Savage 99 303 Opinions

[pietro]

Is it true that .303 Savage factory ammo was loaded with .312" bullets for more velocity from the .308" barrel?

Early .303 Savage cartridges, loaded by Remington for Savage, were loaded with .311" boolitts in the .308" bore.


The 1904 Savage catalog stated: "the tight fit of the metal-cased bullets gives increased velocity and accuracy."



Other US ammunition companies listed loads were:

* Peters (prior to the Inner-Belted): .3084"

* United States Cartridge: .3085"

* Western Cartridge: .3088"

* Winchester: .3085"


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[Spooksar]

Is it true that .303 Savage factory ammo was loaded with .312" bullets for more velocity from the .308" barrel?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

No i have 6 boxes of Dominion ammo from the 50's and its .308 with 190 grain bullet

[pietro]

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AKA, "the horse's mouth": The 1904 Savage catalog stated: "the tight fit of the metal-cased bullets gives increased velocity and accuracy."

Being a Canadian company, Dominion isn't listed in my sources, but I wouldn't doubt that they loaded their cartridges with whatever they wanted, for instance .308" diameter 190gr boolits - as exemplified by your sample..

.

[David LaPell]

I had a Savage 1899 once, an early gun, around 1901, liked the gun a lot, and I didn't handload then so I cut it loose. There are several 1899's here between a couple different shops, all .303 Savage and none of them seem to gather interest because of the caliber. If I had the money I would snag an A carbine that one shop has for $425. The finish is worn but it's all there, no extra holes, the stock had some homemade checkering but the bore is exceptional and it's an early gun, the early loaded chamber indicator.
I can tell you that the caliber is basically .30-30 in ballistics but you can get brass and the same bullets will work for it although if I recall the old Winchester rounds had a 180 or 190 grain round. Myself, I like the caliber, it's great for killing whitetail.

[Texas by God]

Thanks, Pietro. I think The offset dimensions were Charles Newtons idea and used in the .22 HP also. Read that somewhere it seems.

[David LaPell]

On the plus side, ammo is being made again. I wish it were something heavier than 150 grain, but Hornady has been contracted with Graf & Sons and have started making ammo for the .303 Savage again, on ammoseek one box was running about $28.00.

http://www.selwayarmory.com/graf-son...box-of-20.html

[northmn]

In my Lever Action Rifles magazine the oversized bullets were mentioned for the 303 Savage and the 22High Power or IMP. Claim was made that some ammo companies loaded it with 308 bullets and some with 311. The 303 Savage in its day had quite a reputation and several loads. Some claimed the 190 grain would shoot through a moose stem to stern. Times have changed a bit. I have an old Lyman manual that lists the use of 190 grain bullets in the 30-30 that were intended for the 303. Heavy cast bullets worked very well in a 30-30 I had and should shine in the Savage as well.


DEP

[redhawk0]

In the early 70's, my dad borrowed a rifle from a family friend so he could get back into hunting again. (He was unable to hunt while he was in college.) That rifle was a Sav 99A in 303 Sav. I would go to the range with him and the 303 Sav was the very first rifle I ever fired...about age 11 or 12....at age 16 I purchased my first rifle...a 99C in 308 Win.....jump 30+ years.....

A lady in our local church who's husband died asked me one day to come over to the house and see if I would be interested in Charlie's old hunting rifle. Obviously, I obliged. I was expecting an old Win 94, or maybe a Marlin...I was so pleasantly surprised when she pulled out a Savage 1899 in 303 Sav. (sn dates it to 1912).

I've collected some loaded ammo (mostly Winchester loaded with 190gr Winchester Silver Tip bullets) and a lot of empty brass. I handload it with 170gr 30-30 bullets since they are designed for expansion at the lower velocities (1700-2100fps range). However, I don't hunt with the gun. I'm a lefty and the safety slide locks on the lever on the right side so its very awkward to release quickly if I should jump a deer. However, this doesn't detract me from taking it to the range once in awhile.

My RCBS dies for the 303 Sav came with a 0.310" expander button. I had to swap it out with a 0.308" since my bore is 0.308". But other than that...its a very simple cartridge to reload for...and recoil is light like a 30-30.

If you do purchase this firearm...Use it...have fun with it...and above all...study its history.

redhawk

[Jedman]

I have a old 99 H carbine in 303 Savage. Mine has the smooth side panels and the stocks are fruitwood. The gun has a lot of finish wear but just looks great to me with original steel carbine buttplate. Mine is a great shooter with cast or jacketed and is smooth as glass.
The 303 cartridge makes it a bit cooler than a 30-30 and I handload all y ammo anyway and it's not a problem.
I just wish that someday I can take a deer or other game with it as it is not a legal deer caliber here in OH and it has a reciever sight and is not good for the long shots at antelope when I make it out west hunting.

I say if it looks good to you, don't let the 303 caliber stop you from buying it !

Jedman

[richhodg66]

PPU brass is available and reasonable. Get a set of dies and it reloads just like any thing else. It's better than the .30-30 in that it can use spritzer type bullets if you like. Don't let the nay sayers tell you wrong, it's as easy to have ammo as anything else you already reload for, no need to make brass. Plenty of load data available, and it has a .308 bore.

My 99H in .303 Savage is a good shooter with cast. If that one if in good functioning shape and has a good bore, I'd buy it for $350, no doubt.

[Larry Gibson]

I squirreled away, some time back, some Winchester 190 Silver Tips (intended for the 303 Savage). They are .308 diameter. I plan on using them in my 24" M94 30-30 over LeveRevolution powder.....just haven't got around to developing the load yet.........

Attachment 228813

The 303 Savage M1999 with it's 12" twist should excel with the 311041 or equivalent bullet over LeveRevolution.

[gnoahhh]

I have never put a jacketed bullet down the bore of any .303 Savage I own. My go-to hunting load is a 190 grain flat nose cast soft-ish (bhn 11-13) and 28 grains 3031. Size your throats, internal barrel dimensions varied a bit in the early guns. Mine run in the neighborhood of .310" so I just size my bullets to .310 and all is right with the world. (Luckily they pop out of the mold at .310 with my hunting alloy so it's more of a matter of lubing and gas check seating when pushing them through the lubrisizer.)

[MT Gianni]

I turned down a 99 303 Savage for $350 in 1997. I thought it was a bit high then, i wouldn't now.