faint muting and corrosion. The screwheads are sharp to lightly tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this rifle rates in about Excellent condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. 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 most of the lever action 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. This is a Model 99 EG, a solid frame model made with a checkered pistol-grip stock and a Schnabel tipped forend. The rifle has a 24” barrel and comes with a brass beaded blade front sight with its upper tang installed with an aperture tang sight. This rifle is in great mechanical condition for being about 70 years old and has a mint bore. This is a nice find for the Savage 99 collectors. If the collectors don’t pay enough attention, this will make a great deer rifle for next season.