I recently acquired an early model Savage 99 (with a straight lever) in .303 Savage. The action is tight, the stock is broken and the bore is dark. Trying to stay close to the original cartridge dimensions (head diameter, length, etc., it was my intention to have the barrel re-bored to a .35 caliber, like a .356 Winchester. Spoke with Cliff LaBounty about it and he felt the .35/30-30 would be a better choice for this rifle. Anyone had any experience with the 35/30-30 or modifying these rifles to a 35/30-30 or other calibers?

Thanks.

i'd go 38/55 or 375 winchester. i have a 375 win & like it very much

It would probably be cheaper to rebarrel it with another original barrel, and it would take a hell of a lot less time, too.

George

There are pressure issues to be aware of if this is a very early 99. The 30-30 and it's wildcats are a relatively low pressure round. 38-55 would be OK, I have a 99 in this caliber, but 375 (and the 356) operates at a higher pressure. Personally, I would prefer the 38-55 to the 35-30-30, but Cliff's the guy doing the work and I would go with what he feels would work in your rifle. FWIW - dan

I agree, I would definatly go with the 38-55, and stay away from rimmed cartridges as they seldom work in a 99 conversion....also when your dealing with the 99, you must have the correct rotor assembly and they are out of production, used ones are not marked and your about to live a nightmare, been there, done that, several times, it ain't as easy as it sounds..

I would also rebarrel it to its original caliber and then it will work as is....

The 303 Savage cartridge has a larger base diameter than the 30-30 based cartridges do. My old hunting partner had a 303 Savage and got brass to fit it that was made from 220 Swift brass. 220 brass has a maximum base D. of .445" and 30-30 is .421". In other words a 35/30-30 or 38-55 chamber reamer will not clean up a 303 chamber. So if you rebored it, it would also have to have the barrel set back to rechamber it. I don't know how complicated that is!

Phantom,

I believe there is a short and a long action 99. The ones in 308 etc are longer. Then there is the pressure problem mentioned above.

First make 100% sure what the potential of the existing barrel is. In other words clean it and shoot it. If it's only problem is accuracy then recrown it and try again.

I too have a Sav 99 303S with dark bore and repaired stock that I got 3 years ago with a box of shells for $78.

The ammo is worth too much, so I have just shot it with 30-30 cases.

I am thinking of rebarrelling with 25-35, becuse it has the 303 spindle, and will not take a 250 Sav.

PhantomDuck,
As Ray pointed out the rotor is the piece that is going to be a bear to get right. I have an early 1899B in 38-55 and it is different. If you are thinking .35 caliber, I have two early blueline engineering drawings from Savage from 1908(?) that also show the .35 Rem listed. Don't know how many (if any) were made but it is an interesting sidenote. This of course won't make sense with a rotor for a rimmed cartridge. Good luck...Jeff P

Post your questions on the Savage Collectors forum at 24hourcampfire.com. They are very knowledgeable on conversions. My take: if your 1899 has a square back bolt and ser. no. under 90,000, the factory in the 1950s refused to convert them to .250 and .300. From 90,000 to 266,000, the factory would covert to those calibres but charged an extra five bucks to reheat treat the receiver. Above 266,000, there was no problem. An early .303 however would be OK in .30-30, .25-35, .38-55 and probably .22HP, but as noted already the chamber is too big at the back to simply rebore, the barrel would have to be set back. I think a .303 spindle might work with any of these but you should ask the guys on the Savage Collectors forum. If you watch ebay, 99 barrels will show up from time to time in various calibres. This might be your best bet.

Pfeifer, at least one .35 Remington 99 exists and a few years ago was owned by a collector out West. I think I still have his ID in the computer somewhere.

Try asking these guys savage shooters forums

Vigillanus - thanks for the sav forum tip, I have taken this up with them too. Very knowledgeable folks out there.

Also forgot to add that the article by Robert J. Snapp "Converting the Savage 99" listed on the bottom of the page at the following link is an excellent article for conversions. My library had a copy available.
Converting the Savage 99