M99 in 250-3000

[obssd1958]

I don't remember the vintage on this old '99, but it was a blast working up loads for her. I finally settled on a 100gr. Speer soft point and H4895. It would hold 1 MOA all the way out to 300 yards - never tested it any farther than the 315 that I took this antelope at!
I sold that rifle for $650 just the way you see it in the photo. But I found that I really didn't want to do without, so I bought another '99 in 250 Savage a couple of years ago, and I'm a happy camper!
By the way, I tried 4 or 5 100gr. bullets before I found the Speer. They all hit the target at varying degrees of sideways. The Speer is almost a round nose, and has a flat base, so the overall length is shorter than any of the others. I think that is the key Vs. weight - just make sure it is short enough for the 1 in 14 twist to stabilize.

[Texas by God]

Obsesd1958- one of my favorite goat hunting clients almost apologetically hauled one out much like yours a few years back. We passed several up And finally got a nice one at 180 yards. No drama, one shot, spun and fell. His 7mag and 26 Nosler toting friends ridiculed him BEFORE the hunt. I think I was prouder than him and I made sure the magnum boys knew it!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[Drm50]

My favorite deer guns are all slim line type. I've shot a lot of deer with a Rem 141/35cal, Win 1895/ 30-06 and Win & Marlin levers. Starting in 60s Sav and Marlin started with beaver tail forearms and chubbier than necessary stocks. I never liked 742/760 Rems but they feel like shotguns. The early rifles had wood flush with actions and simple but functional stocks. Some of the Stocks grew because of the trend to scope rifles. If a rifle doesn't fit you it doesn't make a good offhand gun. You should have the sight on the game as a reflex without looking for it.

[NorthMoccasin]

Those with 1 in 14 twist should try the Sierra 90gr HPBT game king or the Barnes 80gr TSX. Both are deadly on deer and shoot well in slow twist 99's. With proper bullet placement Speer 87's doo well also. Nothing magic about 100gr. Bullets have improved since 1915!

[Norske]

Unless deer have grown armor plate recently, a 250 Savage is excellent for them. My first 257 Roberts would only shoot starting loads from the Hodgdon data accurately. It killed 43 whitetails with 43 shots.

[ole_270]

My 1953 m99R has the slow twist, shoots great with the 87 Speer Hot Core and 87 TNT. I switch between them whether for deer or coyotes. 100 Speer Hot Core is the shortest 100 I now of and does 1 1/2" at 100 in the rifle. I used the 87 last fall for my whitetail doe with no problem, same as all the ones previous. Used a bolt action Ruger M77 Tang Safe in 250 with the 100 Speer Hot Core on a large bodied buck at 100 yards. Slight angle away, hit the far shoulder and he dropped in his tracks.
This M99 came from my sister in laws father in Wyoming who used it up to elk to feed his family. I once asked him what he used in it for elk, he said the 117 but I like to get close and hit them in the neck. Good thing, when I tested the ones he included with the rifle they were keyholing at 100 yards.

[Pioneer2]

Even some of the last 99's had a 1-14 twist I bought a 99A that all the literature claimed should be 1-10 but it wasn't.The only bullet that my 1-14 would shoot was the Speer 100 Hot-Cor /shortest ogive available and the extinct Canadian Dominion 100gr KKSP.I shoot large Alberta WT and Mulies with my 250 Rem 700 Classic every fall out to 300 yards no problem.Would not hesitate to drill a moose with a 100gr Partition either.With a 1-14 you are stuck with the 87gr Speer/Hornady which will work if you stay away from the shoulder blades.I have tried to get Nosler to make an 85gr Partition for years and all I get is "pillow talk".In the 99's IMR3031 /100gr bullet all shot MOA or better as well as IMR4895 and the 87gr.In a strong BA Win 760 with mag primers makes one ragged hole.

[gnoahhh]

1950: definitely 1:14 twist- nominally. As with most all barrel making endeavors back in the analog era there will be variations due to human error. We've seen old .250's with twists as fast as 1:12 and as slow as 1:16. If you have one that shoots long bullets (weight doesn't matter, length does) I'll bet the farm that it has a faster than 1:14. A true 1:14 may not (probably not) shoot a 100 grain bullet longer than a simple short round nose. Also: even if it shoots 100 grainers "ok" I'll also bet it'll shoot 87's even better. No reason on God's Green Earth to choose 100's over 87's. Truth. Shoot 87's and get that 3000fps pizazz that the good folks at Savage wanted for you!

I tried 90 Sierras and 80 TSX's in a couple old .250's with only fair results. They are on the ragged edge of being short enough to stabilize. Speer 87 Hot Cores are the current gold standard for me. I have over 1000 stashed, and plan to grab another 1000 in case Speer decides to discontinue them. (Plus they kill whitetails like lightning.)

[pertnear]

Serial # lookup date is 1950, if that is definitely 1/10 then a bigger plus! Is 850$ reasonable, good, bad???
I ain’t old, just 60 dangit! I like and use open sights almost exclusively on my deer rifles, but. That said, I would put my 2x Alaskan on this rifle in 250, just cause. Only concern is the stock drop is a bit low for scope use,,, choices choices. I figure if push comes to shove on brass, there’s plenty of 6.5 creedmore around and a pass thru the die corrects it back to 250-3000. Funny that a 1914 cartridge case/ concept is now the darling of the modern world

Just FYI. I shot my first deer with a '99 in .250 Savage & I'm sad to say that gun was stolen some years back. In the last few years I've been looking to replace it. I searched gunshows & on-line & I'd say $850 is a fair/reasonable price for buyer & seller if the gun is in good shape. I looked at many 99's & the .250-3000 caliber seemed to be a $100 premium on price. Now that's here in Texas but prices might be quite different in thick-brush areas. I'm almost positive you'll find that your rifle is 1-14. The one I finally bought was a 1951 model & I had to shoot Speer 87gr bullets to group. Nice rifles & at the very least a good investment!

JIMHO...

BTW: You might want to check out this forum thread about my '99.

[Pioneer2]

Newton didn't want the 87gr bullet rather the 100gr with a suitable twist.Savage wanted 3000 fps for marketing hype ........guess who won out $$$$$$ and who was right in the first place.

[ipopum]

I bought a 1914 vintage 250 about a year ago. I have enjoyed finding out what it will shoot well. Mine shoots a 85 gr. cast very well at 50 yards.

It will shoot a 90 gr j bullet very well also. It will work on any deer that you make a good hit on. Enjoy a fine old rifle.

[rking22]

Anybody using cast in hunting level loads, thinking deer, up close and personal. NOE sent out an add, 30 cal and under 15% off plus 1000$ club. Thinking a 100 gr cast, .877 length would be ok, maybe???

[Norske]

If the round Savage logo is on the left side, it was factory D&T for a scope. If the scope base covers the round logo, it wasn't D&T at the factory. I think factory D&T started around mid-1952.

[richhodg66]

Anybody using cast in hunting level loads, thinking deer, up close and personal. NOE sent out an add, 30 cal and under 15% off plus 1000$ club. Thinking a 100 gr cast, .877 length would be ok, maybe???

I'm a Savage fan and have several 99s. One of my bucket list things to do is to kill a deer with each of the Savage proprietary cartridges, .300, .250, .303 and .22 High Power. I've done it so far with .300 Savage (using cast) and done a couple of others with a 99 in .308 and another in .358.

I plane to do this with iron sighted 99s only. I have a 99 in each caliber, so I need to get to it, hopefully with the .250 this year. I haven't killed a deer with anything but cast bullets and broadheads since 2009 or so, and the smallest diameter was 7mm. I think I'm gonna have to resort to J words for the .250 and .22 High Power. I just don't want to have to do anything like have to take a head shot or something. A 100 grain .25 caliber cast bullet is awful small.

[pietro]

Nice saex , you make it ?

Nope - I only re-handled it in Ebony.

It started life as a new Cold Steel Trailmaster Bowie with a rubber/Kraton handle.

[gnoahhh]

Anybody using cast in hunting level loads, thinking deer, up close and personal. NOE sent out an add, 30 cal and under 15% off plus 1000$ club. Thinking a 100 gr cast, .877 length would be ok, maybe???

Probably, but I wouldn't feel comfy going any longer. I ran an experiment once by filing the noses off of 100 grain jacketed spitzers (Nosler Partitions) until they started to group well, and the length at which they did so was .850". It's easy to conduct such an experiment yourself: just bore a .257 hole in a piece of 1/2" drill rod to use as a file trim die, and make it shorter and shorter making a handful of trimmed bullets at each stop along the way. If you wish, when you hit the "sweet spot", stop and harden it so you can continue using it. It's what I do to make long jacketed 70 grain .228" bullets work in my Savage .22 High Powers also with their 1-12" twists.

[rking22]

Interesting idea, thank you for sharing. I am still going round with the shop. I am taking some trade materials tomorrow, thinking I may be letting my NO1 45-70 go in this deal. The bore looks decent after just brushing the copper fowling “fuzz” out. Dry patch felt decent. So, we proceed.

[Drm50]

I just missed a mint 250 carbine for $1K. A early 99H is what I had when I was a kid. I had #8 Rem and was 12 and was a little more than I could handle well, weight wise. I traded it off years ago and 250 are scarce around here so I bought the 1950EG. I'm happy with its accuracy and am settled on Hornady 117gr RN bullets. I shot several lighter bullets and found they all shot about the same. Haven't shot heavier because I have shot several deer with the 117g RN in a couple 257Rs.

[Rick B]

Have an 1899 250 takedown made in 1920. It a little worse for wear but it’s still a fast handling rifle. Has a Lyman tang mounted sight on it. Really enjoy shooting it. When the current 25 Caliber M&P Group Buy happens. I’m looking forward to trying that bullet in this rifle.
Rick

[gnoahhh]

I just missed a mint 250 carbine for $1K. A early 99H is what I had when I was a kid. I had #8 Rem and was 12 and was a little more than I could handle well, weight wise. I traded it off years ago and 250 are scarce around here so I bought the 1950EG. I'm happy with its accuracy and am settled on Hornady 117gr RN bullets. I shot several lighter bullets and found they all shot about the same. Haven't shot heavier because I have shot several deer with the 117g RN in a couple 257Rs.

Well there's a head scratcher for sure. How (in)accurate are those long bullets in the 1950EG, and how many go through the target sideways?!?