Lever Action Rifle Preference

[JB White]

Jim-D, you didn't mention for which purpose you're buying these rifles. Collection or utility?

If it's the latter, then my personal preference would be the Marlin. The ammo is available everywhere, the Marlins are very easy to maintain, and I have always liked the way they felt.
If the former, then I suggest buying the one with the best investment potential. The Savage 99 has its own distinct following. The older Marlins have a fan base too.

You can't go wrong with either performance-wise IMHO, but in a strictly utilitarian sense I feel the Marlin would serve a bit better and be easier to move should you ever decide to sell later on. The more common chambering in a well recognized aesthetic profile increases the number of potential buyers more than two-fold.

As suggested previously, buying both would end the dilemma and add two great rifles to your stable. No regrets in the hind sight department either.

[barretcreek]

I have a 99 and they are excellent rifles. Two things to consider. A Marlin has a longer lever stroke than a 99 or a Winchester 94. Especially if you are dressed for cold weather it may not cycle without lowering the butt from your shoulder. Lots of Savages have a recoil pad fitted not because the .300 kicks (it doesn't) but because those steel butt plates slip off of the shoulder. Takes a little practice to shoot well.

Yeah, .300 ammo ain't as common as 30/30. Plan ahead. Love my 99s.

Brownell's has tang sights for the 99 and receiver sights for the Marlin.

[jim-d]

Thanks for all the input. I plan to shoot it, but not much, so the ammo will not be an issue. Both are the same money (within $10), so the opinions have me leaning to the Savage. I will pick it up tomorrow, and try to get some photos posted .
Thanks again for all the great comments, really made the decision easier.

[clintonhater]

I hate the older lever action Winchesters and Marlins. Accidents with the vintage actions are common. The requirement to jack a round into the chamber then lower the hammer seems to be a simple act but has cost numerous people their lives...

Oh, brother, you'd LOVE the "gun-room" scene in "Home From the Hill"! (Great movie but not as great as the novel itself.) Robert Mitchum instructs his panty-waist son in gun-handling, using a Model 94.

11 yr olds probably shouldn't be handling a '94, but hammers don't "slip"--careless or incompetent shooters LET them slip. The most common boy's rifles used to be single-shots with exposed hammers, like Stevens Favorites, and they were always regarded as safer for kids than any other design.

[JB White]

Thanks for all the input. I plan to shoot it, but not much, so the ammo will not be an issue. Both are the same money (within $10), so the opinions have me leaning to the Savage. I will pick it up tomorrow, and try to get some photos posted .
Thanks again for all the great comments, really made the decision easier.

I may favor the Marlins, but I think you made a great choice. You really couldn't go wrong

[S.A. Boggs]

I have the Marlin in .44 Magnum as a companion to my Pre Ruger .44 Super Blackhawk. In Ohio the 30-30 is verboten for deer hunting, the .44 isn't.
Sam

[Griff Murphey]

First time I went deer hunting where I even saw a deer was 1967. The rancher loaded his rifle, a .308 Win. Savage 99, right inside the dining room of his ranch house. I thought, "Hmm, this isn't what they told us in NRA junior rifle gun safety..." and..."BANG!" Right into the bedroom wall, fortunately not hitting his wife in the next room!

Good lesson for me.... about loading a gun in the house

[bdm]

I have both rifles and they are both good I like the Marlin best

[Vern Humphrey]

Go with the Savage, but plan on handloading. .300 Savage ammo is getting hard to come by, so get dies and brass when you get the rifle.

[blackhawknj]

I have a Marlin 336C in 30-30, a Savage Model 99 in 308 is on my list to get "Someday". I have found the Marlin easy to work on, parts probably more available if that is a consideration.
Nothing takes the place of proper gun handling and following safety procedures. The only real safety is found behind the eyes and between the ears.