Most of the posts I have read on this subject is mainly Beauty in the eye of the beholder opinions, some people hate the look of the BLR others love the homely looking 99 .Which action has the stronger lever mechanism ? I mean if extracting a tight shell, which is stronger ?[I don't mean front versus rear locking standpoint ] the thought of stripping gears [I know mostly unlikely ] in the BLR seems night mareish ,to me at least, I haven't the rifles to pull apart and examine ,seems the 99 would be better and easier to dismantle fix etc ,IF for arguments sake anything broke .

No smithy here !
But i am told BLRs are very tough to work on in regards to the Rack and pinion and also hard to re barrel. But the magazine portion of the 99 looks a bit crazy to me.;;

They both have problems if you want to do a complete tear down.

Trying to re-time the rotary savage magazine can be a night mare.

What one has stronger extraction beats me.

I have pretty limited experience with either one but I would think extraction wise the rotating bolt of the BLR would have the advantage. That being said my friend had one that reportedly jumped a gear, he claimed he didn't know how that happened and it took a gunsmith a while to get it back to him.

The BLR is chambered in MAGNUM cartridges rated to ≈62 KPSI...The 99 only to ≈52 KPSI...and YES the BLR NEEDS a 'smith knowledgeable in the browning design AND the barrels are press fitted so barrel swapping can be a challenge also...SO does the 99, these toys are NOT simple bolt guns anyone can futz with.

You want to know about "timing" the various parts, go online...there are a few links...have a broken BLR, SEND IT TO BROWNING or a 'smith that is a browning specialist or been to a browning school...same for a BROWNING rebarrel

I have both and BOTH are excellent scooters...nothing I ever shot with either one, 300 Sav 99, 450 Marlin BLR has ever escaped the dinner table...screw pretty...it DON'T necessarily bring home the bacon...OR mean anything except bias opinion and we ALL know what opinions are substitutes for.

But, Hey...that's MY opinion, so pick whichever/whatever you want...it's ALL good..and they BOTH do their jobs when the shooter does his/hers.

Good Hunting

According to the books Ive read, the factorys loaded the 99 to bolt action pressure and you can do that with new factory brass, on once fired perhaps, but then you need to load the 99 two grs. below book max has been my experience going back maybe 65 or so years with the 99..Ive owned 99s in mostcalibers including the 284, 308, 243, 250-3000 and a few others.

Ive owned a couple of GLRs in 308, 22-250 and 257 Robts..

The BlR is probably a bit stronger with its rotary bolt and its not as "springy" 99m so Ill call it the winner on strength, but not by enough to determine a decision, extraction is stronger than the 99...on the other hand the 99 is perfection in workmanship, all milled parts, rust blue, good quality all the way around, the BLR is full of cogs and wheels, all plastic, wood finish is dipped in a vat or sprayed, the quality isn't there..

But the bottom line is take your pick they both are good hunting rifles..

My choice has always been the Sav. 99, old school workmanship, was discontinued because it cost too much to build, the first went to the clip and was downhill from that point on..shotgun top safety, stamped checkering and poor wood quality..I would not own a 99 made after the 1950 or 60s other than the 99A straight grip that was the Savage 99 swan song..

as strength, both are within factory specs..so that's not a real issue for me. as I have figured out how to load them.. Both are tested and accepted by the factorys that load the ammo for them...I would load the BLR just a tad hotter then a 99 on 3 or 4th reloadings, knowing the 99 has more stretch if one full length resizes and levers should be full length resized IMO..feed and function first and foremost with hunting rifles..

Probably just best to pick the one that feels best, shoots best for the buyer..For me that would be a 1950-1960 FWT 99 Savage..with underlever safety, brass roto magazine, walnut and hand checkering..

Thanks for the interesting info ,picked up a 99 and a BLR at prices I couldn't refuse ,both in 308 ,The Savage 99 fits me better than the BLR ,feels more comfortable, see how I go with them
Cheers

Good for you...the BEST of BOTH worlds.

Another way to look at it is...If you are shooting a 52 KPSI cartridge then WHY would you want an action for a 62 KPSI cartridge...OR...the reverse.

Both fit me well so I use one or the other depending on the cartridge, caliber and game...in my younger days SPEED was my thing so small cal lighter bullets and ballstothewall dictated my choice in hunting weapons. I've learned a few lessons over the years and today(relatively speaking) I pick larger cals and heavier bullets at sedate velos, which means more in the ≈45- 50 KPSI velo range...the game seems to fall faster and I can eat right up to the hole...AND I don't get hammered so hard with recoil.

I've loaded my 450 M BLR into the 60+ KPSI range with no ill effects on both the cases or the rifle but there is an old adage that says dropping the pressure by 10% and you only loose 5% velocity and probably gain 100% better accuracy. Sage words to go by...works with ALL my other cannons.

Luck with your toys and enjoy them!!!!

Good Hunting

quote:

Originally posted by Robertcat:
Thanks for the interesting info ,picked up a 99 and a BLR at prices I couldn't refuse ,both in 308 ,The Savage 99 fits me better than the BLR ,feels more comfortable, see how I go with them
Cheers

Now all you need is a Win 88.

I customed stocked a Win 88 for a client of mine, used a schnable forend, Neidner grip cap and butt plate, used a pancake cheek piece and lot of wrap around checkering slimmed everything down, and it was beautiful and handled great, His rifle had a 18.5 inch barrel with barrel band sights, swivels caliber was unfortunately a 243! If I ever build one for myself I'll keep the 22 inch barrel however.

Id like to do that with a .284..The Win. 88 is, was, a fine rifle IMO...I think the clip is what killed it for a hunting rifle, but maybe not???

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
I customed stocked a Win 88 for a client of mine, used a schnable forend, Neidner grip cap and butt plate, used a pancake cheek piece and lot of wrap around checkering slimmed everything down, and it was beautiful and handled great, His rifle had a 18.5 inch barrel with barrel band sights, swivels caliber was unfortunately a 243! If I ever build one for myself I'll keep the 22 inch barrel however.

Id like to do that with a .284..The Win. 88 is, was, a fine rifle IMO...I think the clip is what killed it for a hunting rifle, but maybe not???

That would be a great small game walking rifle. I love the looks of an old Neidner buttplate, but they dont feel so good if its got some recoil.
Would work fine for a little 243 though. I have an old classic fajen stock with one for my 257 Bob, if I can ever get around to finishing it.

quote:

Originally posted by Wstrnhuntr: I love the looks of an old Neidner buttplate, but they dont feel so good if its got some recoil.
Would work fine for a little 243 though. I have an old classic fajen stock with one for my 257 Bob, if I can ever get around to finishing it.

I have a Neidner buttplate on my 7# 8x57 that is churning out 3300 ft# of Me and it is not uncomfortable to shoot.

Of course the cast off butt makes the rifle jump away from the face thus directing recoil away.

Ive found that if you pull the gun into your shoulder firmly, the steel butt plates are quite easy to shoot in calibers up to the 30-06 for most folks...I don't mind them in larger bores myself, but I have issues with the grip as I have an old hand injury..