doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com The Wundhammer 99

mkb,
I can't speak for Steve, but I have once pursued the 99. And then I stopped and looked again, and wondered "Why?".

It is Way too thick in the wrist, with that long expanse of emptiness between the grip and the receiver. It is not a pretty gun in my opinion.

But maybe that's just me. After all, I find the fascination with this Pachmayer 03 to be beyond my comprehension. A gaudy piece of wood to be sure, but the bloody expanse of nonfunctional forearm, not to mention the general clutteredness of being a bolt action in general, I just can't overcome no matter how hard I try.

I'm learning to love certain trapdoors, so I can be "educated" to some extent.

But I do know one 99 I would love to have. Not for the rifle is, but for the man that owned it. It's fate hangs in an estate that I presume is being settled somehow. I wonder what will become of it?

I'm in Brent's corner. There are two 99s in somewhere in one of my closets, but they are there in memory of the men who owned them, not because they are nifty pieces of machinery.

I once spent a lot of time in canoes. The short little 99s fit well hanging beneath a thwart. As did an old Peabody that I liked much more.

Truth is I'm bluing a custom barrel for a takedown M-99 .22 HP as I write this. It has a fancy walnut, perch belly stock that I just fit a genuine Savage steel buttplate to. It is sort of a composite custom of factory parts, excepting the new barrel. As purchesed didn't shoot worth sour owl sh!t but is now a tack driver. The client is planning a tiger hunt in Ohio.
But the best thing about this project is keeping me from having to turn down my friends request for an SDH custom 99, something I've avoided for decades.
As well as you know me Mark, you should Know I will Never merit guru status...
Maybe a pic in a day or two?

I have had two 1899 Featherweights in 22HP. Both first year of 22 HP production, if you believe the numbers in the back of the old Dixie catalogs. SDH's description of accuracy can readily be applied to both my former 99s. The first was acquired back when I was in high school and went away in a trade soon thereafter. #2 came in a fit of nostalgia back in 1990. Three years back, an ardent 99 collector showed up on my doorstep and made me an astonishing offer. He quickly had the 99, dies, cases, bullets and all the brass I could find. Before he could change his mind.

Maybe Kurt will tell about how this one was made accurate?
and how accurate it really is?

SDH, a pic would be wonderful.

I too was put off by the Savage design for many years. I couldn't understand why my late father was nuts about them. After acquiring the first one of my own, in what I considered a weak moment at the time, I have since become quite fond of them. Subtlety of line, innovative mechanical design, superb balance, and superior strength and accuracy compared to the Winchester 94's and Marlin 93's of their day.

The .22 HiPower can be a rascal to make shoot, but if one perseveres and thinks outside the box a bit it can be made to perform in the old 1899's quite nicely. One of those has become my favorite woods companion latterly.

This was from a recent sighting in at 100 yards, two 3-shot groups, sight adjustment in between.

I picked up this 1899 takedown in .22 HP at a pawnshop in Spokane, Wa. It had been drilled/tapped, had an el-cheapo recoil pad, and was well (ab)used, but the higher grade perchbelly stock spoke to me. I just wanted a shooter in this caliber.

After trying 55, 60, 70, & 77 gr .228 bullets, various loads, factory ammo, fore end on/off and never achieving better than minute of pie plate at 50 yds, and tired of getting just 1 reload from a fired case before case separation, I decided to try a new barrel. For .228 barrels, I found that PacNor http://www.pac-nor.com/barrels/ and Lothar Walther http://www.lothar-walther.de/159.php (look under 5.6x52R, which is the Euro designation for 22 Sav HP) make them. With previous positive experiences with PacNor, I opted for one of their Super-Match Grade Chrome Moly 1:10 twist with a custom contour matching the original lightweight takedown barrel.

I had the barrel fitted (as a takedown) by Doug Wells of Lock, Stock & Barrel in Huson, MT. He does a lot of work on 99s and did an outstanding job on mine. While he was at it, Doug went over the all the internals, replaced 1 small worn pin, and also worked on the trigger pull. Fitted with a 6X Leupold Alaskan and taken to the range, at 100 yds the first 3 shots nearly cloverleafed. Should have stopped there -- the next 2 shots opened it up to 1.5" This was with handloads and 70 gr Hornadays. I repeated a 1.5" 5 shot group with Norma factory ammo.

With Doug's carefully headspaced new barrel, there is no apparent case stretching, and I ought to get a useful number of reloads from each case.

I wanted the barrel rust blued and the caliber (and takedown directional arrow) engraved rather than stamped, so turned to Steven D. Hughes. A repro hard plastic buttplate I had tried made the shouldered rifle slip all over the place, so I also asked Steve to fit a Savage steel buttplate -- the kind with horizontal grooves -- to the stock. When Steve is done, I'll have what i wanted -- a great shooting 99 in .22 Sav Hi Power. I want to take this rifle antelope hunting here in Montana!

Well, I still think the highest grade 99's show amazing engraving and carving/checkering that is equal to any produced during that time period.Didn't Paul Curtis' wife put out an eye with a tang sighted 99?

KVN, Thanks for not telling them why I can't imagine making a beautiful custom rifle from a Savage 99, and how you disagree with me.
I will snap a few pix in a few days when the rifle is finished bluing and reassembled.

Ed Webber told me about his Dad getting a brand-new 99, .243 when he was a boy and relegating the old and worn .250 Savage to Ed. It wasn't until many years later that he realized he got the best part of that deal. Both were considered OK elk cartridges in those days. (I believe a .243 is still elk legal in MT?)
Time to boilncard...