Another Rifle

[segsarge]

I bought myself a new to me rifle today as a late birthday present. I was looking for a coach gun shotgun and ran across a 1951 model Savage 99 in .300 Savage on Gunbroker. I already have one but this happened to be for sale at a gun shop about 25 miles from my house and the price was right. So...I figured "why not?" She's got a bright bore, nice rifling and the wood is good. A couple of small dings in the stock but nothing noticeable. I figure she's just the right age for a good time.
Haven't shot it yet but we've spent some time in the gun room together and are getting along great. Gotta load up some ammo and take 'er out.

[krank]

What sights are on it? I put a scope on mine and only used it for one year before I put the Lyman peeps back on.
I only shoot 150 grain. The 180s drop too much. 150 is more than adequate.
I thought I had a lot of brass but could only account for 50 or 60 pieces so I bought an old box of power-lokt.
I got a M99 carbine in 303 savage. It has buckhorn sights. Nice gun but it aint no better than a Marlin 30-30.
The .300 savage is a gun that you could take out West.

[segsarge]

It has the factory sights that came on the gun. No buckhorn or peep sight. It's drilled and tapped for scope and I have the weaver bases on the way. I use 150 gn Hornady Interlock over Accurate 2015 powder when I reload. Also have a load for the same bullets in 165 gn, but the meat damage is gruesome. Leaves an exit hole the size of a baseball. Getting around 2400 fps on the 165's, a little faster with 150's. Never tried 180's since, like you said, they have a lot of drop.
My 1899 Savage has both buckhorn and a flip up peep, not drilled. Has the half round barrel. It's chambered in .303 Savage. She's a 1913 girl.

[krank]

My .303 is right around 1913 too. It is stocked in Osage Orange which makes it heavy.
That .303 isnt much of a round IMO. Stevens tried to sell it to the military and they didnt buy it. It is barely up to 30/30 ballistics and it takes an odd bullet.
The 300 on the other hand is what the military based the 308 on.
I think my 300 has a serial # from 1954. My least favorite Savage was the 99c. The last ones made with the box magazine. Not a bad gun just not built like the previous versions.

Speaking of guns, my dad bought a Garand from an armory and it has a new barrel and stock. We tung oiled it. He is ex-Army. He has a bunch of clips and is out there banging away with 100 pounds of FMJ. At 86 he is reliving his youth.

[krank]

I posted this before in 2021.

[segsarge]

Not much on the .303 Savage myself either. I run .308 diameter bullets through mine, but to reload I have to use round nose bullets. The spitzers seat down in the case too far and can't get proper OAL. The loading manuals call for 30-30 data reduced by 10%.
I read that Savage developed the 300 to better compete with the 30-06. They were getting 2700 fps. I don't try to load anywhere near that hot.
I also have two of the 99c's which, as you pointed out, have the detachable box magazines so there's no round counter on the side. I like the rotary spool internal mags. To me they are the real deal on a 99.
Bought a Garand several years ago when I worked at the pawn shop. And my dad gave me a couple of bandoleers of '06 FMJ that an uncle was "gifted" from the Army. Its from Korean War era. They're packed in the clips and original ammo cans. Never shot any through my Garand, afraid they might be too stout and damage the operating rod.

[krank]

I would think any milsurp ammo would feed in a Garand. Problem I see is gummy cases that have to be hand scrubbed before using. Good practice is to not use if gut says no.

I had a Savage bolt action in 300savage. It had a mini-Mauser action. Stevens tried to get the military to use it. Somebody had drilled and tapped for sights and ruined its collector value. I traded it to Ray for a M24 and he still has it.

[segsarge]

My brother bought a bolt action Savage "super sporter" years ago at a pawn shop in town locally. It was chambered in .300 Savage. Gun looked kinda rough when he got it but cleaned up nice, shot nice too. Last time I saw it the butt plate was hanging by one screw. Every time he took it off his shoulder it would swing down towards the ground.

[krank]

This gun was the Model 1920 which came out that year. I take the buttplate off guns that have the hole bored through the stock for the bolt that holds them to the reciever. I fill the hole with spare ammo and a piece of paper with my name on it. Stuff with wadding so it doesnt rattle. Put the buttplate back on. That way I know I have emergency ammo in the stock and a little surprise if I ever have to prove ownership.

[segsarge]

A friend of mine used to put his expired hunting licenses in the bolt holes of the stock of his guns. That was when you got the license that would fit in the little envelope you got with them. Not sure if he still does it now since they went to printed copy paper.

[bigbob]

I use trap tags.

[krank]

I got a deal going on with H&R Shotguns. I mount the buttplate with one slightly loose screw. I embed a magnet in the wood to keep it from swinging and it sticks to a dummy screw in the other hole. I drop a short piece of magazine spring down the hole. I carry two or three extra rounds in the stock with no rattle and quick access.

[segsarge]

Ordered scope bases for the new 99 from Midway USA (only place that had them), they sent them UPS. They were supposed to have been here Friday, then delayed until yesterday, then today. Got notice while ago it'll be tomorrow, maybe.

[bigjohn]

Midway's shipping sucks. They are only 35 minutes from so I just pickup.

[krank]

I do not deal with Midway. They charge sky high shipping and sales tax. I had an ordeal with the 303 savage dies where they kept changing the ship date on me for weeks in a row. Then when it shipped they sent it USPS and charged me what Fed EX next day air would have cost. The package arrived a week after it shipped. A bicycle delivery would have been faster. I sent a scathing email to Larry Potterfield and some jerk replied telling me I should join the NRA. I replied that he was a fool and the NRA has nothing to do with Midways repeated lies and deceit. I also told him that the email was for Larry and not Dumbo.
Nope. Never again. I use Graffs and Midsouth in TN. Faster better cheaper.

[segsarge]

Midway's shipping and tax IS sky high. I've not had the delay like you did but I don't order from them unless i can't find it anyplace else (like now). Checked at Midsouth, Natchez and some others but no one had them. Got another arrival date this morning saying it'll be Thursday.

[krank]

Sarge----Is it the contoured mount that goes on back and covers the safety indicator? If so you can have mine.

[segsarge]

No, it's the ones that mount further up on the receiver. Thanks anyway though. Checked a couple of minutes ago on my shipping status and it said that it arrived at the main post office next town over at 4:00 am. Probably get it tomorrow if that's the case. I guess the combination of UPS and USPS isn't that great. At least it's going to deliver to my mailbox. Don't have to worry UPS drivers not wanting to navigate the driveway.
The few times in the past that I ordered from Midway they were pretty good on shipping, just way too expensive. Not this time.

[krank]

That deal where UPS delivers the package to the post office and the mailman delivers it is for the birds. Shipper gets a huge discount and taxpayer pays the mailman. Meanwhile, the crooks charge more than premium Fed Ex or Ups would cost and it's a slow boat. Midway has nothing that I can't buy somewhere else cheaper and faster. Them boys in Tennessee at Midsouth are twice as fast as Midway with cheaper shipping and no tax.