my brother was coerced to buy a like new in box model 99 in 243 win for 200$ from a coworker. it is the EG model with the spool magazine. still had box and paperwork from the late 50s or 60s. my question is would you stay away from top end loads cause of the model issue. factory ammo im sure is fine so i would think 100 gr bullets is acheivable. any other experiences?

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would you stay away from top end loads

Absolutely.....the Savage M-99 didn't have much margin of strength left when they started chambering for the .308 family.

99EGs in 243 are very, very, very, very, very, very, very uncommon. Easily a $1,000 rifle if in like new condition. If you want to sell it, post it over on 24-hour campfire and it won't last 24 hours.

Jeff

thanks Vapo and 260remguy. i called and told him to nix the scope and mounts and keep it original. he will probably keep it for a bit. w/o the info im sure it would have been in the back seat laying on top of his tire chains in a week or two.

I have the ugliest 243 Savage 99 in existence. A model E, Birch buttstock, pressed checkering, finish with runs in it, etc.

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Originally posted by buffalobreath:
my question is would you stay away from top end loads cause of the model issue. ...

Yes, the Case Head "Separations" come quickly with Reloads. With Robust Reloads(even in the 22-250 and 300Sav) you can expect Head Separations on 2-3 shots of the same Case.

They sure carry well in "my" hands, but you are correct to be concerned about that particular trait. If however using Factory Ammo, picking up the spent Cases and tossing them into the trash, then the Head Separation issue will probably never be seen.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:

quote:

Originally posted by buffalobreath:
my question is would you stay away from top end loads cause of the model issue. ...

Yes, the Case Head "Separations" come quickly with Reloads. With Robust Reloads(even in the 22-250 and 300Sav) you can expect Head Separations on 2-3 shots of the same Case.

They sure carry well in "my" hands, but you are correct to be concerned about that particular trait. If however using Factory Ammo, picking up the spent Cases and tossing them into the trash, then the Head Separation issue will probably never be seen.

Interesting that you would say this as my M-99 is a 1962 MFR that my father bought new (.308 WIN) and left to me in his will. It's probably fired less than 100 rounds in it's entire career and does in fact have excess headspace!

the Savage 99 is no problem to reload for "IF" you set up you full lenght sizer right. If you set the fl sizer so it contacts the shell holder when you size you might get head seperation on the first reloading. What you need is the Stoney Point/Hornady case headspace compar sytem. First you fire some factory ammo in the gun and measure the headspace of the case (lenght from the base of case to the datum line on the shoulder). You next back the Fl die out so it is about three full turns from the shell holder at its highest point. Lube and size a case and then measure it. Don't be surprised if the case gets longer. When the case first go into the die the body of case is size in and this pushes the shoulder forward. Keep turning the die down in 1/4 turn steps and sizeing the same case till the sized case is just a little longer than fired case ( 0.010-0.015"). At this point try the case in the rifle. If you get a lot of resistance you are getting near and should go to smaller steps( 1/8th turns). If the bolt will not close then you have a way to go. What you want is for bolt to close with the smallet amount of resistance. If the bolt closes with no resistance then you might have over sized and need to back the die to last step and try another case. If you over size any cases, crush the necks so they can't get mixed in with the good cases. If you get the die to the sweet point try a couple more cases and and if they are ok lock the die. PS: Make sure there is lube on the case every time it goes into the die as it might stick but don"t overlube as it will build up on the shoulder and give false reading and crush the shoulders. NO LUB ON THE SHOULDER

Fat Albert said it in a somewhat complicated way, but simply put, only resize the case the minimum amount necessary for it to dependably re-enter the chamber and you will maximize case life.

"Headspace" is not a universal constant; it is the relationship between the chamber and the datum point on the cartridge brass. Once a case is fired in a chamber its headspace will be "perfect" until something happens (resizing) to change the dimensions of the case. However, in the instance of a "stretchy" action like the 99, the headspace relationship of a fired case to the chamber may be slightly too tight to easily rechamber the case once it is extracted. Therefore, it must have SOME amount of resizing in order to successfully reuse it. If you size it all the way back to its original size or shorter/smaller, then its re-expansion on succeeding shots will thin, work-harden, and fatigue the brass just in front of the web to the point that it fails (head separation).

The 111 year-old Arthur Savage design is rear-locking and is a bit more "stretchy" than a forward locking design, but it is adequate for any cartridge in which it is factory chambered so long as the pressures don't exceed the yeilding point of the brass to the degree that the action is sticky (or stuck) when you go to open it after firing the shot.

Save your "edge of disaster" loads for a modern turnbolt and keep loads for the 99 at reasonable levels.