If looked at from a gunsmith perspective, of a high velocity round, (compared to the vintage rounds) and over all simplicity of a lever gun, (in comparison to "improved" lever guns such as the 71 Win, or the 55 Win), the 99 was a trip to Mars, compared to a trip to CA in a covered wagon. ;D
I have worked on actually very few, as the design is so simple, little major ever goes wrong, but from the old ones, to the ones made more recently, the changes are very few, the design was that well thought out.
And those early ones, were fitted and finished as well as any Win or Remington made. They just never got the reputation deserved. I guess if John Wayne one of the classic western stars, ever would have packed one, things would have been different? ;D