Should I refinish a shooter rifle or....

Hi fellow members. I'm in the process of getting a shooter grade non Ruger rifle.
I know how knowledgeable members are here so I figured I'd ask for advice.

It's a savage 1899 3030. My intentions are to shoot and hunt with it not a safe queen. So far I know the finish on reciver is about gone, reciver is scratched and stock has minor cracks and gouges.

My question is should I just repair the stock and shoot as is? Or should I refinish and make it like new?

It's your gun , do what you want with it.

I like to use guns with some honest wear and character. My personal yardstick would be to keep it as is if it has the honest wear and character. Used and abused I'd likely look to some refinish work. That's me - others will see it differently.

butcherboy1985 said:

Hi fellow members. I'm in the process of getting a shooter grade non Ruger rifle.
I know how knowledgeable members are here so I figured I'd ask for advice.

It's a savage 1899 3030. My intentions are to shoot and hunt with it not a safe queen. So far I know the finish on reciver is about gone, reciver is scratched and stock has minor cracks and gouges.

My question is should I just repair the stock and shoot as is? Or should I refinish and make it like new?

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As what was posted above, It's yours and you can do whatever makes you smile. My Dad always put seat covers on every new vehicle he bought. I never could figure why he was trying to save those vehicles for the next buyer.
If you like to tinker with your guns to make them much more "personal", go for it. Refinishing that stock will be a good learning experience, steaming out dings and dents and filling in scratches and then applying a finish that will hold up very well under all hunting conditions is a good over-winter project.
With enough patience, an acceptable "cold" bluing job will make the metal parts look much better, or with a good metal treatment applied, rust prevention isn't hard to accomplish. There are even some pretty decent "rattle-can", spray-on finishes that will protect metal surfaces going around these days.

So, you have choices, and maybe a project or two to make that rifle yours, once and for all.

I'd fill in cracks in the stock with a good wood glue (Titebond II ) mixed with very fine sawdust, since they tend to propagate if left as is. But I wouldn't worry overmuch about cosmetic details.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. Think I'm just going to fix the cracks and shoot it a bit and go from there.

Boyd's for replacement stocks in almost whatever wood choice you want.
Savage 99s are great rifles and a bit of wear/repair done carefully, won't detract from value. But there are lots of them surfacing these days so values are all over the place. I opine that if you explore stock options you'll enjoy it just the same, and have a unique rifle. Nostalgia is nice, but an experienced old girl with a new dress is also fun.

Just an update. Finally got rifle and Looks better than expected. Just knocked the dust off and fired it.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions

Good move. Leave her alone and enjoy using it for what she was made for. Any pictures. I like 99s. 30-30 99s are rare in my neck of the woods. Some with perch belly stocks and octagon barrels are really nice.