I used to have 7 or 8 Savage 1899/99 and a couple 1895 Savage rifles. I think they're one of the finest lever action repeaters ever made. They used to take a backseat to others with exposed hammers, but not so the last 20 years. They gradually crept up in value and I've watched a lot of them sell at larger gun shows like CGCA shows for mid $2k and higher prices.
The .250-3000 is one of those cartridge chamberings every Savage collector wants to own, so they get a premium over more common chamberings. It's a fantastic cartridge that can be loaded to higher velocities in a Savage than in most other lever actions.
I'd certainly not hesitate to take it deer hunting as long as the weather isn't nasty or you're not hauling it through thick brush.
