Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Article in Shooting Times on .300 Sav

As a standard? Doubt the requirement is as high as 50%, but I'll bet the Savage 99 has at least that. How many 99's have ever been seen where the receiver or barrel has completely exploded? I think I recall three 99's with split barrels, but the split on all of them starts about halfway down from the receiver.


And from the 1900 catalog when they were doing 30-30 class rifles with a max PSI of 42,000:

"The steel used in the Savage rifle barrels is of the finest possible quality. Every batch, technically known as a "heat", is tested by the Government tester at Watertown Arsenal. The tensile strength averages 115,000 pounds to the square inch, and the elastic limit 75,000 pounds to the square inch. The steel is manufactured by the well-known firm of Spaulding & Jennings of Jersey City, N.J., who supply large quantities to the United States Government for rifle barrels."

Yeah, maybe half the 50% I'd heard. Wiki shows 25-30%, but I admit I didn't want to read the entire article-

Proof testing in C.I.P. regulated countries[edit]

German definitive smokeless powder proof marks (eagle over N figure) issued by the Beschussamt Ulm C.I.P. accredited Proof House (antlers figure) on a Walther PPS pistol.
In C.I.P. member states every civil firearm has to be professionally proofed in accredited Proof Houses before it can be sold to consumers.

The standard proof test consist of firing two overloaded cartridges that produce 25% more chamber pressure than the C.I.P. specified maximum pressure limit for the same cartridge in its commercial version. The standard proof of pistol, revolver and rimfire cartridges is performed with overloaded cartridges that produce 30% more chamber pressure than the C.I.P maximum pressure limit for the same cartridge in its commercial version. There are only two overloaded firings to avoid excessive stress to the arm, especially the barrel which is the main part suffering this overload beside the chamber (when not part of the barrel) and the locking mechanism. After the test, the arm is disassembled by the proof house technicians for nondestructive testing looking for Magnetic flux leakage through fluoroscopic lamp in a dark room. Many manufacturers, including Glock Ges.m.b.H., package the casings from a firearm's proof ammunition in a sealed envelope accompanying the firearm so that authorities in C.I.P.-signatory states and civilian purchasers in other countries can conduct an independent examination if they desire.[12]

Before the year 2006 the standard test consisted of firing two overloaded cartridges producing 30% more chamber pressure then the C.I.P. specified maximum chamber gas pressure limit for the same cartridge in its commercial version.

Voluntarily testing beyond the current legally required standard test benchmark is often also possible for consumers who intend the use their firearms under extreme conditions (hot climates, long strings of shots, etc.). In case a firearm passes such a proof-test a pass mark termed superior proof mark is stamped in every successfully tested firearm.

Its important for hand loaders to understand CUP and PSI measurements are like apples and oranges. Just reread one of my favorite authors clarifying this issue pertaining to pressure.Book states CUP and PSI are so different that their isn't a exact ratio between them, tho a fairly complex formula exists for approximate conversion between the two systems. Don't think they are interchangeable, they are not.

I wonder how the 1920 compares to the 99 in strength?

Being a two lug front locking bolt action (basically a Mauser clone), I'd say the 1920 is a much stronger action than the 99, being a rear locking action relying on the fit of the bolt's backside to the 99's frame. Maybe more akin to a Remington 700, or 722 of days gone by, or Savages 110 series of push feed actions. Keep in mind this is not taking in consideration any advances in metallurgy between the 1920s and today. Having said this, I should say that there would be absolutely no good reason to hot rod a 1920 or any of the cartridges it was chambered for.

Do you mean Waterveilt arsenal based in Waterveilt, NY? I live near the arsenal and quite a history from civil war and still today.

Just repeating what's in the catalog, it states Watertown. I presume it's this:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watertown_Arsenal

Look at one of the more recent Speer manuals, 11 or 12, I forget which.

They used a Savage 99 with a 20" barrel and held the pressures to 46K CUP.

They achieved very good velocities with RL-15 powder and 150-grain and 165-grain bullets, more than one would think possible with a 20" barrel and those pressures.