Cast bullets for Savage 99 250-3000, 1/14” twist

[Pepe le PewPew]

Hi All!
Got an old 99 from the ‘40s with the slow twist barrel.
When I bought it the idea was to use it for the small black tail deer I hunt n the coastal areas. The CAL did their lead free BS, which hamstrung me. This gun really prefers shorter bullets, shoots 75-87gr j-words well, and 100g flat base “ok”.
Well as we all know lead free bullets are even longer than jacketed, so I’ve shoved this thing into to recesses of the safe.

Been thinking tho it might be a nice gun for my grown daughters or even gkids (in a couple more years) to target shoot with.

Any suggestions for 50yd target loads? From maybe 1600 down to cat sneeze with cast bullets? Specific bullets from either vendors or molds to try?

We are trying to leave this once beautiful cesspool, so perhaps these will also become small game loads. I am assuming a flat point bullet would be best for that but must admit that I’ve not killed anything but a rattler with cast.

LePewx2!

[quilbilly]

My old 250/3000 (pre-1940's) loved the 87 gr JSP's even when loaded down with 4895 to below 2000 fps. Even though I traded it away years ago, I liked the caliber so much that I got a T/C Encore barrel in the caliber but with a 1/12 twist. It loves cast 87's (Lyman mold) and 105's (Saeco mold) giving me sub-MOA 100 yard groups at 1900 fps using about 17.5 gr of 4198 or 17 gr of RE-7.

[rintinglen]

California put the kibosh on my Savage also. It won't shoot the Barnes 85 grain boolits for beans, and when I left, they were the only game in town. However, back to the topic at hand, I have loaded a 258-464 in mine. It was supposed to be 89 grains but it is short for its weight, so it works ok. IIRC, the charge was 15.5 grains of 2400 and I got reasonable groups at 50 yards.

I kinda lost interest as the lead ban hit as I was working on loads. I have since retired and moved to Virginia, a more firearms friendly state. Good luck on your escape.

[Pepe le PewPew]

Thanks gentlemen, both on sharing your experience and well wishes to escape a over run and contaminated paradise.

[Texas by God]

So- since the lead ban was enacted, do you see a bunch more California Condors flying around?
I didn't think so......


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[Mk42gunner]

You might try the Lyman 257420. IIRC it is supposed to weigh ~65 grains, FPGC.

It worked okay in my Husqvarna in .25-20, sized to 0.258".

Robert

[Pepe le PewPew]

Thx Robert! Are you the one that started a thread on the 25-20 recently? If so that is what actually sparked this thought of mine, as I noticed it was the same diameter of quarter bore, not the smaller as used in 25 auto. And that bullet even at slow speeds will stabilize in this gun. Just for knowledge what was the twist rate in most 25-20’s?

[Pepe le PewPew]

Oh, TbG? Um no, we don’t. And I’m quite sure the scientists that signed off on this didn’t figure we would either. I wish they weren’t going extinct, but they seem slated. Any bird that needs sock puppets and vulture porn to procreate are destined to go the way of the dodo. Whatever reduced their populations it evidently only killed the ones that actually knew how to survive in the wild.

[Mk42gunner]

Thx Robert! Are you the one that started a thread on the 25-20 recently? If so that is what actually sparked this thought of mine, as I noticed it was the same diameter of quarter bore, not the smaller as used in 25 auto. And that bullet even at slow speeds will stabilize in this gun. Just for knowledge what was the twist rate in most 25-20’s?

Wasn't me, I haven't done anything with a .25-20/ WCF in several years.

I'm not sure about the normal twist rate for .25-20's.

Robert

[uscra112]

You might try the Lyman 257420. IIRC it is supposed to weigh ~65 grains, FPGC.

It worked okay in my Husqvarna in .25-20, sized to 0.258".

Robert

The 257420s I cast a few months ago for my .25-20s weigh about 74 grains, gas checked and lubed. Cast fairly hard and properly sized for your barrel, they could probably be driven past 2000 fps. Conversely, 6 grains of Red Dot computes to 1600 fps from the 250 Savage case, which would make a decent plinking load.

My .25-20s (both WCF and Stevens) are 14 twist.

[Pepe le PewPew]

USCRA thanks for the additional information. 1600 is more than plenty . As a matter of fact I’d like to also find other loads between 900-1200 specially for squirrels and rabbits if I make it out of the lead free prison.