OK Guys, Time to fess up! As I began to doubt my sources, I went to my trusted cohorts and asked them about the Savage model "M" 99. Here's the responses:
1st response: A little bit of additional information on the "M" designation on late M99's: I have two of them with the "Model 99M" marking on the receiver. The earliest is a .308Win with decent wood and cut checkering with what appears to be an oil finish. The barrel has the rear sight boss, the trigger is gold colored, safety is the tang type and the serial number is 1,052,xxx. I estimate that the year of production is 1963.
The second rifle is a .284Win with impressed checkered buttstock and forend with what appears to be a urethane finish. Wood quality is not too bad. The barrel is of a straight taper configuration without a boss for the rear sight. Trigger is gold and of course it has the tang safety. Serial number is A652,xxx. Estimated year of production is 1971.
Both rifles have monte-carlo type buttstocks with aluminum buttplates and factory equipped with fixed sling swivals. Magazine rotors are aluminum. Both rifles are equipped with 22" barrels.
Forends are similar in shape to those of M99F rifles.
Murray's book covers the topic of the "M" designation in the section dealing with the M99DL rifles; and as RAM points out, is not a specific model designation but rather an indicator of a rifle equipped with a monte-carlo buttstock. The impression is that only M99DL rifles were marked with the "M" designation.
2nd response: The "model M" is not a model at all, this is printed in several books. It appears on DL's, some F's, some CD's and god only knows how many receiver d'jours that were pumped out during that time frame.
Originally it was a way for the factory to mark frames that were destined to be fit with a "M"onte Carlo stock.
So all those times you see a Model M offered for sale, you can be sure the seller doesn't know his 99's
And finally the 3ed response from the all-time guru of '99's "RAM": Someone had the adacity to question "Why does my '99 have Model"M" stamped on it?" RAM answers........
And because I have "Mom" tatoo'd on my arm you'ld presume I was a mother?
1.)Because there is no cataloged model "M"
2.)Because AT LEAST three (3) cataloged models have the "M' stamping on them, so if one of them IS an "M", what are the other two ?
3.) Because that's the factory's written explaination.
Is it deceiving? yes. Could the factory marked them another way? yes Did they?no.
Just another one of the mystery's
Thank you Gentlemen, for your clearification about the "M" model 99. May it forever lie in peace.
Jim
