Scoping a 1922 Savage 99 in 300 Savage

So I've got this break down 99 with the Schnabel fore piece in breakdown version. Haven't a clue which model, but there's the standard 2 screws at the top of the back strap and no others, other than the safety indicator. I've read about the Stith mounts but they look about as rare as hen's teeth and twice as expensive. It's got the ramped rear sight that sorta looks like moose horns and the front is just a straight post pinned in a slot in the front integral to the barrrel. Near as I can tell it's a nice shooter, but I tried for a head shot on a white tail the other day at maybe 40yd and missed. If I'd aimed for the chest I'd have hit it for sure. Thinking about getting a scope on it but don't want to mess up the rifle. It's serial 2444xx and according to what I find it's a 1922 version, but it looks very good except for a small piece of stock chipped out right behind the rear top strap. Love the look and feel of it and would scope another rifle for deer but don't have anything that I can use here in VA. They don't allow 22's of any cartridge. I hate to buy another rifle just to wipe out some of the herd around here. They're all over the place. Wife considers them vermin.

Also where would I find a nice wood storage/travel box for the thing. I saw some nicely made ones on ebay a few years ago, generic, but looks like it would work, but I don't find them anymore.

You could try a Lightfoot mount, it basically does the same thing as a Stith mount only you can use Redfield/Leupold turn in rings.

It's cheaper than a Stith and by the sounds of things your not trying to keep it period correct anyways so this mount will work for you. It uses the rear tang holes and the rear dovetail where your rear sight sits.

Just google Lightfoot mount and you should be able to find Mike to order one.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...full/45537.jpg

Thanks, that looks like it would work, I've got a new Nikon 4-9 I can put on it. Yeah, I just don't want to drill any extra holes in it but am not worrying about making it 'period correct'. Does the mount interfere with ejection, not that it would matter much?

How do I tell what model I have?

How do I get in touch with Lightfoot? The only search reference I see is on 24hourcampfire.com and I don't subscribe to that forum.

Hmmm, not sure, the campfire is where he gets most of his orders.

Got an Ebay account? You can get ahold of him through his Stith rear replacement ring.

Didn't find anything on ebay under Stith rear replacement ring. I may have to register with campfire to get hold of him. Thanks, I like the idea a lot. I'll see what I can do.

This is 1 of lightfoots' ebay sales. You should be able to contact him with this listing and ask if he has any lightfoot mounts for 99s available.
eBay item number:
223298721312


Hope this helps
Lee

Thanks Lee, I'm not good at navigating ebay. I sent him a message. We'll see.

I've dealt with him, very helpful and nice fellow!

I got in touch with him through gunbroker, lightfoot-mw. He still makes them. I'll be ordering one. It'll be nice to get a scope on this old 99 without disturbing it. My eyes are not so good with open sights any more. Time to get the cataracts fixed which I've been putting off.

I got the mount from lightfoot today. Looks like the one in the picture in the second post in this thread. Now how do I get the dovetail sight off and the new one on? Is there a tool for this?

It's dovetailed in, just drift it out with a brass punch and a small hammer.

Just don't drift it, it's a dovetail, you have to drift it from the left hand side to the right hand side looking down at the barrel at the top.

When you install Mike's scope mount it has to go from the right hand side to the left.

That's what I've been reading from all the articles I've seen off = left to right, on = right to left from the rear. I've got some Dogwood pieces I may try to drift it out with. It's pretty hard wood. Will the original tang screws be long enough? Can't wait to get this 3-9 Nikon on it. Too bad deer season is over, but they're still all over the yard, I saw 8 of them just down the hill from the house last night about 60 yds away. No one would miss one. They were in the upper garden the other evening, I let the dogs out to chase them off, they do that pretty good.

I've got this Olight 9000 lumen Marauder X7 torch that lights up the whole pasture to the stream which is about 250yds down the hill. I see them there all the time at night. Now if I could just get the wife to hold the light on the deck.

Installed the device today. It came with instructions, new tang screws and a torx key. Fit fine. I punched out the rear sight with a hard piece of round plastic I had around. New one went in easy enough and includes a set screw to hold it in place if necessary. Now to get some Leopold rings for the thing. Looks like it will work fine. Instructions say with a 40mm scope it needs the high rings. Very helpful.

I've got the Redfield high rings mounted on the lightfoot device now with the Nikon 3-9. Is there any way to bore sight this thing without a boresight device. I usually can look through the barrel to bore sight rifles, but this one is impossible to do that way. Is my best option to take it to a shop and have them do it? It's a bit chilly to spend much time at the barn range figuring it out and wasting bullets.

A bore sighter is really your only option here.

If you happen to have a laser sight that you can duct tape to the fore-end, you can line that up with the irons. Then you can line up the scope with the laser.

Local gun shop said they'd do it gratis. That sounds like a deal.

Weather was good enough today to get to my 50yd range and it was well on the paper. Only took one adjustment to get the next shot 1" high which should put it at 0 at 100yd. This thing kicks like anything, but I've never shot it 3 times close together before. One time is OK, but the 3rd time put a hurt on my shoulder. I need to load some 165 or 150gr, the guy I got it from gave me 180gr round nose Rems. The third shot was close enough to the second for me. I like it, good enough for head shots. Trigger is not bad.

Ya, try some 150 gr pills, it'll take the sting out of it.

Unless your hunting moose you don't need 180 gr.

That's what I figured. I've got some old Hornady 150gr spbt. They should fill the bill. I thought about some 125 too, but since I have the 150's they'll be good. Need some dies though. Oh, wait, they're FMJ BT. That's not good. I probably got those for my M1A1 when I was doing high power comp. Yeah, it's only for the Coyotes and White Tails. Need something to expand on them. I've been impressed with the Nosler Varmagadens in my 112J 220 Swift but I'm not supposed to shoot deer with them here in VA.

I tried the 110 Sierra spitzers and was not too impressed with them with 42gr of 4895 at 2700fps. Their BC is rather poor, so I got some Speer TNT in 125gr. and Sierra ProHunters. I like the Speer more, much better BC. I think I'll also get some 150gr to try just because the fps is not that much different if at all and I can get some much better BC bullets in that weight. But so far I like the looks of the 125 TNT, I just haven't tried them yet. It's going to have to warm up, and I also need to get some brass, it's so expensive one almost might as well just buy loaded ammo for the brass, $35 for 50 brass and less than that for 20 loaded 150 gr Federal. I did that for my 220 Swift 112J, Midway had a deal on 220S so I bought 100. It shoots great but the throat is worn enough I'm missing about 200fps on loads. That rifle is really heavy too.

I got 2 Bushnell scopes. One was a 613944 with a circle-x. It was listed as a 6" ER on Amazon and was about $50. Wife got it for me since she has prime, but the ER is actually maybe 3" or maybe 4, especially at 9x. So I got one from Planet Optics, 613947, Multi-x, and it is shown as extended eye relief even of the package, same price. But it's the same as the 944 except for the reticle. Think I'll just keep the BCD Nikon one that I have on it now, it's zeroed anyhow. The glass in the Banner ones are not that sharp especially on the edges, comparing it to the Nikon.

Now that it's warmed up I'll try to work up some of those 125gr TNT bullets that seem to shoot pretty good in this rifle. If I could just get past this fog I've got in my brain from the pills for my back/leg nerve pain.

Hmmm, I just double checked. 613947 is the part number I have, and it's definitely 6 inches of eye relief. Curious indeed.

Curious, aren't those reticles made for shotguns and muzzleloaders?

Don't know about using them for shotguns, but tomorrow I'll check the ER on all of them again, but as I remember none of them were any farther than the spread of my hand, at least at 9x.

The scopes are advertised for shotguns and muzzle loaders, but I don't know that the reticles are particularly specialized. The Multi-X is nothing more than a duplex.

Sorry I was talking about the circle X.

Ah, so, yes, the circle x seems more like a shotgun reticle, for quick target acquisition, maybe. I'm still not sure why you would use any different reticle for a muzzle loader.

Leupold has introduced a new "Scout" scope this year, 2-7 x 30something, illuminated reticle, that has my attention. It's spec sheet lists 6 inches of eye relief. Why they call that a Scout scope, I have no idea.

I thought a scout scope would have more eye relief than that, it sits on the barrel, not the receiver.

Measured the ER of my 3 scopes today at only 9x for full sight picture. The circle Banner is right at 2.25", the multu-x is right at 2.5 and the Nikon is 3.5". Guess which one is staying. They may work at 6" at some power, but most likely I'll be using 9.

If the eye relief is that low at 9x, I can't believe it gets much better at 3x. That is disappointing.

I was mis-remembering. The Leupold with 6 inch eye relief is the VX-R 1.5-5x33 Firedot. Besides being expensive, it has a 30mm tube.

Not that disappointing given how the Banner scopes distort the area around the center.