The Savage Model 99 was a revolutionary lever-action firearm. A literal revolution made possible by the use of an integrated rotary magazine design. In 1899, lever actions weren’t new by any means, but the Savage rotary magazine opened up the lever action platform to spitzer-type bullets. Lever actions with tubular magazines are forced to use round-nose projectiles so the pointy end of a spitzer cartridge doesn’t impact the primer of the round in front of it.
With that said, it took a number of years for Spitzer bullets to find their way into the Savage Model 1899. To be fair, they weren’t commercially available until a decade after the gun’s production. The weapon was originally chambered in .303 Savage, a cartridge similar to the .30-30 Winchester, including the round projectile design. Eventually, it would go on to chamber .243 Win, .308, .7mm-08, and many more during its nearly century of production.
The Savage Model 99 you see here is an early model, specifically a Model 1899C, which features a half-round, half-octagonal barrel. This is not to be confused with the later version called the 99-C, which had a detachable magazine. My variant is in .30-30, and it’s my favorite lever-action rifle. Not only is it a high-performing rifle, but it has a fascinating history with military interest, failed contracts, and more.
The Early Origins of the Model 99
We have to go back to 1892 to start the story. The military forces of the world were swapping from single-shot rifles to repeaters, and smokeless powder was here to stay. We could drop big, heavy projectiles for smaller, faster cartridges. The Army wanted to replace the venerable Springfield Model 1875 trapdoor rifle with a repeater.
Savage entered the market with their lever-action 1892 model, but it lost to the Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action rifle. The Model 1892 predated the Savage Arms company but was a product of Arthur Savage. The M1892 evolved into the M1893, and ultimately the M1895. An M1895 ‘musket’ variant won a contract with the New York National Guard, but free rifles from the US Army led to the cancellation of the contract.
The Model 1895 won a contract with the Mexican Army, but had to cancel due to a lack of a factory to build the rifles. Arthur Savage was using Marlin to produce these early models. Eventually, that was solved, and the M1895 entered production. Improvements and fixes led to the M1899, or Model 99.
The M1899 would get a military contract with the Montreal Home Guard during WWI. These were ‘musket’ rifles. They had rifle barrels, and weren’t muzzle-loaded, but muskets meant they had full handguards and bayonet lugs.
Chief Lame Deer and the Model 1899
Savage Arms famously used a logo depicting a Native American. Legend has it that Chief Lame Deer approached Arthur Savage to buy rifles. Lame Deer offered Savage a deal to use his image as a logo in exchange for discounted rifles and an annual fee.
However, this seems odd, since Savage M1907 pistols were using the logo before 1919. According to a quote from a Savage CEO, they were still paying the fee in 2018. Maybe they used the image before 1919, and that’s what spurred Chief Lame Deer to make the offer.
Inside the Savage Model 1899
The Savage Model 1899 described itself as a hammerless model, and it was truly hammerless, unlike the Colt Pocket Hammerless. Savage was a fan of striker-fired guns; the aforementioned M1907 pistol was striker-fired, and so was the Model 1899. As the lever action closes, it cocks the striker.
The magazine holds five rounds, and you can conduct a +1 to bring it to six rounds. Barrel lengths vary, but mine is 26 inches. The receiver is made of a chunk of steel, and this gun has a massive and beefy breech lock. This level of manufacturing is why this rifle, over a century old, continues to shoot and operate without issue.
Savage began referring to these guns as the Model 99 in 1920, and this is marked 1899, telling me it’s at least 105 years old. The crescent-style stock, with its classic perch belly configuration and half-octagonal, half-round barrel, firmly places it in the Model 1899C world.
The gun is full of interesting features. It has a round counter on the side. It’s a small window that shows a brass plate with a number inscribed. It’s one of the neatest little features. The action opens the top, but the rounds eject sideways, so they won’t hit your head, and a scope could be mounted a bit easier than open-top lever actions.
The gun has simple open Buckhorn-style sights that prioritize speed over precision. It wasn’t uncommon to see Lyman sights on these guns. As a .30-30, the sights work fine for the typical distances you’d use a .30-30.
There is a safety located right by the lever. It slides forward and rearward. When on safe, the lever and trigger are locked.
At the Range
The Model 1899C has a crescent stock, and it’s odd. I thought it was instantly uncomfortable and assumed I had bigger shoulders than the average turn-of-the-century dude. It turns out that the crescent-style stock is supposed to rest against the upper bicep and not the shoulder. That made a lot more sense, but feels extremely awkward.
It still allows you to see the sights, and I’ll have to do more research to figure out why some preferred these stocks. They certainly aren’t popular now. Luckily, the .30-30 cartridge is a mild one, with minimal recoil. It’s a classic brush cartridge popular in lever-action rifles. Snapping behind the sights is fast and easy, and the old front sight still does its job well.
At 100 yards, the Model 1899 rang steel without a problem. It’s a total blast to shoot. It’s living history, and it makes me wish for cheaper .30-30 ammo. In fact, it’s probably good that it’s not cheap; I’d be pretty sad if this gun existed for more than a century and I broke it running double-tap drills.
The lever action is super smooth and consistently ejects .30-30 cases without a problem. It’s delightful to shoot, and with general gun season around the corner, I might be up a tree stand with a Savage Model 1899C.
Living History
What I love about guns is that old guns are living history. This gun gives me the same experience it gave all its previous owners. It’s the same as it’s always been and always will be. It’s clearly been well-loved and used. It was no safe queen, but in my hands, it’s now semi-retired. The Savage Model 1899 is a sleeper lever gun, and it’s a shame it’s out of production.
With a steep increase in lever-action popularity in the last few years, I could see the Model 1899 making a comeback. Give us both classic configurations and more modern options with scope rails and threaded barrels. That’s not going to happen anytime soon, but a man can dream.
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