Folks, we're excited to announce that our first book is almost ready. The rough draft is nearly wrapped, the proofreading is underway, and the printers are warming up. From the beginning, Gun Tales has been written with a different standard in mind. The goal has been to tell stories that hold up against time itself. A number of readers have asked the same thing: when will you write a book? That idea came up often enough that we decided to take it seriously.

There are shooters and there are gun guys. The distinction between the two is seldom blurred. As with any rule or generality, however, the fun is in breaking it. With that in mind, I give you the Savage 99. I want to take you on a tour through the inception and evolution of this iconic platform. Before we embark, I want to break down our premise—The Gentleman of Lever Guns. What does this mean and why does the Savage 99 qualify?

I’ve always been intrigued by the classic look of these stocks and remember seeing the Bear Hug Grips advertisements in the magazines years ago. John Taffin often wrote about them, and many of his good revolver photos depicted fine sixguns wearing these stocks.