Model 99C Series A - Low Bolt

[Model24]

I've just resurrected a 99C Series A receiver from a box of parts, and the bolt is low. So low that the hammer indicator is not indicating. I can pull the bolt up with my finger to raise the hammer indicator, and get the bolt up to where it should be, almost flush with the top of the receiver.

Should I put the lever in a vise and beat on the nose, to tighten the arc? Weld and grind on the landing pad in the receiver? Do nothing, and live happily ever after? Toss the whole project in the trash, and pretend like it never happened?

Thanks!

[Model24]

My gunsmith says that if it locks up, its good to shoot. He’s offered to take the first shot. I believe him.

Seems to me that there’s a lot of clearance between the lever pin and the bolt track. Could be excessive wear, or could be mismatched parts. I might sleeve the pin. Investigation continues.

[J.Baker]

Might want to ask about this over at the Campfire forum. I know I saw a post there or here quite a while back about having to make a tweak to the lever to ensure proper bolt lockup. Sounded like a fairly common thing on well-used 99's or those with parts that didn't all leave the factory all in the same gun.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forums/40/1/savage-collectors

Personally I wouldn't shoot it in that condition. If the bolt isn't all the way up then it's not fully locked into battery, plain and simple.

[Model24]

I think I agree. I wrapped the lever pin in copper tape to reduce the slop in the bolt groove. It brought the bolt up to where it oughta be. I’m fixin’ to sleeve the lever pin for a more permanent fix.

[Model24]

After additional noodling, I concluded that sleeving the pin would only get me halfway there. I shimmed the forward surface of the lever groove. I used .017 steel feeler gauge and JB Weld. The bolt now comes up smartly.

[Model24]

Sorry for the necropost, but only a little.

Finally got the receiver & barrel back from bluing last week, and reassembled over the weekend. Following findings:

- The sear bracket retaining pin hole was oversized, allowing the pin to float inboard and interfere with the trigger. Had to fabricate an oversized pin from a #40 drill.

- My shim to correct the low bolt caused the bolt to interfere on retraction. Filing the tail of the shim corrected that.

- The tab on the safety slide that engages the trigger was bent out. Since this came as a basket case, I didn’t disassemble it, and I’ve never worked on a Series A before. The tab works much better when it’s engaging the correct surface of the trigger.

- I carefully followed the Gun Digest instructions for disassembly in reverse. There is one gross error in the instructions. The trigger must be removed to allow the lever lug to pass, just like older 99s.

- The Boyd’s butt stock needed additional inletting to clear the bolt and the safety slide.