Savage Model 99

Last updated
Savage Model 99
Savage 99.jpg
A Savage Model 99 with Weaver Scope
Type Lever Action, hammerless rifle
Place of originUnited States
Service history
Used bySee Users
Production history
Designer Arthur W. Savage
Designed1892–1899
Manufacturer Savage Arms Company
Produced1899–1997 [1]
No. built1,000,000+
VariantsModel 1892, Model 1895, Model 1899
Specifications
Barrel  length20 in (508 mm) to 26 in (660 mm)

Cartridge .303 Savage, .32-40 Winchester, .300 Savage, .30-30 Winchester, .25-35 Winchester, .250 Savage, .22 Savage Hi-Power, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .358 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .284 Winchester, .38-55 Winchester, .375 Winchester, .410 bore
Action Lever action, hammerless, tilting bolt
Feed systemRotary five-shot magazine plus one in the chamber, later models had a detachable box magazine.
SightsOpen iron sights, tang or receiver-mounted aperture sights. Later models had provisions for mounting rifle scopes

The Savage Model 99, Model 1899, and their predecessor the model 1895 are a series of hammerless lever action rifles created by the Savage Arms Company in Utica, New York. The Model 99 family featured a unique rotary magazine, and later added some detachable magazine models. The rifle was extremely popular with big game hunters and was even issued to the Montreal Home Guard during the First World War. [2]

Contents

History

The Savage 99 in Scientific American Volume 85 Number 10 (September 1901) Scientific American Volume 85 Number 10 (September 1901) (1901) (14759426856).jpg
The Savage 99 in Scientific American Volume 85 Number 10 (September 1901)

The earliest predecessor of the Model 1895 was the Model 1892, and it was one of the contending rifle models offered to the U.S. Army when they were looking to replace the Springfield Model 1873 trapdoor rifle. The Krag–Jørgensen was chosen over the Savage and other models. [3] The Model 1892 was never put into production (and indeed pre-dated the actual establishment of the Savage Repeating Arms Company; the Model 1892 was a collaborative venture between Arthur Savage and probably the E.W. Bliss Company). Followed by the Model 1893 prototypes, that evolved into the Model 1895 whose prototypes and design was done by Colt's Manufacturing Company and production rifles made by Marlin Firearms. [4] A Model 1895 musket possibly in .30-40 Krag was the winner of an 1896 competition for a New York National Guard rifle contract, beating out the Winchester Model 1895 and several other rifles. [5] Political controversy and the offer of free rifles from the US Army led to the cancellation of the contract, and the New York National Guard was therefore equipped with obsolete single-shot Trapdoor Springfield rifles during the Spanish–American War. [6] Similarly, the Model 1895 musket won a contract for arming the Mexican Army in 1897, but again had to cancel - this time due to lack of a factory to produce the rifles. Later refinements to the Model 1895 design led to the Model 1899, whose name was changed to the Model 99 with the introduction of the 300 Savage cartridge in 1921. In 1899, Savage offered to convert any existing Model 1895 rifle or carbine to Model 1899 configuration for a $5 fee. [7] After changes to the Model 1899 receiver and internals in 1908, Savage would no longer work on 1895's or pre-1909 1899's and would instead offer to sell a new rifle at discounted price.

During World War I, the Montreal Home Guard was issued Model 1899 rifles in "musket" form, which incorporated a bayonet lug and military-style stock. [2] While similar to the earlier catalogued 1899 military muskets, it has several differences and is thus known as the Montreal Home Guard Musket. The Montreal Home Guard contract was for a total of 2,500 rifles, though according to the Savage ledgers only 803 were delivered. [8] [9] These rifles were chambered in .303 Savage, as altering the design for the Canadian standard .303 British Mk VII cartridge would have resulted in an unacceptable delay in delivery. [10] Guardsmen were responsible for purchasing their own rifles [2] and had the option of having their names stamped on the stock. [11] Many also chose to have their names engraved on the left side of the receiver. [12]

Initially the Model 1895 was available only chambered in the 303 Savage, a similar cartridge to Winchester's .30-30 but usually loaded with heavier bullets of 185gr or 190gr. The Model 1899 was also only available in 303 Savage initially, but in 1900 they added the 30-30 and in 1903 they added the 25-35, the 32-40, and 38-55. Charles Newton worked with Savage Arms to introduce the 22HP in 1912, the 250-3000 in 1915, and finally the .300 Savage in 1921. In 1956 the .243 Win, .308 Win and .358 Win were added, and later the .284 Win, .375 Win, .22-250 and 7mm08 would all make appearances.

Originally incorporated as the Savage Repeating Arms Company from 1894 to 1897 in Utica, NY (present on the barrel address of Model 1895's), the company reincorporated as the Savage Arms Company in 1898. This lasted until 1917 when the company changed to the Savage Arms Corporation after being bought by Driggs-Seabury, and they have kept that name since then. The company produced Model 1899s and Model 99s in Utica, NY from 1899 to 1946, Model 99s in Chicopee Falls, MA from 1947 to 1959, and in Westfield, MA from 1960 to 2003. [9]

Design

400-pound tiger taken by Reverend H. R. Caldwell using a Savage 99 chambered for .22 Savage Hi-Power The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17973692960).jpg
400-pound tiger taken by Reverend H. R. Caldwell using a Savage 99 chambered for .22 Savage Hi-Power

The Model 99 and Model 1899 were preceded by the Model 1895, which was the first hammerless lever-action rifle. [13] The 1895, as well as the later Model 1899 and early Model 99, used a five-shot rotary magazine to hold the cartridges. [14] The rotating magazine uses a spring-loaded spool with grooves to hold the cartridges. The Savage 1899 took advantage of the spool to include a counter to indicate how many rounds are left in the magazine. [15] The Model 99 continued using this system for many years, except for later models which had a detachable magazine.

The rotating magazine design allowed the rifle to be one of the first lever-action rifles to use spitzer bullets commercially introduced in the decade after its development. Previous lever-action rifles used tubular magazines, which placed cartridges of ammunition end to end. The pointed tips of a spitzer bullet would touch the primer of the cartridge in front of it, possibly causing an accidental discharge. Another novel safety feature was a cocking indicator. On the Model 1895 this was a hole on top of the bolt through which a C (Cocked) or S (Safe) could be seen. On early Model 1899's this changed to a tab on top of the bolt which raised up when the rifle was cocked and could be visually seen or easily felt by touch; and in 1908 it changed to a small pin which would protrude above the top of the receiver to indicate the rifle was cocked and ready to fire. [16]

A number of special option features were available for Model 1895's, 1899's and 99's through the 1930's including multiple grades of engraving, several different checkering styles, pistol grips, a takedown option, better sights and peep sights, special order buttplates, and even having parts of the rifle silver or gold plated.The Model 1899 had a number of special grades available which came with sets of special order features, such as the Leader Grade, Rival Grade, Excelsior Grade, Monarch Grade, etc. [4] [9] By the end of production, Savage had sold the 99 family in 58 different models and special grade configurations. [9]

Notable Variants

Users

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee–Enfield</span> Bolt-action rifle

The Lee–Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century, and was the standard service rifle of the British Armed Forces from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957.

Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Model 1873 was particularly successful, being marketed by the manufacturer as "The Gun That Won the West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schmidt–Rubin</span> Bolt-action rifle

The Schmidt–Rubin rifles were a series of Swiss Army service rifles in use between 1889 and 1958. They are distinguished by the straight-pull bolt action invented by Rudolf Schmidt and use Eduard Rubin's GP90 7.5×53.5 and GP11 7.5×55 Schmidt–Rubin rifle cartridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lever action</span> Type of firearm action

A lever action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocking handle located around the trigger guard area that pivots forward to move the bolt via internal linkages, which will feed and extract cartridges into and out of the chamber, and cock the firing pin mechanism. This contrasts to other type of repeating actions such as the bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode actions. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a levergun.

Savage Arms is an American gunmaker based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with operations in Canada and China, PRC. Savage makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns. The company is best known for the Model 99 lever-action rifle, no longer in production, and the .300 Savage. Savage was a subsidiary of Vista Outdoor until 2019 when it was spun off.

The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. It has proved popular as a civilian, police, and military rifle since its introduction in the 1980s. The rifles have some features that improve performance in very cold conditions without impairing operation in less extreme conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remington Model 700</span> Bolt action rifle

The Remington Model 700 is a series of bolt-action centerfire rifles manufactured by Remington Arms since 1962. It is a development of the Remington 721 and 722 series of rifles, which were introduced in 1948. The M24 and M40 military sniper rifles, used by the US Army and Marine Corps, respectively, are both based on the Model 700 design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.30-30 Winchester</span> Rifle cartridge designed by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company

The .30-30 Winchester cartridge was first marketed for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle in 1895. The .30-30, as it is most commonly known, along with the .25-35 Winchester, was offered that year as the United States' first small-bore sporting rifle cartridges designed for smokeless powder. Since its introduction, it has been utilized alongside the development of flatter shooting cartridges, most prominently those derived from designs subsidized by interest in military expenditures, yet the .30-30 has remained in widespread use almost entirely because of reliable effectiveness in civilian applications, proven by putting food on the table for millions of people within a practical range of hunting situations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M1917 Enfield</span> Bolt-action rifle

The M1917 Enfield, the "American Enfield", formally named "United States Rifle, cal .30, Model of 1917" is an American modification and production of the .303-inch Pattern 1914 Enfield (P14) rifle, which was developed and manufactured during the period 1917–1918. Numerically, it was the main rifle used by the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War I. The Danish Sirius Dog Sled Patrol on Greenland still use the M1917, which performs reliably in Arctic conditions, as their service weapon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pattern 1914 Enfield</span> British service rifle

The Rifle, .303 Pattern 1914 was a British service rifle of the First World War period, principally manufactured under contract by companies in the United States. It was a bolt-action weapon with an integral 5-round magazine. It served as a sniper rifle and as second-line and reserve issue, until declared obsolete in 1947. The Pattern 1914 Enfield was the successor to the Pattern 1913 Enfield experimental rifle and the predecessor of the U.S. Rifle M1917 Enfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British military rifles</span> Rifles used by the British Armed Forces

The origins of the modern British military rifle are within its predecessor the Brown Bess musket. While a musket was largely inaccurate over 100 yards (91 m), due to a lack of rifling and a generous tolerance to allow for muzzle-loading, it was cheap to produce and could be loaded quickly. The use of volley or mass firing by troops meant that the rate of fire took precedence over accuracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remington Rolling Block rifle</span> Rolling-block rifle

Remington Rolling Block is a family of breech-loading rifles that was produced from the mid-1860s into the early 20th century by E. Remington and Sons. The action was extremely strong, and could easily withstand the increased pressure of the new smokeless powders coming into use by the late 1880s.

The Marlin Model 336 is a lever-action rifle and carbine made by Marlin Firearms. Since its introduction in 1948, it has been offered in a number of different calibers and barrel lengths, but is commonly chambered in .30-30 Winchester or .35 Remington, using a 20- or 24-inch barrel. Currently, the model with a 24-inch barrel is only available in .30-30 Winchester. The Model 336 is now back in production as of March 27, 2023.

The Winchester Model 1894 rifle is a lever-action repeating rifle that became one of the most famous and popular hunting rifles of all time. It was designed by John Browning in 1894 and originally chambered to fire two metallic black powder cartridges, the .32-40 Winchester and .38-55 Winchester. It was the first rifle to chamber the smokeless powder round, the .30 WCF in 1895. In 1901, Winchester created the new .32 Winchester Special caliber with production of rifles starting in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.300 Savage</span> Rimless, .30 caliber rifle cartridge

The .300 Savage cartridge is a rimless, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by Savage Arms in 1920. It was designed to replace the less powerful .303 Savage in their popular Savage Model 1899 hammerless lever-action rifle, which they started to produce again as Model 99, as well as the new Savage Model 1920 bolt-action rifle. Despite having a short case in order to fit the original Model 99 magazine and a rather stumpy neck, the cartridge is capable of propelling a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet at over 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) with an effective range of over 300 yd (270 m).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.303 Savage</span> Rimmed, .30 caliber rifle cartridge

The .303 Savage is a rimmed, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by the Savage Arms Company in 1894 which was designed as a short action cartridge for their Savage Model 1895 later 1899 hammerless lever-action rifle. The cartridge was designed for smokeless powder at a time when black-powder cartridges were still popular. The .303 Savage round was ballistically superior to the .30-30, but only marginally. The .303 Savage remained popular through the 1930s. Savage produced a half dozen loads for it. With its 190-grain loading, it was used on such animals as deer and moose.

The Winchester Model 1895 is an American lever-action repeating firearm developed and manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in the late 19th century, chambered for a number of full-size military and hunting cartridges such as 7.62×54mmR, .303 British, .30-03, .30 Army, .30-06, .35 Winchester, .38-72 Winchester, .40-72 Winchester and .405 Winchester.

The Winchester Model 52 was a bolt-action .22-caliber target rifle introduced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1920. For many years it was the premier smallbore match rifle in the United States, if not the world. Known as the "King of the .22s," the Model 52 Sporter was ranked by Field & Stream as one of "the 50 best guns ever made" and described by Winchester historian Herbert Houze as "perfection in design." However, by the 1970s the World War I-era design was showing its age and had given way in top-level competition to newer match rifles from Walther and Anschütz; the costly-to-produce Model 52, which had long been a loss leader prestige product by that time, was finally discontinued when US Repeating Arms took over the manufacture of Winchester rifles from Olin Corporation in 1980.

The Winchester Hotchkiss was a bolt-action repeating rifle patented by Benjamin B. Hotchkiss in 1876 and produced by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company and Springfield Armory from 1878. The Hotchkiss, like most early bolt-actions, had a single rear locking lug integral with the bolt handle, but was unique in feeding multiple rounds from a tubular buttstock magazine similar to the Spencer rifle. The .45-70 Hotchkiss was acquired in limited numbers by the US Navy as the M1879, and by the US Army and several state militias as the M1883, making it the first center-fire bolt-action repeater to be adopted by any major military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauser Model 1895</span> Bolt-action rifle

The Mauser Model 1895 is a bolt operated magazine fed rifle using the 7×57mm Mauser cartridge. It was exported to many overseas powers, including the Chilean forces which adopted as the Fusil Mauser Chileno Modelo 1895. It is the first major modification of the Mauser Model 1893 and was produced by Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken, known as DWM, and Ludwig Loewe Company from 1895 to 1900.

References

  1. Campbell, D. (n.d.). Savage model 99: A look back. An Official Journal Of The NRA. Retrieved March 17, 2023, from https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/savage-model-99-a-look-back/
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 202. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  3. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. pp. 189–190. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  4. 1 2 Royal, David (2016). A collector's guide to the Savage 99 rifle and its predecessors, the Model 1895 and 1899. Charlotte Royal, Rick Edmonds. Atglen, PA. ISBN   978-0-7643-5026-9. OCLC   927401935.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. pp. 190–193. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  6. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. pp. 193–194. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  7. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 194. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  8. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 205. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Reynoldson, Rory (2021). The Savage 99 Pocket Reference. Rory Reynoldson. ISBN   9781737583905.
  10. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 203. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  11. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 206. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  12. Mercaldo, Luke; Firestone, Adam; Vanderlinden, Anthony (2011). Allied Rifle Contracts in America. Wet Dog Publications. p. 207. ISBN   978-0-9707997-7-7.
  13. "Savage Arms > History" Archived 2015-04-03 at the Wayback Machine , Savage Arms.
  14. U.S. patent 502,018 , Magazine-Gun, Filing date: Apr 10, 1889, Issue date: July 25, 1893, Inventor: Arthur W. Savage
  15. U.S. patent 611,284 , Indicator for Firearms, Filing date: Jan. 17, 1893, Issue date: Sept. 27, 1898, Inventor: Arthur W. Savage
  16. U.S. patent 634,034 , Firearm, Filing date: Apr. 21, 1897, Issue date: Oct. 3, 1899, Inventor: Arthur W. Savage
  17. "Classic Guns: The Revolutionary Savage Model 99". 11 August 2017.