Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors The story behind the 99 303 I hunted with

The 99

This particular Savage 99 was purchased by a gentleman in Lincoln Co Tennessee new in 1924. He was a hunter and used this one rifle for small game and big game when he could find it. During the time he bought this rifle there were several low velocity small game loads available for the .303 Savage. During the great depression he used this rifle to feed his family. After the depression he continued to hunt with the 99.
He had a son and a daughter. His son was drafted and went to fight in the Pacific theater during WWII. Upon returning from the war his father gave him the 99. He had totally lost his taste for any kind of gun during the war and gave the rifle to his sister. She wiped it down with a little oil and put it in her closet where it stayed until her death in the late 1990s.
Her son came back to Lincoln Co to deal with his mother’s estate which included this rifle. He didn’t have any attachment to the rifle and allowed it to be auctioned off with the rest of the estate. There was a man at the auction that bought the rifle thinking it was a 30-30 with the intention of his son hunting with it. A few days after the auction he found out (he wasn’t gun savvy) that it wasn’t a 30-30 and that ammunition was difficult to find for the old rifle. He then traded it for a Marlin 30-30 to a friend of mine.
My friend called me and asked if I could load ammo for it. I told him I would if he could find brass for it. This was before PP starting loading ammunition and make brass for the 303. After a few days he called me and said he couldn’t find brass for it and that he was going to sell it. He brought it by and we cut a deal. I have had it ever since. I have taken two deer with it. Strangely enough only a few weeks after I bought it PP announced that is was going to start making brass and ammo for the great old cartridge again.

A rifle with a known history and provenance is always special to carry. Congrats on your find!

[ pictures help hint, hint ]

Yes I think its Great to know the history of a gun!

Please share some good low velocity small game recipes for the 303 reloading.

Back in the day a fine member, who has passed, used to post gems like this one:

"Ron T.’s 303 Savage Loads


Frankly, if you wish to shoot an obsolete cartridge like the .303 Savage very much, it would certainly pay you to get into reloading.

I'm sure most of you have a friend or can make a friend of someone who does their own reloading. Perhaps if you buy your own reloading dies, your reloading buddy will allow you to use his reloading press and other tools... and show you the "ropes" which will boost your learning curve.

You can get a set of excellent RCBS reloading dies for less than $40 in most places... and sometimes even less than $30 in some places... and you'll need a #7 Lyman shell holder... the same shell holder as is used by the .44 Special, Remington .44 magnum and .303 British cartridge. If your reloading buddy loads for the .44 magnum, then you can probably use his shell holder.

It's not only a very satisfying hobby unto itself, but you can reload higher velocity, more accurate rounds than you can buy already loaded.

Your cost for the superior reloaded round, using a premium bullet, would be about 35 per round (depending on component costs in your area) vs 3 times that much or more for inferior "factory loads".

If you can get the virgin brass, here's some reloading data out of one of my old reloading manuals.

Below, I’ve listed some loads for the .303 Savage cartridge.

NOTE: THE MAXIMUM LOADS MAY BE DANGEROUS IN YOUR RIFLE, APPROACH THEM WITH CAUTION.


Firearm used: Savage Model 99, 26-inch barrel
.308 inch Groove Diameter
Twist: 1-12
Remington Cases
Rem.9 primers, large rifle primer
Bullet diameter, jacketed or cast = .308 inches
Maximum Case Length = 2.015
Maximum Overall Length (with bullet) = 2.520



150 GRAIN JACKETED BULLET

IMR 3031 - Starting load = 30.0 grains, Muzzle Velocity = 2169 fps
Maximum load 33.0 gr. = 33.0 grains, MV = 2392 fps

IMR4895 - Starting load = 33.0 grains, MV = 2202 fps
Max. load 36.0* grains, MV = 2392 fps

IMR4064 - Starting load = 32.0 grains, MV = 2123 fps
Max. load 36.0* grains, MV = 2403 fps

IMR4320 Starting load =32.0 grains, MV = 2105 fps
Max. load 36.0* grains, MV = 2444 fps

* indicates a compressed load

ACCURACY LOAD IMR4895, 33.0 grains = 2202 fps




170 GRAIN JACKETED BULLET

IMR3031 Starting load = 28.0 grains, MV = 1949 fps
Max. load 31.0 grains, MV = 2173

IMR4895 Starting load = 30.0 grains, MV = 1949 fps
Max. load 33.0* grains, MV = 2136 fps

IMR4064 Starting load = 30.0 grains, MV = 1930 fps
Max. load 33.0* grains, MV = 2132 fps

IMR4320 Starting load = 30.0 grains, MV = 1886 fps
Max. load 33.0 grains, MV = 2105 fps

* indicates compressed load

ACCURACY LOAD IMR3031, 28.0 grains, MV = 1949 fps.



190 JACKETED BULLET

IMR4895- Starting load = 30.0 grains, MV = 1870 fps
Maximum load = 33.0 grains, MV = 2005 fps

IMR3031- Starting load = 28.0 grains, MV = 1835 fps
Max. load = 31.0 grains, MV = 1980 fps

IMR4064- Starting load = 30.0 grains, MV = 1855 fps
Max. load = 32.0 grains, MV = 2025 fps

IMR4320- Starting load = 32.0 grains, MV = 1875 fps
Max. load = 36.0 grains, MV = 2145 fps


I recommend using the 150 grain, .308-inch Nosler Ballistic Tip or Partition bullet in front of your choice of rifle powder for deer hunting.

With a maximum load of any of the above listed powders and the rifle sighted in 2.8 inches high at 100 yards, the .303 Savage shooting a 150 grain bullet at a muzzle velocity of 2400 fps will reach its highest point (2.9 inches) at 110 yards, be "dead on target" at 200 yards and be 3.0 inches low at 235 yards. giving the .303 Savage a P.B.R. ("point blank range") of 235 yards.

"Point blank range" is the maximum range at which the bullet does not rise or fall more than 3-inches above or below the line-of-sight. Since a deer has approximately a 9-inch "kill zone", you can hold "dead on" your point of aim from the end of the rifle's muzzle out to 235 yards and not be more than 3-inches high or low... and your 150 grain bullet will arrive at the target 235 yards away with a remaining bullet velocity of 1960 fps and a remaining bullet energy of 1280 ft/lbs.

As you can see, the .303 Savage is ballistically superior to the .30/30 Winchester.

Strength & Honor

Ron T."

RIP Ron

I've been shooting the 100 grain short jacket made by Hornady in mine.
https://www.hornady.com/bullets/rifle/30-cal-308-100-gr-short-jacket#!/
I'll defer to a recent Hornady reloading manual for exact loads. The 30-30 data works fine.

Cool. Both stories!

I'm a .303 savage neophyte, but I do have an old gray rat 99 chambered as such.
Are they indeed .308 bore?

Thanks,
Bob.

Yes. Although there is internet lore of a .311 bore 303 Savage, I've never seen one. Buy brass and dies from Graf & Sons, and reload with 30-30 data. You can even load pointed bullets if you desire.

Thanks Greg.