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Thread: Savage 99 300 Savage loads

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Dom's Avatar
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    Savage 99 300 Savage loads

    I have a friend who has a Savage 99 in 300 Savage. he can't find factory ammo so has asked if I could load for him. I came across some dies, so..I have Rem 165gr CL bullets. Hodgon loading data shows a max load of 38grs of 4895 for 2341 fps.Having never loaded for a Savage 99 ,was wondering if there is any thing special I should be observant of ?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Necks are short and thin.

    I prefer lighter boolits/j-words at
    starting or mid-range powder loads.

    Best to have rifle in hand for proper
    COAL, etc.

  3. #3
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    My 99 .300 Savage had a generous chamber and full length sizing was required. Starting loads are best to find out what it likes, and like said above, you need the gun there with you to make sure they'll fit before you load a batch that Won't Fit. Been there.

    Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    99% of my 300 Savage reloads have been cast boolits (170 grain) with reformed 308 cases, just for fun shooting, it's been 7-8 years since I last loaded it. It's a pretty easy cartridge to load. I would think jacketed would be even easier than cast.

    Don't remember anything special that had to be done when reloading. Straight forward bottleneck cartridge.

    Rifle belongs to a buddy, his wife passed away almost 2 years ago, can't get him motivated to come out to the range anymore. Bummer. He was one of the more fun guys I've hung around with.

    One of the best weeks of my life was whacking prairie dogs in South Dakota a dozen years ago with the old crazy. He's 83 and has decided he's too old to have fun anymore.

  5. #5
    Boolit Master



    atr's Avatar
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    my 99 in 300 savage prefers full length sized cases. the 130 and 150 gr loads seem to work best.
    yes the case neck is short but I've never had a problem with the 130 or 150 gr loads. I have not shot cast with this rifle so can't comment on that
    certainly have the rifle with you to check how well the seated bullets work before you reload and seat a large batch.
    atr
    Death to every foe and traitor and hurrah, my boys, for freedom !

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy kaiser's Avatar
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    My favorite loads with 150 and 165gr loads in the .300Sav. are with RL12 (sometimes hard to come by). I’ve also had good luck getting published factory velocities and accuracy with IMR3031, IMR4064, H4895, and RL15. Most loads published in the various manuals are specifically for the Savage 99, so pressures are targeted for that action. I’ve found it to be an easy cartridge to load for, despite it’s rather short neck. If you load close to “max” you may find you have to trim a little more than for a bolt gun, but the brass usually lasts a reasonable amount of cycles. Good luck with yours.

  7. #7
    Boolit Buddy Dom's Avatar
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    Thanks all . looks like I will be using IMR-4895 with the Rem 165gr CL bullets.

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master
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    I got pretty good accuracy, though the velocity is a bit low, with WW-748. I loaded R-P brass with WLR primers and Nosler 150 grain lead-free bullets to hunt with in CA. Varget or 4064 will get you better velocity.
    _________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.

  9. #9
    Banned



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    My experience was that the short neck problem with the .300 Savage is more BS theoretical than actual fact. I killed a deer with mine, load was the 31141 and 28 grains of IMR 4895, rifle shot that load well and didn't seem to care that the base of the bullet was inside the case.

    Don't over think it, the .300 loads and shoots like pretty much any other rifle cartridge.

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    I asked a friend of mine what powder he uses, he said he loaded up a hounded years ago and doesn't remember. He only shoots one or two a year. He is like me and has a field right out the door and has gotten to old to want to clean more than a deer a year.

    We used to do cows and now we are too old and weak to do a deer. Damn what the years do.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    i've been using Varget with 150 gr, Reloder 15 with 180 grain Partitions, using Reloder 7 with 311413 170 gr gas checked. Used a lot of IMR 4064 in the 300 Savage before the newer powders came along. I use Reloder 15 under 165 Partitions in my 308's, so that is probably what I would use though if I still had any 4064 I might use it up in my 300 Savages. You do need the rifle to properly develop a load for it, for both function and safety. The newer, after 1954/55, have a longer magazine (308 length) than earlier 99's and benefit from being loaded longer than the 2.6" specification.

  12. #12
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    I reused a Sako/ Browning .308 barrel to put together a .300 Savage on a 98/22 Mauser. It turned out accurate and handy - so my nephew talked me out of it- and then had me rechamber it - to .308! The price of a box of .300 Savage ammunition scared him
    It and the Remington 81 that I had were drama free to reload for.

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  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    I've had several .300 Savage rifles including a Remington 722, a Remington 81, and a Savage 99. I never loaded maximum with any but got pretty close with H4895 and the 150 Sierra ProHunter. Case life was always good. I haven't had a .300 Savage anything in years, but I'm pretty sure I sized brass only enough to insure that a cartridge would chamber with slight resistance. As for cast bullets, many have to be seated with the bullet base below the case neck, but this never caused a problem regarding accuracy or anything else.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check