I recently purchased a 99A (80's vintage) off the "used" rack at a local gunshop. It is in great shape, with a quality 4x Weaver scope. I am having a great deal of frustration getting it to group! (It's not me, as the last time out I shot three other rifles without a problem)
I think I am dialing it in with REm. 100 gr. loads,(never better than 3" at 100yds), then set it aside to cool off and pick it up later and I have to start all over again. Is there something that could be loose somewhere I should check? I have tightened the forend screw.
Any suggestions? From what I have read they're supposed to be pretty accurate. I love the gun, being a lefty, and would settle for consistency. As it is right now I have no confidence in it. Silvertip 100 gr. loads were no better.
Lou M

Tightening, or overtightening may be part of the problem.

When shooting my M99 if the barrel even gets the least bit hot groups immediatly go south. The fix I am trying is a quick and dirty free float, sort of. I bought some small O-rings. I placed a o-ring in the forearm hole where the forearm screw comes up. The o-ring just needs to come up about a 1/16" or so. I then placed a very small o-ring (1/4" diamter thin ring? ) at the tip of the forearm resting in the barrel channel. Then gingerly reinstall the forearm. If this is done right, not much of the forearm touches the barrel. Tighten the forearm screw snugly not super tight.

This ended the wandering groups. Didn't really shrink groups, but the holes didn't get any bigger either.

Hope this helps.

ZM

I almost forgot. I put a big o-ring where the forearm meets the reciever.

ZM

Thanks Zeke! An easy remedy if it works. I'll give it a try. Only a couple of more weeks before the CA Coastal Deer season and I really want to use this rifle.
Lou

It's a quick and dirty remedy for sure. I borrowed the idea from the folks at Graybeards Outdoors. I did a similar fix to my H&R Buffalo Classic. I figured it might work on the Savage 99 as well.

ZM

You might want to ask here, Lou:

/www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/Savage. These guys are Savage 99 24/7

Make sure the rear of the forend is not in contact with the receiver either on its rear end or at the sides.

Vig.
Could you clarify for me: "forend is not in contact with the receiver." How does one achieve that? Wouldn't that mean, the only thing holding the forend on would be the little screw midway down the barrel?
Thanks,
Lou

quote:

REm. 100 gr. loads,(never better than 3" at 100yds)...Silvertip 100 gr. loads were no better.

A wandering groups could be caused by a cracked up scope, which can happen even in the better brands. If the group is merely routinely miserable have a look at Barsness' article on the Savage 99 in the current issue of _Rifle_. He suggests that many 100 grain bullets may be too long for a 250 with the usual 1:14 twist. He also discusses the best sort of fit for the foreend. Good hunting!

Unless it was 1 of the guns that Savage made up from leftover parts in the mid-1980s, a tang safety 99A in 250-3000 sould have a 1-10" rate of twist, so it should handle 100 grain bullets without any trouble. Barsness told me that the Winchester 70 Lightweight Carbine in 250-3000 that I bought from him would shoot 100 grain bullets and it has a 1-14" rate of twist.

After tightening all of the screws in the rings and bases, try shooting it with the forearm removed and the receiver resting on the sandbag, so that the barrel doesn't touch anything. If that doesn't work, try a different scope. If that doesn't work, I'd opt for a new barrel.

Jeff

I would try a different load before you get to far into it. I have an older 99 in 250-3000 and the first groups I shot with it we with 100gr bullets (Nosler BT and Sierra PH) and it scared me! My 870 shotgun patterns looked better(3"+). Then I loaded some 70gr bullets and I'm getting 1.- 1.5" groups and this rifle only has a peep sight on it.
My next step is to find a 87gr load that will work and then take it deer hunting.
Good Hunting
Jeff in ND

Get a copy of the latest Rifle magazine as there was an excellent article about the Savage 99. It had tips on tuning the gun and some handloads to try and info on the different variants.

That Rifle Magazine acrticle was FANTASTIC. It is a must read for anyone who owns or is interested in 99s.

Damn, our secret is out. Now everybody will want one.

LouM, that is correct, the forend is to be held to the rifle only by the forend screw. The back of the forend fits into the socket but should not touch it either at the rear flat or on the sides.

Thanks for the clarification Vig. I will take another look at where the foreend meets the receiver. Thanks to all of the others who posted too. I do have dies, but was hoping to not get into a serious reloading project with this gun. (Please don't banish me here for uttering those words)
I subscribe to Rifle. Am I the last person to not have received their latest issue? I sure am looking forward to it now!

It looks like I have my work cut out for me.
Forend issues? Ammo issues? Scope issues?

I played it safe last night for last night's deer hunt. I took my Marlin 1895 45-70 with Williams peep. It is my "go to" piece for when the high-tech contraptions are giving me grief.

Lou

I glass bed the butstock, and the forearm..ON the forearm screw it up to center line and let the glass cure...be sure and glass where the forearm butts into the action body...Everyone I have glass has shot into an inch and thats a lot of 99s...the do respond to proper bedding about as well as any rifle action I know of..

YOur 99A has a 1x10 twist..

Some of the 99's of that era do have 1-14 twist. The one I bought (had tang safety) new in the late 70's was 1-14. It shot 100 gr ok but would NOT stabilize 117 gr. It was stellar with 60 gr hornady (25-20 bullet) in reduced loads 1500-2000 fps.

Let's put it this way, Savage didn't CATALOG any TANG SAFETY 99s in 250-3000 with 1 in 14" twist barrels. They did make some guns up with leftover parts in the mid-1980s, but 1 in 14" twist barrels SHOULD have square threads and 1 in 10" barrels SHOULD have V threads. I've yet to see a tang safety recevier with square threads, but they may have done it. With Savage, you never know for sure.

Jeff

Used to shoot a M99EG in .250-3000 with a old Weaver V4.5 scope. That old rifle did anything I asked of it with 60 grain, 87 grain and 100 grain bullets. Won several running deer matches with it, and the 60 grain hollow points were supremely disctructive of woodchucks and crows.
LLS

I understand they did not catalog 1-14 twist model 99a rifles . I had seen the catalogs and therefore assume I was getting 1-10 twist. Thus my first box of bullets for hand loading were 117 gr (sierra i think). Loaded them and the few that hit the target were side ways.That was when I decided to measure the twist and learned it was 1-14.It was a nice little rifle wish I still had it.

I've had 1 in 14" twist 250-3000s that handled 117 grain Remington/Hornady RN bullet pretty well. It has been written that with Savage, you never know, so I guess you had a rare/unusual piece.

Jeff

ALL the 99As of that era have 1x10 twists, the early 99As way back yonder had 1x14...Yours has a tang safty, walnut uncheckered, schenable forend...

Is it possible that some of the Savage Services guns that were made up from leftover parts had 1-14" twist barrels?

I have seen a number of non-cataloged 99s from the 1970s and/or 1980s. These include 99As in 7mm-08, 99Cs in 250-3000t, and 99C/E hybrids in 358. Just 'casue it wasn't in a catalog doesn't mean that it wasn't made in Westfield.

Jeff

Mine was a 99a it had a tang safety. I bought it new in the late 70's in Paducah Kentucky. It may have been the only one made in that era with 1-14 twist I don't know. I am not the the authority that Mr. Atkinson is. But I do know how to measure barrel twist. Besides if it had been a 1-10 twist it would have stabilized 117 gr spire points.
I posted this info to be of posible help. Now it seems I am a liar or to ignorant to know what I owned.

Don't get excited, no one is calling you a liar ...Savage is notorious for doing such things...I had not read your posts thus my reply...sorry.

quote:

Originally posted by pachyderm:
Now it seems I am a liar or to ignorant to know what I owned.

It happens.

Lou M:

As an old user of the Savage 99 (including the 250/3000) I racked my brains thinking about your problem. Others in the Forum, I'm sure also have good advice for you. I keep coming back to what I guess is the take down feature. Us older 99 users always thought it was an abomination. It may be that the rifle is moving in the stock. I sincerely hope that you can work it out. Please don't give up on the rifle. If you are a Northeast woods deer hunter you will never find a better deer hunting rifle -please believe this old man! It comes up and it points - and gives a smooth second shot -and best of all, the 100 gr. bullet will kill deer as well as the 180 gr. 30-06. ( I know. I have used both) {Just don't try to shoot the deer in the ass!)