Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 250-3000

I am looking for a 100 grs. bullet to reload that could be stabilized in a Savage 99 with a 1-14 twist rate.Does anyone had any luck with a 100 grs bullet.

Thank you

35 grains of RL-15 + 100 grain speer hot core = 2800fps from my 99EG with 24" barrel. It is near max so work up and dont push it. They stabilize great.

I second the 100gr. Speer flat base bullet as a possible choice. The 100gr. Rem. may be a possibility also. My own 99 will almost shoot those two 100's. But there is no consistancy, have shot groups as small as 3/4 inch but the same load has also gone as big as 3 plus inches during the same shooting session. Stay away from those bullets with the long sleek nose shape and you may have a good chance for success.

The Speer 87gr Hot core shoots beautifully in my rifle and did a great job antelope hunting. If you can get the 100gr to stabilize I think you'd be set beautifully for deer.

Let us know if it does. I can't find the 100gr Hot Core locally, and haven't wanted to pay shipping just to have another 100gr that won't shoot.

Last week I did reload and shoot the 100 grs. Speer hot-cor but it was the boat tail not the flat base over 36 grs of Win760,with an average speed of 2500fps and I could not get it to stabilize,I got key holes at 50 yards.May be I should try to get more velocity,it might help.
Your load of 35 grs. of RL-15 is way over the max of 32.0 grs that I have in my #13 Speer manual.

OK, It's actually 35.2 grains. Works for me. I think Ken Waters was using 35.5 grains in a bolt gun and he is a conservative chap. Might show up in the Lyman manual as well, I can't recall. I haven't found it to be too hot in my rifle. Your's is probably different.

The boat tail is working against you.........go flat base with the slow twist.

I wasn't in Speer's test lab, but from what I can tell their max is extremely conservative. For example, Hodgdon shows a top charge of 33.5 grains of H4895, a faster powder than RL15. I've shot this load and it is quite mild. Varget which is very close to RL15 in a bunch of applications is shown with a top charge of 35.2 grains, and that's mild in my experience as well.

Hodgdon shows 38.8 grains of W760 at only 42,000 cup so you've got plenty of headroom there.

I do realize Hodgdon used a different bullet and that can make a difference, but we're nowhere near the ragged edge on any of the loads being discussed here.

I agree. The speer manual says its loads stay 'within' the limits of 45,000 CUP. Doesn't say they are running at that level. Lyman manual calls for 34.6 gr of RL15 generating 2830 fps from 24" barrel and 45 Kcup. If you are getting the speed you are getting the pressure. It's just taking me about .6 grains more to get there. I've used cases at least 4x without pressure signs. Of course proceed with caution always applies.

I found the following loads gave me the best chance at good accuracy with good velocity. All were about max with my components and my rifle, so would suggest you start a couple of grains below and work up.
Rem. brass and CCI 200 primers were used in all loads the Speer and Rem. bullets produced similar velocities and I considered them interchangable.
RL15 35.0 gr. two different lots gave velocity of 2750 to2840.
Pretty stiff load.
H414 38.0 gr. gave me 2868fps. Again pretty stiff.
RL22 41.0 gr. gave 2849fps and is a compressed load.
I suspect the hotter loads work best because velocity is approaching speeds that will actually stabilize 100 grainers in that slow twist. To bad someone doesn't make a 100 gr. round nose in 25 cal.

If I understand right,as long as I get a velocity of 2750fps and more I should be able to stabilize those 100 grs bullets as long as I don't get sign of pressure.

Dave:

Given your work with RL15 and RL22, do you think RL19 or the newer RL17 would give any advantage in the .250 with 100 grain bullets?

In my old 99R I used Big Game, worked up to 2800 with the 100 flat base Speer. My rifle has a "generous" chamber so I won't give the powder weight, it is over book max. I get about 1 1/2" out of the load, good enough for deer hunting. Put one of them through both shoulders of a doe at 200 yards a couple years ago. The rifle does much better with 87 Speer Hot Cores and 75 Sierra HPs.

My pet load is the Sierra Pro Hunter 100 grain flat base bullet over 34 grains of IMR-4350. Its no speed demon but in my 99 EG and 99B I am getting 3/4 inch 5 shot groups at 100 yds and it has accounted for two antelope, two mule deer bucks and three mule deer does. Ryan

It is a fairly accepted fact that in the 1x14 twists of the Savage 99, the 75 to 90 gr. bullets shoot the best...That said all guns are individual and you owe it to yourself to try the heavier bullets...

My dads old 99 Savage with a 1x14 will shot 100, 117 and 120 gr. bullets about as well as it shoots 87 gr. bullets. Most anything in at least a 2 inch group..

I used the 100 gr. Speer Hot Cor with 33.0 gr. H4895 in a couple 99's. Easy on the brass, hard on the deer. Got about 2800 fps. I also used the 90 gr. Sierra HP over 35.0 gr. H4895 for 2950. Also killed deer well. Hope this helps. I got the first load from Mule Deer's 'loads that work' It was the only load that would shoot in a very old takedown 99 I had.

Yesterday I sent an email to Hornady because in their reloading manual they are the only one who mention the 1-14 twist with their bullets.
Here is their anwser:

Laurent, We haven't had any issues with getting the 100 gr. bullets to stabilize in the 1-14" Thanks

So I will try to reload and shoot those bullets soon as I get the chance.
I will let you know.