Savage 1899 twist

[Throwback]

I found a Savage 1899 in .303 priced very low that I will bring home in a couple days. It's a "grey rat" but the bore is pretty good. Has a nice Lyman 1A folding rear sight. Looks like some cleaning rod wear at the muzzle may need to be corrected. I have brass and dies but have never actually loaded for the .303. Anybody happen to know what twist Savage used?
By the way, we had a virtually new 1937/38 99T Featherweight in .303 in the shop that we sold online. Absolutely gorgeous (and out of my price range). Still, its always neat to see an old classic that looks brand new!

[richhodg66]

I think 1 in 12", but not sure. We have a couple of Savage experts on here, one who knows for sure will chime in soon.

Nice rifle, congrats. I love 99s.

[TXGunNut]

Congrats on a nice score. Can't help on the twist rate but I enjoy seeing clean old 99's.

[richhodg66]

I have done very little loading so far for the .303 Savage, but it seems anything that works in .30-30 works in .303 for the most part.

[pietro]

I found a Savage 1899 in .303

Anybody happen to know what twist Savage used?




1:10", as per Savage, and the "common rifle/barrel twist rate reference" in our Gunsmithing Section.

http://www.savagefest.net/99s/Charles_Newton_Book_twist_rates.JPG

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?235414-Common-Cartridge-Rifle-Twist-Rate-Reference-List


.

[rintinglen]

Mine is 1-10, serial dates to 1906-07, YMMV.

[TXGunNut]

Thanks pietro, somehow missed that thread. That confirms what I suspected.

[pietro]

Thanks pietro, somehow missed that thread. That confirms what I suspected.


You're welcome, TGN !

TTIMC: It's located in the "sticky's", on the Gunsmithing Section of this board.


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[Throwback]

Thanks guys - that's what I figured, same as most .30-30's.
Anyone have any issues with heavier bullets? I would like to load a 311284 like I have used in my m94. (Flat pointed for the tube magazine)

[fatnhappy]

What a beautiful rifle. I'm green with envy

[Throwback]

Wish it was mine but at $1,750 it was a little more than I could afford. The one I bought is considerably more used and thus considerably cheaper. I still like it though. I will post a pic when I have it.

[gnoahhh]

That 311284 should work well for you. I have used them in a .303 Savage and got good results. (Don't ask me what powder charges, I'm away from home right now, but it involved case full's of slow powder like 4350 and 4831.) Get yourself a copy (in CD form for like $10 or so) of "Speaking Frankly", a compendium of Frank Marshall's writings in the CBA Fouling Shot. He did a lot of work with those heavy bullets in a .30-30 and described his techniques for same in detail. The CD (which contains a boatload of cast bullet lore and technica) can be had mailorder from the Cast Bullet Association website.

[fatnhappy]

Wish it was mine but at $1,750 it was a little more than I could afford. The one I bought is considerably more used and thus considerably cheaper. I still like it though. I will post a pic when I have it.

ouch! I thought it was the rifle in question. Truth be told, savage 99s are going for ridiculously high prices these days. I wore a mask when I got mine for $450. My buddy's son used it for a season, liked it so much he had his gun dealer friend hunt high and low for one. He paid $900 for a minty late 40's EG in .300 savage. I thought it was a decent deal for such a beautifully crafted piece of American history.
I couldn't justify $1750 to myself unless perhaps it was worked over by Doug Turnbull or something.

[starmac]

I was at a moving auction 4 or 5 years ago. The guy probably had 15,000 rounds of various ammo and a pretty good selection of firearms, which included a new looking M99 in 300 savage, but not one shell for it. It went for 600 and I didn't bid on it, because I really didn't need 2, but got to talking to the owner later, as I was loading the stuff I bought. I ask him why he didn't have any 300 ammo. He told me he had never even shot it, that his dad bought it new, then promptly shot himself in the foot. He never fired it again, and by the time he gave it to his son, he already had his own rifles. I was kicking myself even before he finished the story, and have several times since. lol

[Throwback]

121980So, as you can see, not as nice as the first rifle, but it shoots way better than expected. I simply had to take it with me in the afternoon yesterday. So I shot it at lunchtime to verify zero. Range was 40 yards and I was just leaning on my elbows, lacking a proper rest. My first shot went a little high - this with Hornady's 95 grain swaged revolver bullet sized to .311 in a push-through die powered by 5.0 grains of Unique. I adjusted my point of aim a little lower and raised the Lyman rear sight, which is shimmed to co-witness with the open rear. This helped a bit coping with the southern sun as the next 4 went into a .467 group with all touching!!! This is as good as I can do without a scope under any circumstances. This is one hell of a small game load.

I knew the hunting loads (180gr Hornady JRN over 33.0gr of LeveRevolution) would shoot higher than the light loads so I aimed at 6-o'clock with a little bit of white showing and both shots touched the black 1-inch square in the center. Not bad for a rifle built in 1912! It was a pleasure to tote in the afternoon. It is one of my lightest rifles and it points like a wand - perfect for carry on the move.

[TXGunNut]

Very nice, Throwback. Awesome little rifle, congrats!

[fatnhappy]

You sir, have a winner. I can't imagine a more capable deer hunting rifle.

[starmac]

Not to mention they are the handiest carrying rifle ever built. My opinion ofcoarse.

[TXGunNut]

Not to mention they are the handiest carrying rifle ever built. My opinion ofcoarse.

That helps explain why most every one I stumble across has been carried...a LOT!

[gnoahhh]

I'll be carrying either a M1899H takedown in .22 HiPower or its twin in .303 Savage next week. This close and I still can't make up my mind which one gets the nod! (.228 RWS H-Mantel 70 grain/25 grains 4895 for the HiPower, 190cast flat nose/28 grains 3031 in the .303) They work:

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/gnoahhh/Deerhunting2011005.jpg (http://s481.photobucket.com/user/gnoahhh/media/Deerhunting2011005.jpg.html)

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr174/gnoahhh/Deerhunting2011006.jpg (http://s481.photobucket.com/user/gnoahhh/media/Deerhunting2011006.jpg.html)

[TXGunNut]

Nice buck. I like that tang sight, really completes a 99.

[M99SavNut]

Accurate Molds makes a mold for the 303 Savage (31-190S) that closely resembles the old 190-grain Winchester Silvertip, but due to Tom's tooling it has a small flat point. In very limited shooting at 100 yards in my 99G with the Lyman tang sight, I wouldn't hesitate to take it hunting, and plan to do so very soon.

I am glad to have the knowledge about the rifling twist rate; I had always assumed a 12" twist. The 10" twist is much better for the heavier/longer boolit, and the Accurate mold puts both the boolit base and the crimp groove in the right place for the .303.

[gnoahhh]

The 190 grain bullet I use in the .303 (and which killed the deer in the pic) is a custom Saeco design, designed by Sid Musselman, charter member of the CBA, about 35 years ago. He designed the mould for .30 competition, but it really shines as a hunting bullet. I got the mould from him shortly before he passed a couple years later. It is a simple bore riding nose design with two lube grooves, gas check, and a .200" meplat. It doth truly go splat when it hits! Drops at exactly .3095 out of the mould w/ WW alloy, which serendipitously perfectly fits the throats of my favorite .30 rifles. The nose engraves like Eley Tenex in a match barrel, like Ed Harris said about another mould design.