Off topic rifle, but I know someone here can answer my question. I've always admired the looks of the older Savage 1899s. I bought one in 303 Savage and it just has the trigger block/lever style safety mechanism. No top tang safety. How does this safety work?...Geo

The Model 1899/99 has a small safety catch mounted on the bottom tang behind the trigger that blocks the trigger and also locks the lever closed. This is commonly called the "trigger safety," due to its location. In the 1960s, the Model 99 safety was changed and became a slider on the top tang.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/savage_99_rifles.html

Do you push it forward to take it off safe or pull it back? I know that the cocking indicator on the top of the frame will come up when its off safety, but I don't have the rifle in hand yet. Does the "trigger safety" just block the trigger or does it prevent the action itself from coming into full cock/battery?...Geo

Read your Chuck Hawks reference. That explained it.

Pushing forward will lock the lever and block the trigger
The gun will be in full battery.

See here Minute 1:23

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdI69ZqDMBo

Thanks; seeing it helped...Geo

The cocking indicator should be up/exposed when the striker is cocked,,doesn't matter if the safety is ON or OFF.

You can relieve the mainspring tension on the 1899/99 by closing the lever and at the same time holding the trigger back.
It takes a little practice as the last little movement to skip the trigger & sear past the striker uses a bit of trigger manipulation,
But you can pull the lever shut and locked on an EMPTY chamber for storage and have the mainspring relaxed. Some folks like that idea.

Don't do this w/a round in the chamber as the firing pin will be down hard on the round/primer in the chamber.
The round will just be ejected anyway as you lever the gun to cock it so no advantage there anyway.

Geo, all the talk on the general forum about "thinning the herd" was about guns, not deer. They are great looking rifles, btw. You plan on handloading the round? Gil

I bought the dies...Geo

Now if I can just remember where I put my Lee-Loader outfit.

That one's been rode hard, put away wet....

Kutter, thanks for the tip about releasing the mainspring. Your quote above is where my confusion lies.

I got the impression from the ChuckHawke article and the video that the striker is not fully cocked if the safety is on, and that the safe has to be pulled back not only for the trigger to pull, but also for the lever to close fully and finish cocking the striker. Video shows the cocking indicator down when the safety is engaged?...Geo

The striker can be at full cock,,wether the Safety is ON (full forward) or OFF (full back).
If it is cocked,,the cocking indicator will be showing at top the frame. The earlier style cocking indicator was on the bolt top surface itself.
But worked the same way. Rifle cocked,,it protrudes,,uncocked,,it's down flush with the surface.

The 1899/99 Safety simply blocks the trigger from pivoting and locks the lever from opening. It does nothing more.

What position the Safety is in makes no difference as to wether the rifle mechanism is in the Cocked or Uncocked state once the lever is closed, breech locked shut.

The cocking indicator works directy off of the striker, Nothing to do with the Safety position.

With the striker at the cocked position you can move the Safety back and forth betw the Safe an Fire positions all you want,,the striker will remain at full cock.
That has no effect on the striker, the indicator will remain exposed. The striker is totally independent of the Safety. Manipulating the Safety to Off does not lower the striker to a 'half cock' or other 'safety state' and then back to full cock when the Safety is re-engaged to the Fire position..


You do have to have the Safety in the rear position (Off/Fire) in order for the lever to be able to close all the way and lock the breech shut if that is the worry.
If the Safety is in the forward (On/Safe) position it blocks the lever from closing the last little way
But that is something that occures naturally in the operation of the rifle. I can't think of an instance where the shooter would re=engage the Safety to the forward position between shots (lever open) and then try to close the action.
It's just not a natural sequence of firing events to any manual operated firearm.

Thanks for the thorough explanation Kutter...Geo

Always nice to know how a weapon works before putting bullets in it!

George:

I own two of the later Model 99s, both in .300 Savage.

They are my idea of the ultimate eastern US deer rifle. Graf and Sons is currently listing .303 Savage ammo for sale with 150 grain spritzer bullets. To my knowledge, no major manufacturer currently makes the 190 grain bullet that made this cartridge's reputation, although Hawk, Inc. still offers one.

Rem

Years ago I was at a general auction that had a few guns, I stole a 99DL in .358.

Last year I needed a back up gun on my Maine moose hunt so I scoped it with a 1.75 Kollmorgan and ran some factory 250g loads through it at 100yds.

I was impressed....



I have a few 99's but none that shoot as well as this yet.

Geo,

If you want any load data for the 303 Savage, let me know (or we can start a new thread). I spent a large portion of my 2017 range time developing a suitable load for my wants out of the 303 savage.

It paid off in the fall:

Thanks Dimner, but I found out again I can't do iron sights so I passed the gun along...Geo

George:

A lot of the older Savage 99s are drilled and tapped for a peep sight that mounts on the rear, not the side, of the receiver. They aren't cheap (about $100-125 when you can find one) but they'll let you shoot an unscoped rifle a while longer, as my 64 year old eyes will attest.

Rem

In addition, the ones that are D&T's for the tang sights will also accommodate a Stith mount, it utilizes the tang sight holes and the rear barrel sight dovetail....

I ended up installing a piece of pickatinney rail and one of these on my Sauer 12ga/.43 Mauser combination gun.

https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/...8QSDE8ut4xwvbEb

Looks weird but its the most bad eyes friendly non scope sight I've found...Geo

nice deer and nice rifle !

I have several 303 savage rifles, two 1895s and 2 1899s

would love to know what loads you found worked best

haven't taken any of mine out hunting yet but I hope to try it on caribou and deer

thanks !

.

I bought a ca. 1914 Savage Model 1899H Lightweight Carbine (20" pencil barrel) in .303 @ a Cabela's for chump change a few years ago because it was D/T'd and had white paint splatter & some stickers all over the outside.

It took less then 30mins to clean up, and is nicely accurate with the current production Hornady 150gr JSP's.




This is @ 100yds:




I regularly use the un-cocking feature for storage - a neat way to relax the MS, w/o dry-firing.



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