| Savage Model 99 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Lever Action, hammerless rifle |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1899 |
| Manufacturer | Savage Arms Company |
| Produced | 1899-1998 |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | .300 Savage sporting cartridge, .308 Winchester, 7.62mm NATO, .30-30 WCF, .250 Savage, .22 Hi Power, .22-250 Rem, .243 Win, .308 Win, .358 Win, 7mm-08 Rem, .284 Win, .38-55 WCF, .32 Win SPL |
| Action | Lever Action, hammerless rifle |
| Feed system | Rotary magazine, later models had a detachable box magazine. |
| Sights | Open iron sights, tang or receiver-mounted aperture sights. Later models had provisions for mounting rifle scopes |
The Model 99, and its predecessor models 1895 and 1899, are a series of lever action rifles created by the Savage Arms Company in Utica, New York.
The Savage 99 was preceded by the Savage 1895, which was the first hammerless lever-action rifle produced.[1] The hammerless design was a useful improvement as it reduces the lock time (the time from trigger pull to firing). This allows the rifle to be fired more accurately, because the rifleman's muscular tremors have less time to move the rifle off-aim. A hammerless design is also less likely to jam in brush or clothing.
At one point, a musket-version of the Savage 1895 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. The rifle was first known as the "Model 1895" because production started in 1895; later refinements led Savage to rename it the "Model 1899", later simply shortened to the "Model 99".
The 1895 as well as the later model 1899 and early Model 99 used a rotary magazine to hold the cartridges. [2] 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 shots are left. The Model 99 continued using this system for many years, until its replacement with a detachable magazine.[3]
The rotating magazine design allowed the rifle to be one of the first lever-action rifles to use spitzer bullets. 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- upon cocking the rifle, a small pin would protrude above the top receiver to indicate the rifle was cocked and ready to fire.[4]
During its long production history the Savage 99 was chambered at one time or another for .303 Savage, .30-30 WCF, .300 Savage, .25-35 WCF (or 25-35 Win), .250 Savage (also called the .250-3000, as the first commercial round to produce a velocity of over 3,000 ft/s (910 m/s)), .22 Hi Power, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, .358 Winchester, 7mm-08 Remington, .284 Winchester, .38-55 WCF, .32-40 Ballard, .375 Winchester and, by special order with a replacement barrel, .410 bore shotshell as a single-shot.