Savage 22HP

On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of ten thousand, who on the dawn of victory lay down their weary heads resting, and there resting, died.

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch...
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!
- Rudyard Kipling

Life grows grim without senseless indulgence.

03 January 2017, 20:32

Bill/Oregon

Incredible wood. Hope we get to see her engraved and blued.

04 January 2017, 02:40

randyreloader

Is the takedown still functionable or made solid?

04 January 2017, 02:52

Duane Wiebe (CG&R)

It's still a TD..Bill..wood is a real eye popper, I don't know where it came from

04 January 2017, 06:54

Scrollcutter

Plum Purty!

04 January 2017, 07:14

z1r

Nice, very nice. Makes mine look like, well not nearly so nice.

I should find the time to restock mine. It is a blast to shoot.

I can't wait to see it once the engraving is done.

04 January 2017, 11:46

Cougarz

Very, very nice! Good to see a fine old classic 99 getting the full beauty treatment.

04 January 2017, 16:58

drhall762

Very pretty but can it fight? Apologies to Donald Sutherland and The Dirty Dozen.

04 January 2017, 21:21

xausa

quote:
Originally posted by drhall762:
Very pretty but can it fight? Apologies to Donald Sutherland and The Dirty Dozen.

My 99 Savage in .22HP will put them on the ground in a hurry. Another fine Charles Newton cartridge!

The take-down feature on mine has been deactivated. The barrel, as Townsend Whelen advised, has been permanently joined to the action. No accuracy problems at all. Mine is fitted with a Lyman Alaskan scope in Stith mounts.

05 January 2017, 03:33

Atkinson

That rifle makes my heart patter, its better than a Fox News Fox...Did you use Alkanet on the wood?? I have a passion for 99s, and have custom stocked a number of them..but as you know if you make something for yourself somebodys going to buy it sure as hell...so I don't custom stock the ones I own now..

My brother had one growing up and we shot a lot of deer in Mexico with it..It killed mule deer and coues about as well and any gun I ever shot. I was just starting to reload and we bougtht bullets from some guy in Texas, the sure were good bullets, and I had buckets of 25-35 and 30-30 and I learned to make 22 hi-powers out of them from an old local gunsmith. Brings back a lot of memories.

05 January 2017, 03:46

butchlambert

I think I have a small amount of loaded ammo or brass for it.

05 January 2017, 21:13

Duane Wiebe (CG&R)

This will not be a shooter..Museum bound with owners other guns

06 January 2017, 00:41

xausa

quote:
Originally posted by butchlambert:
I think I have a small amount of loaded ammo or brass for it.

Fresh ammunition is available from S&B, only they call it 5.6X52R. Kills the hell out of deer.

06 January 2017, 00:44

xausa

quote:
I was just starting to reload and we bougtht bullets from some guy in Texas, the sure were good bullets,

Ray, would those have been Sisk bullets? I still have a few I bought years ago.

06 January 2017, 05:18

Clayman

quote:
Originally posted by Duane Wiebe (CG&R):
This will not be a shooter..Museum bound with owners other guns

That's tough to stomach! Something as nice as that deserves to be used, if even lightly!

06 January 2017, 19:21

butchlambert

xausa, you are correct, but I was speaking of ammo with the correct head stamp.
Got a few Sisk bullets left myself.

06 January 2017, 21:46

ZekeShikar

Oh my! That's a lovely rifle!
Thanks Duane.
Zeke

06 January 2017, 23:20

Huvius

22HP is a WAY underestimated cartridge.
I recall the first time Steve Bertram shot my Manton double. He says "wasn't expecting THAT!"
Would love to have a 99 in it some day and always thought a Winchester 54 in 22HP would be sweet.

07 January 2017, 01:50

z1r

quote:
Originally posted by Huvius:
22HP is a WAY underestimated cartridge.
I recall the first time Steve Bertram shot my Manton double. He says "wasn't expecting THAT!"
Would love to have a 99 in it some day and always thought a Winchester 54 in 22HP would be sweet.

The only real issue with this cartridge in a 99 is the twist. It was fine for the shorter rounder bullets of its day. The only semi available mass produced bullet is the Hornady 70 grain which is designed for the 5.6x52r which has a faster twist. They won't stabilize in my 99. I have a trim die that I file the noses off in to get them to stabilize. Still,
it is a fun rifle to shoot.

07 January 2017, 14:43

hogfarmer

quote:
Originally posted by z1r:
quote:
Originally posted by Huvius:
22HP is a WAY underestimated cartridge.
I recall the first time Steve Bertram shot my Manton double. He says "wasn't expecting THAT!"
Would love to have a 99 in it some day and always thought a Winchester 54 in 22HP would be sweet.

The only real issue with this cartridge in a 99 is the twist. It was fine for the shorter rounder bullets of its day. The only semi available mass produced bullet is the Hornady 70 grain which is designed for the 5.6x52r which has a faster twist. They won't stabilize in my 99. I have a trim die that I file the noses off in to get them to stabilize. Still,
it is a fun rifle to shoot.

Mike, I guess it's just the difference between individual rifles, but I've been using the Hornady 70 grains for years in my 1899 with no problems. I do think the Speer 70 grain .228 bullets gave me better accuracy, but sadly they were discontinued many years ago.

09 January 2017, 22:08

gnoahhh

That is a gorgeous rifle, and in one of my all time favorite chamberings.

I have a few thousand .228 bullets stashed with which to feed my three hungry Savage .22HP's. Quite a few Hornady's which I too file trim the noses of in order to get them to work. I lucked into a pile of Speer 70's and Sisk 63 and 70's which I hoard like gold.

Now that .25-35 cases can be had again, the brass situation is tolerable.

13 January 2017, 03:17

Ray Z

Another beauty Duane. I see a lot of used Savage 99's locally but never bought one as they all seem to be chambered in 300 savage.
How much work is it to rechamber one to .308?

18 January 2017, 00:58

KimR

A friend in India has grandmothers H&H double rifle in 22 Savage.It was her tiger rifle.Deer should be no problem.

18 January 2017, 01:02

Duane Wiebe (CG&R)

quote:
Originally posted by Ray Z:
Another beauty Duane. I see a lot of used Savage 99's locally but never bought one as they all seem to be chambered in 300 savage.
How much work is it to rechamber one to .308?

18 January 2017, 01:04

Duane Wiebe (CG&R)

I would think the spindle would be the biggest problem. I think there were some frame changes...but I'm, not the expert on 99's

29 January 2017, 00:56

Atkinson

Xausa,
Spot on they were Sisk bullets...this 82 year old grey matter of mine quit working at the most inopertune times these days!

29 January 2017, 01:00

Atkinson

you cannot change the early 99s, not even the later 99EGs in 300 Savage to .308, they use a different rotar and rotors are hard to come by and hard to identify, but no matter, the steel isn't up to snuff on the older guns, according to P.O. Ackley and some other gunsmiths Ive talked to..All of whom consider it a poor practice.

31 January 2017, 02:08

gnoahhh

The steel in the 99's post-1915 is ok for .308. That was when they introduced the .250-3000 (and the .300 in 1920). The thing about using a pre-1956 99 for a .308 conversion isn't isn't about the steel or the rotor- rotors are all over the place. The main drawback is the internal dimensions of the receiver were altered also to accommodate the longer cartridge. I know of one very talented guy who took it as a challenge to convert an early-1950's 99 .300 to .308. After months of work and much cussing he finally pulled it off- and swore he would never do it again.