Savage 99 Project

maverick2

FNG
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
51
Location
Kendrick, ID
I’ve got kind of a “long-term, off-the-wall, do-it-yourself” project going on with a Savage 99, but I’m having fun with it so will share it here. Of all the rifles I’ve ever owned, the one I’ve always enjoyed shooting the most is an old lever action Savage 99. That’s the rifle I started hunting with (in a .308) at 10 yrs old when my Dad passed it on to me, and has always been the first one out of the gun safe for sentimental reasons ever since. Over the last 10 years though, I’ve figured out that it’s also my favorite rifle outside of just sentimental reasons: it’s the best rifle I’ve got to carry on long days (it’s light), it feels the most natural (almost intuitive) following moving targets (I’m assuming because of its balance), and last but not least, there’s NOTHING more fun than filling the air with lead using a lever action while trying to nail a running coyote from afar. When I combine all the above, it’s about the ONLY rifle that comes out of the gun safe anymore for me. It’s only downsides are that it’s a little small (ergonomically) for a big guy, and it has some limitations in the accuracy department when it comes to long range and repetitive shooting. (I believe the thin profile barrel and the “hanger” on the barrel for attaching the forearm effectively precludes its use for those two particular applications, both of which I really enjoy).

I’ve since had to hand my original 99 over to my daughter (who now claims ownership) so when I ran across a “sound but abused” 99 in 308 for the right price a couple years ago, I grabbed it with the intent of customizing it for my long-term use. I started by addressing the “fit” issues by making some spacers to fit the crescent shaped butt and then adding a thick recoil pad to tack an additional 1.5 inches onto the length of pull, and then made a cheek piece from kydex to add to the 99’s drop comb stock to make this rifle quicker and easier to shoot with a scope. After that, I decided this needed to function as my primary long range coyote and varmint rifle, so had to fix what I think are the 99’s biggest weaknesses (get a stiffer barrel and figure out a better way to attach a forepiece) while not screwing up the 99’s weight and balance. I addressed the barrel stiffness and weight issue by swapping the original 24” savage 308 barrel out for a 22” medium-heavy contour carbon fiber barrel (6mm Creedmoor) and am hanging the forearm off the 99’s substantial steel on the floor of the action so it creates no interference with the barrel. I ended up paying a 4-6 ounce weight penalty for the carbon fiber barrel, but moved its center of gravity back a bit while GREATLY increasing barrel rigidity, so am pleased with that tradeoff. I think the forepiece is going to work out well also. There’s plenty of steel to attach to w/o interfering with the rotary system in the action, so I started carving up a piece of wood to fit tightly to the floor of the action. That actually attached extremely well – better than I expected. The pics below will give you a sense as to how that forepiece attaches, the interim steps to fitting it up, and how it currently looks. At this stage, I’m pretty pleased with how that forepiece functions. I’ve now got a fully free-floating barrel, and I love how the forepiece feels. (The wood beneath the action is much nicer to hold compared to the cold steel of the action when carrying it in my offhand on cold days, and the beavertail shape fits my ham hands better for off-hand shooting or shooting from a bench rest.) About all that’s left is to drill some holes in the forepiece to get some cooling airflow around the barrel, and then put a sealing finish on it.

We had some sunshine yesterday morning (though 15F and windy) so I shot enough to sight in the scope and get a sense of accuracy. Not the greatest conditions for shooting, but even after 5 cups of coffee to stay warm I still managed 0.75 MOA with frozen hands so I was OK with that given the conditions. This thing is kind of turning into a bit of a Frankenstein of a rifle, but I’m really looking forward to fully breaking the barrel in and shooting it in some nice weather to get a sense of its accuracy potential, and even moreso looking forward to lighting up some coyotes this winter across the snow-covered fields of the Palouse.
 

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Joined
Apr 1, 2020
Messages
48
Location
Oklahoma
My God, man. It’s brilliant. I’ve been idly thinking about what it would take to get a carbon fiber barrel on a 99 for a few months. And your stock mod is well done too!
 
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maverick2

FNG
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
51
Location
Kendrick, ID
My God, man. It’s brilliant. I’ve been idly thinking about what it would take to get a carbon fiber barrel on a 99 for a few months. And your stock mod is well done too!
Hahaha. Thanks!

Hells Canyon Armory (which happens to be local to me) makes a carbon fiber barrel with the right dimensions to mate up nicely with the Savage 99 action, making the barrel swap relatively simple. I could have gone with the same barrel blank but a lighter profile carbon wrap to give it less of a bull barrel appearance and shave some weight, but opted to stick with the larger diameter barrel for the added stiffness. (Appearance is the least of my concerns, and I figure I can always lop an inch or two off the barrel if I need to change the balance.)
 

87TT

WKR
Joined
Mar 13, 2019
Messages
3,431
Location
Idaho
What scope mounts you use? My old 99 has a Weaver with a long base that has the rings on it. It won't fit a modern scope. I was wanting to use it for varmints also but the old scope was limiting the range.
 
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maverick2

FNG
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
51
Location
Kendrick, ID
Getting the scope set up was probably the most frustrating (and time consuming) part of this thing. This action wasn't drilled and tapped at the factory and was off a little bit so I needed more windage adjustment than what my desired scope had. I've got Weaver bases on it, milled them out to handle Picatinny based rings, and then used Burris XTR Signature rings to get the 30 MOA of windage I needed.

I really like the Burris Signature rings for the adjustment they offer. Their standard Signature rings fit the Weaver bases fine, but only offer up to 20 MOA adjustment. Their XTR Signature rings provide up to 40 MOA, but require Picatinny compatible bases. You can get a Picatinny Rail for the 99 if you prefer not to mill out the Weaver bases.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2015
Messages
5,606
Location
Lenexa, KS
That's an odd build, not sure how I feel about it, but I'm glad you're having fun!

I'd like an old 99 someday. Cool rifles.
 
Joined
Apr 13, 2019
Messages
475
Interesting. I shot my first deer with a model 99 in 308 with a fixed 4 power scope, it was borrowed from my uncle, this has me wondering what ever became of it.
 

turbine1

FNG
Joined
Nov 24, 2022
Messages
11
That looks like a great project. I've been looking at a few bolt action rifles with carbon fiber barrels, but I have concerns about heat dissipation during range sessions.
 
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maverick2

FNG
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
51
Location
Kendrick, ID
If the weather cooperates I'll shoot tomorrow, and will pay attention to how fast things heat up. (Though I doubt this rifle will see enough continuous repetitive shooting for barrel heat to be a big problem.)
 

turbine1

FNG
Joined
Nov 24, 2022
Messages
11
If the weather cooperates I'll shoot tomorrow, and will pay attention to how fast things heat up. (Though I doubt this rifle will see enough continuous repetitive shooting for barrel heat to be a big problem.)
I am looking forward to hearing how it performs. I think that it is going to be a really sweet, fast handling rifle.
 
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maverick2

FNG
Joined
Jan 31, 2015
Messages
51
Location
Kendrick, ID
Well hell... That shooting session didn't go as planned...

Beautiful day to shoot -- 45F, sunny, and no wind. 10 shots, 45 seconds to 1 minute between shots at 100 yd target.

1st shot was 3 inches low from previous zero, and each successive shot walked upward by 1.5 inches and right by 1/2 inch using Federal 107 gr Matchkings. (After 4 shots I'm 4.5 inches high and 1.5 inches right.) Ammo change to Hornady 87 gr VMAX seemed to exhibit the same behavior. No scope adjustments made during the shooting. Stopped after 10 shots to ponder likely problem.

Here's a little background info for anyone that wants to offer suggestions... I've got about 40 round thru this thing so far. When I first took the rifle out shooting I had a helluva time getting the rifle on paper (whomever drilled and tapped the receiver for the scope was quite a ways off center so I put a set of Burris XTR Signature rings on it to get the windage adjustment I needed). I had some fitment issues between the rings (picatinny) and bases (weaver) so shots were pretty sporadic while getting that worked out (all over the map -- no discernable pattern). I milled out the bases for a better fit, and shots seemed to come together with last weeks' shooting (albeit limited # shots in cold weather). My 5 shot string last week was right at 1 MOA in lousy shooting conditions, and 0.75 MOA if I throw out the cold bore shot. That group was a little high and wide for my desired 100 yd zero, so I adjusted the scope down 1 MOA and right by 1/2 MOA before starting shooting today. (Scope is a Leica 3.5-14x42 w/ target turrets that I've never had trouble with.)

My first shot today was right where I expected from a windage standpoint (but 2 inches lower than expected after adjusting for elevation prior to shooting) and then each successive shot walked upward and to the right as noted before. I checked for any barrel/forepiece contact and found none so I don't think I've got any exterior pressures on the barrel. I stopped shooting when I did in order to hang onto rounds of ammo from the same boxes and see what I get for results (whether it returns to the same zero as I saw today, or picks up from the last string I shot, or does something else entirely. After that I think I'll swap to a different scope and see if maybe my current scope is whacked. After that, I'm open to any suggestions anyone has. Thoughts?

(FWIW, after 5 shots it was difficult to discern any heat from the barrel and after 10 it was a little warmer than the ambient temp but not by much...)
 

turbine1

FNG
Joined
Nov 24, 2022
Messages
11
If you are feeling the heat through the carbon fiber, then the barrel is definitely getting hot. If you were using reloads then it could be inconsistent charges or neck pressure.
 

84toyota

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Messages
213
Location
Redding, CA
ec997078970c597e6b95d174b14c0e63.jpg

Just sharing my Savage 99 in 22 High Power. Picked it up for a $100!
 
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