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Ammo and Reloading Factory Ammunition, Reloading, Components, Load Data and more.

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  #1  
Old 09-23-2018, 11:50 AM
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Default .303 Savage

Well, it looks like I have another oddball cartridge that I will need to reload. I just picked up a model 1899 Savage rifle in .303 Savage.

Any sage advice? Is PPU brass good?
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  #2  
Old 10-17-2018, 3:18 PM
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No one out there load this cartridge? No one at all?

I now have brass and projectiles ready to go and picked up some nice dies. The question I have now is on the COAL. Lyman 44th ed. says max. case length is 2.015" and max. overall length with bullet is 2.520". That seems awfully short, leaving only a tad more than 1/2" outside the case. Pictures of old ammo makes it seem that the COAL used to be longer, especially considering that original ammo used 190 gr bullets from what I understand. A Sierra 150 grain round nose would be just about right seated to the cannelure but the 180 grain RN would need to seat deeper.

If you have experience with this, please speak up.
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  #3  
Old 10-19-2018, 8:33 AM
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Old Ideal and Lyman info



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  #4  
Old 10-19-2018, 11:38 AM
robert101 robert101 is offline
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The books will tell you what is recommended. Your chamber will tell you what will fit. Consider both the bullet (shape and contour) in the case and the length of the cartridge in your reloading. I use both to determine my OAL in each caliber. The 300 Savage is a good cartridge. It was meant to be a good deer hunting round. I don't think game has gotten any tougher in 50 years but some think they need a 300 WM to hunt deer and similar size game. Go figure.
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Old 10-19-2018, 1:35 PM
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Ive got a 303 Savage , let me know what you come up with for a load you like. Thanks John
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Old 10-19-2018, 6:16 PM
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My Lee 'Modern Reloading Second Edition' covers the .303 Savage. Pages 416 & 417. It covers many modern powders. Looks like brass is pretty specific though.
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  #7  
Old 10-22-2018, 4:46 PM
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Thanks for all the comments and data.

I made up five dummy rounds with Sierra #2135 150 grain RN bullets seated to the cannelure (which is correct to COAL recommendation) to try out the loading and cycling of the magazine in my Model 1899 rifle. It takes some effort to get the rounds in without peril to the thumbnail but the rounds fed from the magazine and cycled perfectly (I guess that is good). The 5th round wants to feed right away when the lever is closed unless it is held down while riding the bolt over it. The round count indicator shows 5 before the lever is closed but an "asterisk" or dot when the lever is closed so that no rounds feed into the chamber. If the 5th round is fed, the counter shows 4 when the lever is closed.

I'll need to experiment with the 180 grain bullets to see how much excess COAL it can tolerate and still feed and cycle smoothly.
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  #8  
Old 10-22-2018, 5:44 PM
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is that kind of a 30/30 savage version? cool tho
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Old 10-22-2018, 8:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bruce381 View Post
is that kind of a 30/30 savage version? cool tho
Pretty similar cartridge. Rifle design, however, is with a rotary magazine instead of tubular.
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Old 10-23-2018, 9:33 AM
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Ken Waters Pet Loads is my reference for older stuff. And a great reloaders reference in general.

He showed 303 Savage as 2.520 COAL. He reference Ideal #22 Handbook.
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Old 10-23-2018, 9:39 AM
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303 Savage was originally designed as a military round. The Savage 1895 was the civilian version of the rifle made for the military. It was later chambered in the Savage 99's.

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is that kind of a 30/30 savage version? cool tho
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Old 10-23-2018, 9:40 AM
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Interesting, in Pet Loads Waters indicates some early rifles were 0.311 like the British 303, but later ones were 0.308dia.
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Old 10-23-2018, 9:41 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robert101 View Post
The books will tell you what is recommended. Your chamber will tell you what will fit. Consider both the bullet (shape and contour) in the case and the length of the cartridge in your reloading. I use both to determine my OAL in each caliber. The 300 Savage is a good cartridge. It was meant to be a good deer hunting round. I don't think game has gotten any tougher in 50 years but some think they need a 300 WM to hunt deer and similar size game. Go figure.
300 and 303 are completely different. My first rifle is a 303 Savage 99 takedown, neat old gun.
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Old 10-24-2018, 8:47 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justMike View Post
My Lee 'Modern Reloading Second Edition' covers the .303 Savage. Pages 416 & 417. It covers many modern powders. Looks like brass is pretty specific though.
The Lee loads are 30-30 less 10% in my book.
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Old 10-24-2018, 11:25 AM
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Yes they are totally different. The 303 was first in 1895, the 300 in 1920.

The 300Sav was originally designed to give 30-06 performance in a shorter case that would work in the Savage 99 lever action.

Later, the 300Sav was the base that the 7.62x51/308Win was made from. The 308 is kind of a a 300Sav Improved. Most of the improvement was in the neck and shoulder so it would reliably feed in machine guns.

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300 and 303 are completely different. My first rifle is a 303 Savage 99 takedown, neat old gun.
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Old 10-24-2018, 12:15 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RNE228 View Post
Yes they are totally different. The 303 was first in 1895, the 300 in 1920.

The 300Sav was originally designed to give 30-06 performance in a shorter case that would work in the Savage 99 lever action.

Later, the 300Sav was the base that the 7.62x51/308Win was made from. The 308 is kind of a a 300Sav Improved. Most of the improvement was in the neck and shoulder so it would reliably feed in machine guns.
I think it was also the basis for the 22-250 by way of the 250-3000 if memory serves.
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Old 10-25-2018, 10:47 AM
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I have seen on web that the 300 was based on the 250-3000, but have not found anything in the books I have, like Pet Loads. The 250-3000 came out in 1915, the 300 in 1920.

I still want a 250 to go with my 300 :-)

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I think it was also the basis for the 22-250 by way of the 250-3000 if memory serves.
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Old 10-25-2018, 11:57 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by God Bless America View Post
The Lee loads are 30-30 less 10% in my book.
My guess would be that they are playing it safe. May be prudent given the mention of the .311 to .308 change and the age and metallurgy of the earlier guns. A bit like why we have the underloaded 8mm 'Mauser' loads here in the US.

Last edited by justMike; 10-25-2018 at 12:10 PM..
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Old 11-13-2018, 12:56 PM
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In the Savage 99...run the bullets out as far as you can and still get reliable feeding. COL (Cartridge overall length) really doesnt mean much in the grand scheme of things. Virtually every handloader will exceed this. Case length of course is important...but how long the som***** is..depends on your freebore if any, throat, and where the lands start. The 303 Savage is a decent enough cartridge, in the same family as the 3030. It was just Savages version. You can load it a bit hotter as its not "an old lever gun" and while its not superduper one hole group accurate..its more than accurate for any suitable game in North America. The Savage 99 is rated at 55kpsi and the later ones were proofed at 65-70pksi..though to take one that high is foolish as hell.
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Old 11-13-2018, 1:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RNE228 View Post
I have seen on web that the 300 was based on the 250-3000, but have not found anything in the books I have, like Pet Loads. The 250-3000 came out in 1915, the 300 in 1920.

I still want a 250 to go with my 300 :-)
I'll get a 22-250 eventually, unless the 224 Val steals that thunder.
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