Bought some new guns

[Nyles]

Yes, a very cool possibility! The odds actually aren't bad for a military rifle, either.

After the Irish Enfield I had every intention of not buying guns for awhile - I'm putting an addition on my house and staying in a friend's spare room during construction, so I can't afford to be spending money on guns for awhile (in the meantime I'm indulging my much less expensive interest in WW2 Commonwealth cap badges).

However, sometimes something comes up you just can't say no to. I went to work on Saturday ended up processing a two month backlog on used gun purchases, since the normal guy was away. Imagine my surprise when I found out he'd priced a very early Savage 1899B at $250! I certainly wasn't going to pass that out.

Sorry for the poor picture, but as I said I'm uprooted at the moment and only had my cell phone camera. There are two different serial number tables available for Savage 1895 / 1899 / 99 rifles, but this one is a very early 1899 by either, either 1901 or 1903 production. Based on the fact that it still has some model 1895 features on it, I'm guessing 1901 is correct. Unlike the pretty strict model differentiation on military firearms, older commercial firearms tend to have a much more gradual transition.

Being an 1899B it has the 26" heavy octagon barrel with the old-style crescent buttplate, exactly the configuration I've always wanted in a Savage. It's got the pre-WW2 style rotary magazine with brass cartridge counter, and is chambered in the original Savage .303 round - slightly more powerful than a .30-30, it originally used a .311 bullet (hence .303) down a .308 bore, under the theory that the higher pressures would increase muzzle velocity! It's in fairly rough shape - the butt has the typical cracks at the wrist (I've not seen many old 99s without them, and I see a lot of them in my job - it was a very popular firearm in Canada), and the forend has split at the tip and been cleaned up, losing the schnable in the process. But the metal is still all good, and the bore is decent, so it'll make a shooter!

[funkychinaman]

Are you putting in the addition to house more guns?

[Jcordell]

I like the Savage 99.I was twelve when my dad started teaching me how to shoot (1980). He was an Idaho State Trooper and among the firearms issued to him by ISP was the Savage 99C in .308. I fired that and at the time the recoil felt like the Hammer of Thor. Instead of the rotary magazine it had the detachable magazine. Fond memories.

[Nyles]

Although my renos are ongoing (contractors are f***king criminals and don't let anyone tell you different), I saw this for sale and had to give myself an early Christmas present. It's a French Berthier M1890 cavalry carbine in 8mm Lebel, made at Chatellerault in 1891. The M1892 artillery carbine is pretty common, but original cavalry carbines are very rare. Although the French army had a large cavalry force in 1914, they realised pretty early on that La Grande Guerre wasn't going to be a cavalry war and dismounted most of their cavalry.

Although they retained their carbines in the trenches (a 37" Berthier beats the hell out of a 51" Lebel in a trench that's 4' wide), most of the M1890s were rebuilt into M1892s when they passed through the armourers for maintenance - the only real difference is the bayonet and stacking hook, both of which were considered useful when dismounted. In 13 years of collecting I've never seen an original 1890 outside of the French army museum until this one.

However, this one has the extremely rare (and often discarded) sheet metal dust cover on the bolt introduced in WW1, so it's pretty much certain this spent time in the trenches - most likely with a Hussar or Chasseur light cavalry regiment, as the Cuirassier heavies had their own (especially rare) carbine model, and the Dragoons were early adopters of the M1892. It's unfortunately missing it's side-mounted cleaning rod, but I think I can source one out from another collector.

Either way, it's a super rare original WW1 carbine, in really nice shape, and definitely worth breaking my gun fast! Excuse the cell phone pictures, my camera is still at home.

[Jcordell]

Don't tell anybody this, but I actually rather like the Berthier and the Lebel. There is just something about them that appeals to me. Like the English bulldog. so ugly it's good looking.

[S&Wshooter]

Originally Posted by Jcordell

Don't tell anybody this, but I actually rather like the Berthier and the Lebel. There is just something about them that appeals to me. Like the English bulldog. so ugly it's good looking.

The French blood flowing through my veins cries for a Lebel or MAS 36

[Nyles]

The Lebel and the Berthier do have a certain Gallic flair, espescially with 20 inches of Rosalie bayonet on the end of them! And the MAS I think is a wonderfully practical little battle rifle - I had a postwar one for awhile and I'm very much in the market for a WW2-era example.