Savage 99 Buyer’s Guide (2026): Values, Model Letters, Serial Dating and What It’s Like to Shoot

Last updated October 2026

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The Savage 99 is the lever action that doesn’t look like a cowboy gun. There’s no exposed hammer, no tube under the barrel, and a little window on the left side of the receiver tells you how many rounds are left in its rotary magazine. Arthur Savage’s design started as the Model 1895, became the Model 1899, was renamed the Model 99 in 1920, and stayed in production until 1997, with more than a million made. Its spool magazine let it use pointed bullets when other lever guns couldn’t, which is why it was chambered for everything from the .303 Savage to the .308 and .358.

It’s also a gun with a confusing family tree. The same model letters mean different rifles before and after World War II, serial numbers stop being easy to read after 1950, and Savage Arms won’t service most of them. This guide sorts it out, with 681 completed sales broken down by caliber and model, a serial and lever-code dating guide, and a range session with a 1920s .300 Savage takedown and a postwar 99F in .308.

Savage 99 Pros and Cons

Savage 99 at a Glance

Table of Contents

What It’s Actually Like to Shoot a Savage 99: Myth vs. Truth

We shot two rifles. The first was a 1925 99G takedown in .300 Savage with a Lyman receiver sight, the kind of rifle that hunted deer for three generations. The second was a postwar 99F featherweight in .308 Win. with a low-power scope on its factory-drilled receiver. Before shooting we checked the counter on both by loading dummy rounds and watching it run 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, looked hard at the wood behind the tang, and checked that the takedown joint on the old gun locked up tight.

We fired 300 rounds over two sessions: Federal’s 150-grain .300 Savage Power-Shok, a 150-grain soft-point handload and Remington Core-Lokt, plus 150-grain .308 soft points. The lever stroke is short and smooth, and the action feels like a single machined piece rather than a collection of parts. The old gun’s trigger broke at 4 lb 15 oz with a little creep, which is normal; leave the sear alone, because lightening it is how 99s get dangerous.

With the receiver sight, the 99G averaged 3.4 inches for five-shot groups at 100 yards, and it kept every shot in a 10-inch circle at 200. Offhand at 50 yards it held 2 to 3 inches all morning. The scoped 99F in .308 did better on the bench, averaging under 2 inches at 100 with factory soft points. Recoil from the .300 Savage is mild, and both rifles came up to the shoulder like a good shotgun. No feeding problems, though overall-length matters: one long handload dragged in the spool until we seated the bullet deeper.

Who the Savage 99 Is For (and Who Won’t Enjoy It)

Buy a Savage 99 if you are

• A woods deer hunter. It carries flat, points fast and shoots modern pointed bullets in .308 or .300 Savage.
• A lever-gun fan who wants a scope. The postwar receivers take a scope cleanly, with no top ejection to get in the way.
• A collector of calibers and variants. More than a dozen chamberings and a long list of model letters make the 99 a collection in itself.
• Someone who wants a rifle with history. Few American hunting rifles stayed in production for nearly a century.

Skip it if you are

• A high-volume shooter or reloader who wants hot loads. A bolt-action .308 is the better tool; see our best deer rifles.
• Looking for a cheap lever gun to plink with. A Marlin 336 or a Winchester 94 in .30-30 costs less to feed.
• Expecting factory service. Savage only services guns made after November 1995, which leaves out almost every 99.
• A rimfire lever fan. Look at the Marlin 39A instead.

What a Savage 99 Costs in 2026

These are sale prices, not asking prices. We tracked 681 completed sales of Model 99s: GunBroker sales from October 2025 to September 2026 plus 50 Morphy Auctions lots from 2024 to 2026, which include the buyer’s premium. Model 1899s, Model 1895s and commemoratives are counted separately. Most sellers don’t state a grade, so treat the condition figures as a guide.

Prices by caliber

Prices by model

A few things stand out. Caliber moves the price more than anything: a .358 Win. brings more than twice what a .300 Savage does. Age alone doesn’t: prewar rifles sold for a median of $755, below postwar Chicopee Falls guns at $805 and Westfield guns at $855. Box-magazine rifles sold for $894 against $806 for rotary guns, and solid-frame rifles for $908 against $738 for takedowns.

Early rifles and special editions

Asking prices run above sale prices. On the day we checked GunsInternational, Model 99s had a $999 median asking price, about 25% over the $799 median sale. Prewar rifles were asked at 49% over what they sell for, and Model 1899s at 87% over.

The live cards below show current listings from more than 200 dealers. Savage 99s are all used guns now, so expect single rifles rather than stock, and expect the cards to change from week to week.

Guns.com lists dozens of used Savage 99s, from 99Es to prewar takedowns, with photos of each rifle. See every Savage 99 on Guns.com

One warning about price-guide sites: the “99” and “1899” pools on popular price sites mix in Arisaka Type 99 rifles, Barrett M99s and Krags dated 1899, which is why their averages make no sense. Use the sale prices above for the exact model and caliber you’re buying.

Which Savage 99 to Buy: The Model Letters

Savage used letters to name its variants, and it reused some of them. A prewar 99-C is a short rifle; a postwar 99C is the box-magazine gun. Read the letter together with the era, and the table below will keep you straight.

Prewar takedowns (1899 to 1940)

The prewar guns are the collector’s 99s: hand-cut checkering, case-colored levers, takedown barrels, and calibers like the .22 Hi-Power and .250-3000 that made the gun’s name. The takedown design lets the barrel and forend come off the receiver, so a whole rifle fits in a short case. The ATF lists Utica-made prewar Model 99s with serials below 450000 as curios or relics. Don’t drill a prewar receiver for a scope; it costs real money at resale.

Postwar hunting rifles (1946 to 1984)

The postwar 99EG, 99R, 99F and 99DL are the hunter’s 99s. From the mid-1950s they came in .243, .308 and .358 Win., and from about 1950 Savage drilled and tapped the receivers for scopes at the factory. The 99F featherweight is the one many hunters want. From 1960 the safety moved to the top tang, except on the economy 99E, which kept the lever safety and dropped the counter. From about 1965 the cheaper models got pressed checkering and hardwood stocks.

The box-magazine 99C (1965 to 1997)

The 99C replaced the spool with a detachable four-round box in 1965, Savage’s first big change to the design in 66 years. It took longer cartridges like the .284 Win., .22-250 and 7mm-08, and it outlived the rotary guns: Savage reissued it in .243 and .308 in the 1990s, and it was the last 99 made.

Commemoratives and late guns

The 1970 75th Anniversary rifle is a reproduction of the Model 1895, not a 99; 9,999 were made in .308. The 99CE Centennial of the mid-1990s carried AS-prefix serials. Collectors also report Spanish-made 99Cs with an L serial prefix. Price special editions separately from shooting rifles.

Which Savage 99 Caliber to Choose

The 99 came in more calibers than almost any other lever action, and caliber decides both what you can do with the rifle and what you’ll pay for it. Here’s how they sort out for a buyer in 2026.

For a rifle you’ll hunt with, the .308 is the easy choice: the ammunition is cheap and everywhere, and in our data a .308 99 sold for a median of $809. The .300 Savage is the traditional pick and sells for a little less, at $730, but its ammunition costs more. The .250-3000 is the one many hunters love for its light recoil and flat shooting. Early .250s have a slower 1:14 twist built for the original 87-grain bullet, so check before you buy heavier modern loads. The .358 is the collector’s prize among the postwar calibers, at a $1,952 median, and the .303 Savage and .22 Hi-Power are for collectors and handloaders.

Takedown or solid frame?

Takedown rifles let the barrel and forend come off for travel, and they’re a big part of the prewar 99’s charm. In our data, though, they sold for a median of $738 against $908 for solid-frame rifles, because most takedowns are older guns in older calibers. A takedown can work loose after years of being taken apart; a gunsmith can shim the joint. If you want a rifle to hunt with and scope, a solid-frame postwar gun is the simpler choice.

Savage 99 Condition Guide

Some wear is honest and normal on a hunting rifle: thinning blue at the receiver edges, faded case colors on the lever, and handling marks in the wood. What should worry you is a crack in the buttstock behind the tang, which is the 99’s best-known weak spot, a loose takedown joint, a counter that skips or sticks, sanded or reshaped wood, refinished case colors, and extra screw holes on a prewar receiver.

Serial Numbers, Lever Codes and Dating

Start with the serial. On most 99s it’s on the lower tang or the receiver; later guns carry an A-prefix serial on the left side. Collector tables put serials up to about 8,000 as Model 1895s and give approximate year-end totals after that. Treat every year as plus or minus one, because serials didn’t run strictly in order.

For rifles made from 1949 to 1970, look at the front of the lever boss, where the lever pivots. Many carry a small oval stamp with an inspector number and a year letter: A for 1949, B for 1950, L for 1960 and X for 1970, with O and Q skipped. The barrel address also dates the plant: Utica, N.Y. to 1946, Chicopee Falls, Mass. from 1947, and Westfield, Mass. from 1960.

For a prewar rifle, the Cody Firearms Records Office at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West holds Savage records from 1895 into late 1939. A factory letter costs $80 for non-members and takes about five weeks, and it’s the only way to prove a rare configuration.

Fakes, Refinishes and Parts Guns

Nobody fakes a whole Savage 99, but plenty are misrepresented:

• Restocked rifles sold under a better model letter. A 99E with a new walnut stock is still a 99E. Check the counter and the safety.
• Added checkering on straight-grip prewar guns. Factory checkering on those is extremely rare.
• Rebarreled or rechambered rifles. A .308 converted to .358 is a common gunsmith job. Make sure the caliber stamp matches the chamber.
• Refinished case colors and reblued receivers. Look for soft roll marks and rounded edges.
• Extra scope holes on a prewar receiver. They take a lot off a collector gun.
• Mismatched takedown barrels. Check that the barrel and forend belong to the receiver.

Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

1. Identify it: serial, lever code, barrel address, caliber stamp and model letter. Match them to the dating table.
2. Test the magazine with dummy rounds. The counter must read 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, and the spool must not skip or bind.
3. Cycle the action slowly and quickly. The bolt must lock up fully at the rear.
4. Test the safety, lever or tang type. It must block the trigger, and the lever type must lock the lever.
5. Check that the cocking indicator pin pops up when the rifle is cocked.
6. Inspect the buttstock behind the tang and at the recoil-pad screws for cracks.
7. On a takedown, check that the joint locks up tight and the barrel and forend match.
8. Check the bore and crown. On an early .250-3000, check the twist before you choose bullets.
9. Ask for a fired case if you can, or have a gunsmith check headspace on an old rifle.
10. Judge the metal: original blue and case colors, or a refinish. Look for extra holes on prewar receivers.
11. Judge the wood: sanding, added checkering or a replacement stock.
12. Price it against sales of that model and caliber, not a pooled average. Letter a premium prewar rifle.

Shooting and Caring for a Savage 99

Shoot only the cartridge stamped on the barrel, and never fire .308 in a .300 Savage. The .300 Savage is still loaded by Remington, Hornady, Federal and Winchester, and Remington still loads the .250 Savage, but both cost more than .308. The .303 Savage and .22 Hi-Power are handloading cartridges now. Keep overall length to factory specs so the rounds turn freely in the spool, and use standard factory loads in old rifles. Have any old 99 checked by a gunsmith before you fire it.

Don’t take the rotary magazine apart; its spring has to be re-tensioned when it goes back together, and that’s a gunsmith job. Don’t lighten the trigger by working the sear, either; a pull of 3 to 4 pounds is normal and safe. Clean the bore carefully, protect the crown, and flush the action with solvent rather than stripping it. If a takedown barrel has worked loose after years of use, a gunsmith can shim it.

Putting a scope on a 99

Savage drilled and tapped receivers at the factory from about 1950, and on factory-drilled guns it moved the Savage logo from the top of the receiver to the side, which is a quick way to tell factory holes from gunsmith work. A low-power scope in low rings keeps the rifle’s handling, and because the 99 ejects to the side, the scope never gets in the way. On a prewar receiver, use a tang or receiver sight instead, or a mount that uses existing holes; new holes cut into a collector rifle cost far more at resale than the mount is worth.

Savage Arms services only firearms made after November 1, 1995, from serial F498821, so a vintage 99 isn’t covered. Savage points owners of older guns to parts suppliers such as Numrich Gun Parts, MidwayUSA and Brownells. Many internal parts are specific to the caliber, so order by caliber.

A Short History: Arthur Savage’s Hammerless Lever Gun

Arthur Savage, born in Jamaica in 1857, patented his rotary-magazine rifle in 1893 and lost the Army’s 1892 trials to the Krag. With backers in Utica, N.Y., he formed the Savage Repeating Arms Co. on April 5, 1894, to sell the Model 1895, the first hammerless lever-action rifle. Marlin built those first rifles under contract. The improved Model 1899 followed, and over the next two decades Savage added the .30-30, the .22 Hi-Power in 1912, and the .250-3000 in 1915, the first commercial cartridge to reach 3,000 feet per second.

In 1920 Savage introduced the .300 Savage and renamed the rifle the Model 99. Production moved from Utica to Chicopee Falls in 1947 and to Westfield in 1960, the year serial 1,000,000 was presented to the NRA. The box-magazine 99C arrived in 1965. Climbing costs ended production in 1997, two years short of the design’s centennial. Savage looked at a reissue around 2007 and couldn’t make the numbers work, and in 2021 it said it has no plans to bring the 99 back.

Why the Savage 99 Is Still So Popular

Part of it is the design. The 99 was a lever gun that could shoot pointed bullets, take a scope and handle cartridges like the .308 and .358, decades before most lever guns could. Part of it is the history: it was in production for most of a century, and for many families it was the deer rifle, handed down from grandfather to grandchild.

And part of it is how it handles. The slim receiver, the short lever throw and the balance make it come up like a good shotgun, and the counter on the side tells you at a glance what’s left in the magazine. Savage itself has said a new one would cost too much to build, which is the best reason of all to buy a good used one.

Legal: Curio and Relic and Antique Status

Under federal law, any firearm made at least 50 years ago is a curio or relic (27 CFR 478.11). In October 2026 that covers Savage 1895s, 1899s and 99s made before about October 1976. ATF’s list also names Utica-made Model 99s made before World War II with serials below 450000. Federal law treats a gun made in or before 1898 as an antique, so most, but not all, Model 1895s are antiques. Don’t call any Model 1899 an antique without a factory letter showing 1898 manufacture.

An interstate sale goes through a licensed dealer unless you hold a curio and relic license and the rifle qualifies. State laws vary, so check your state’s rules before you buy.

Where to Buy a Savage 99

• Guns.com. A steady run of used 99s with photos of each rifle. Browse Savage 99s on Guns.com.
• The dealers on our live cards. Used 99Es, 99Cs and police trade-ins as they come in.
• Auction houses. Prewar takedowns, engraved guns and rare calibers. Add the buyer’s premium to the hammer price.
• GunBroker completed sales. The best free price check for any model and caliber.
• Local gun shops and estate sales. Many 99s come out of family closets. Our guide to where to buy vintage guns online covers more.

Before you pay, ask the seller for the serial, the lever code, the barrel address, a photo of the counter window, the bore condition and whether the receiver has been drilled.

Savage 99 vs. Its Rivals

Savage 99 vs. Winchester 94

This is the argument hunters have had for a century. The Winchester 94 is lighter, simpler and cheaper to feed in .30-30. The Savage 99 shoots pointed bullets, takes stronger cartridges like the .308 and .358, and scopes more cleanly. For brush hunting with iron sights, either works. For longer shots, the 99 wins.

Savage 99 vs. Browning BLR

The BLR is the modern answer to the same idea: a lever gun with a detachable box magazine that handles pointed bullets and modern cartridges. It’s still made and serviced. The 99 is slimmer, handles better and has a century of history behind it. Buy the BLR if you want a new rifle with a warranty, the 99 if you want the original.

Final Verdict

The Savage 99 is one of the great American hunting rifles, and the used market still lets you buy a good one for less than a new lever gun. Buy a postwar 99F, 99EG or 99C in .308 or .300 Savage to hunt, pay for condition and caliber rather than letters alone, check the counter and the wood at the tang, and leave prewar receivers undrilled.

Arthur Savage built a rifle that was ahead of its time in 1895. It still is.

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