Old School Cool Part 3

Old School Cool – Part 1
Old School Cool – Part 2

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The Savage 99 is one of the earliest lever-action rifles that would allow the use of pointed bullets safely. It evolved from the Savage 1895, both of which were quite popular in the American West and Canada. Its rotary magazine is one of the most popular features, as well as being of hammerless design. It was available in a plethora of calibers, including a .410 shotgun option for some takedown models. Despite its modern look, the Savage 99 is old school through and through.

My second ever old school cool rifle is the first rifle I purchased on my own, a Savage 99F. I bought it from a high school friend who didn’t care for the caliber, 300 Savage. It still wears the Leupold 3x with the post crosshair reticle that was on it. A tang safetied 99, placing it as a 1960s rifle as opposed to the earlier 99Fs. The rifle has accounted for more game than I can remember. The notches in the recoil pad number more than 20.  Sadly, even though the rifle accounted for my first and many more game animals. I only carried it afield for 10 years or so, and the last time was the late 1980s.

Since I was prepping for the article and wanted to rectify the lack of use the 99 had endured. I took advantage of an invitation for a 4-day hunt with a good friend. This would be a perfect opportunity to get hunting again. The rifle gives very acceptable accuracy and will quickly align its stock to my cheek and eye to its scope without any conscious thought.  While the 300 Savage caliber is often overlooked, it is capable of almost equaling the 308 Winchester. I shoot 165 – 180-grain bullets in my 308s, but for the Savage, I prefer 150 – 165-grain bullets. The bullet I normally use is Winchester’s 150-grain. Silvertip, I get 2700fps and good accuracy from the 22” barrel.

I would take the 300 Savage down on the hunt. Rey would be using his Savage 99F in 358win. It would make for a nice old-school hunt using a pair of vintage rifles. I had arrived and unpacked in my quarters, grabbed my 300sav. and a handful of rounds. We were off,….and an hour after I had arrived at hunting camp. A nice 10-point buck was spotted, and Rey dropped him from 60 yards. The Hornady 200gr. SP driving through ribs, and shoulder, and exiting. When we drove back to camp, I noticed a red lump in the grass. I figured it was either a feral hog or an old feed sack. When we stopped, I was able to determine it was a sow hog of about 150 pounds. She had some 40-60 pound offspring along with her.

Taking a knee in the middle of the road, I was able to take the sow at about 80 yards. As well as one of the youngsters of about 50 pounds at 60 yards. When I walked into the brush to search for the sow, I jumped another pair of 40-pounders. I was able to make a quick snapshot as they darted across an opening. The Savage still leaps to the shoulder and aligns itself without thought for accurate shooting. We would end up eating the larger of the two youngsters for dinner that night. The bullet used was Hornady’s 160-grain. FTX, designed for the 300 Savage. The destruction provided by the bullet shows it to be a bit too fragile for my preference. I have decided on the Winchester Silvertip 150gr. SP will remain my go-to bullet for now.

The next day, we happened across another big red pig; this time, Rey brought his 358win. into action. Taking the shot from 97yards, the 200-grain. Hornady SP dropped the big boar with a severed spine. Sadly, unbeknownst to us, he was standing in the middle of a large swampy mud hole. After some failed attempts to recover him. We decided the most prudent option was to leave him as not recoverable and feed the coyotes. We guessed his weight at 200 pounds, and he had some decent teeth. All in all, not a bad 4 days for old school Savage 99F’s doing what they do,….bringing home the bacon.

A companion rifle to my first Savage 99 is another in 250-3000, this one from 1942. I acquired it only a few years ago from my buddy Rey. It started as a takedown and, somewhere along the way, was converted to a solid frame gun. The two halves are being joined permanently, in a very professional manner. This rifle is a great general-purpose gun, being suitable for varmints or light big game. I placed a vintage Redfield 2-7x optic on it using an old-school Williams scope mount. 

Somewhere in its life, it developed the typical tang crack. I epoxied a through bolt to halt any further progression. At some point, I’d like to replace the factory stock with an aftermarket one featuring a Monte Carlo comb. I also replaced the missing front sight with a New England Custom Guns barrel band sight. Then Brownells AlumaHyde matte black on the entire barrel surface, taping off the action from overspray. The AlumaHyde does a good job keeping rust at bay. The only thing I need to be concerned with is the receiver. Which, after a day or two of use in our humid conditions, gets a wipe down with an oily chamois rag. 

It leads a rough and tumble existence, riding in trucks and off-road vehicles with no special considerations given to it. Despite the rather haphazard way of caring for the gun, it remains reliable and accurate. It has become one of my favorite guns for scouting properties during my abatement work. The accuracy provided has proven to be more than sufficient. As well as enough guns for any game I need to take, be it feral hog, coyote, or feral dog. It is another of those calibers that just works, without overstressing standard construction bullets to failure. You could use a premium bullet, but it’s really unnecessary; the standard 100-grain soft points do excellent work. 

I have an ample supply of factory 250 Savage ammunition and currently use Remington 100-grain CoreLokt ammunition. The bullet traveling at 2750fps, places itself on target at 200 yards, and only 9” low at 300 yards. An effective trajectory for general-purpose hunting, be it southern swamps or western foothills. I said that a premium bullet isn’t needed to enhance 250sav. performance. However, a mono bullet of 80 to 90 grains would flatten the trajectory and up the gun’s exterior ballistics. All the while giving up nothing in performance on game. 

READ MORE HERE: Old School Cool – Part 1

Provided really large game is not encountered, the 250 Savage makes an optimal walking-around rifle. Considering this Savage 99 is one from “the Greatest Generation,” it is fair to say it is a great rifle. Both 99s provide enough accuracy for general hunting of medium game out to distances of 250 yards. When you can get one in 358win. you have the power to hunt game up to elk and moose. Old school cool, versatility, and practicality in the Savage 99. Read more about the gun here.

Look for “Old School Cool – Part 4”…as the next installment.

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