303 Savage

[Ray Newman]

Gents: anyone here load/shoot a Savage M99 in 303 Savage? Know of one that is whispering my name....

[ollogger]

Had one for bout 10 years in the 70s & 80s I did hand load for it & shot it a lot
also shot a few deer with it, I think I used a 125 gr.speer bullet & it did a slick job,
at that time factory ammo & brass was available



ollogger

[earlmck]

Yes indeedy: here's mine.

Sav99in303.jpg

I put the Marble's tang sight on initially but then I got the nice Lyman (I think this is the one I got from 1886) and that is what it is wearing now.

twosights.jpg

With the PRVI brass I am using the case capacity is virtually identical to R-P brass in my 30/30 (about one grain less) so I use 30/30 load data. I haven't shot anything more fearsome than soup cans but it ventilates those nicely and is fun to shoot with my light cast bullet plinker loads.

[Ray Newman]

Gents: thanks for the information.

Earlmck: what is PRIVI brass like? Found an on-line source for in-stock dies and brass! I have never loaded with PRIVI.

Thanks again.

The siren's call from the rifle is getting louder and I am weakening....

[elmo123]

I have used the 44 magnum brass and it was pretty thin.

[hfcable]

have two 1899s and two 1895s; got some brass from graf's for good price and it has been excellent. it was their 'house brand' not sure who made it.

[earlmck]

Ray, the PRVI brass seems to be just fine. I haven't been paying a lot of attention but part of my brass must have 3 to 4 loads on it so far with no losses of brass. The availability of reasonably priced brass makes a big difference in the desirability of acquiring one of these rifles because there is just not anything else out there you are going to form the cases from. They may look like 30/30 cases but they are a fair amount fatter in the butt.

[Win94]

Yuppers. Have my Great Grandfather's circa 1908. Shoot 30 grains of IMR 3031 under a 170 grain Sierra flatnose. Bore is very dark on the ol girl. Haven't really played with alot of loads but i can muster up ok hunting accuracy at 100 yards i guess......

[Gobblerforge]

Just as a side note. If your 303 Savage brass get damaged, don't throw them away. They can be cut down for 44 Evans. Just a helpful hint from your Uncle Gobbler.
Gobbler

[earlmck]

Just as a side note. If your 303 Savage brass get damaged, don't throw them away. They can be cut down for 44 Evans. Just a helpful hint from your Uncle Gobbler.
Gobbler

Hey, that's good info to pass along, Gobbler. I broke out the old "Home Guide to Cartridge Conversions" from George Nonte and see that he was making the 44 Evans from 30/40 cases, but it required turning down the rim and swaging the base. But that is also the way he recommends making 303 Savage cases from 30/40's.

So I put a little note in the Nonte book -- as long as the PRVI folks are taking care of us 303 Savage shooters, the 44 Evans fans might want to take advantage of an easier way to get brass!

[marlinman93]

Used to have several Savage 99 and 95 lever guns in .303 Savage, and shot them all. Wasn't too hard to find brass or loaded ammo 20 years ago, but now it's tough to find. Best brass around was Jamison .303, but they only make occasional runs now. You might contact them and ask when they plan another run?
http://www.custombrassandbullets.com/bcs109.html

[t.r.]

When I was a kid in the 1960's, I often hunted with an old timer who lived in a cabin way back in the woods about a mile from our place. His name was George Babel. He lived very simply and had no indoor plumbing. His water came from a natural spring. George hunted with a very old Savage 99 in 303 and was quite the rifleman. He could knock over running deer with apparent ease. I don't recall that he ever shot twice which is a testimony to the cartridge and to his shooting skills.

I've never seen a 303 Savage since those days of long ago.

TR

[Grizz]

@ Win94

my Great Grandfather's circa 1908

love that octagonal barrel, that's beautiful. I would fall hard for that rifle if I ever found a copy in 7.62, er, .308 . . .

check the muzzle crown, it could want a little TLC, and that could rope in flyers a bit.

although, that target is three dead venisons and a half hour processing already . . .

Grizz

[Win94]

@ Win94

my Great Grandfather's circa 1908

love that octagonal barrel, that's beautiful. I would fall hard for that rifle if I ever found a copy in 7.62, er, .308 . . .

check the muzzle crown, it could want a little TLC, and that could rope in flyers a bit.

although, that target is three dead venisons and a half hour processing already . . .

Grizz

Thank you for the kind words Grizz. I will check the crown but pretty sure last time i checked it was fine. The rifling is decent but that bore is very very dark. I have read that if you can't get a dark bore to shine utilizing conventional bore cleaners, brake cleaner is the ticket. Was going to try and soak the bore with brake clean then see. I know what you mean about .308 I have a Savage 99 in .308 winchester that i absolutely love. It was my Grandmothers.

[Grizz]

Wowsers. I'd like to see your GM's 99. Does it have an octagonal barrel too?

I've heard that dark bores shoot OK as long as the rifling is working, but don't know for certain.

I've heard of barrels being shortened if they were abused with cleaning rods. someone posted a photo once of a bore that was just about smooth just inside the crown.

Anyway, yours is a treasure just as it is. Glad to see it.

My daughter has a .300 and a .308 Savage 99, love to shoot them, wish she'd give 'em to me. But noooooo sir.

Best
Grizz