Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles bullets for the savage 250

this is kind of a cross post from the savage collector forum; i have a 1930 vintage 99 in 250, haphazard home check reveals about a 1-14 twist, so i presume i need to stick with shorter bullets, right? wrong?? who knows??? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

FB, Nosler advises that the 1-in-14 twist "will not stabilize any of our bullets" in the .250 Savage. Hornady says their 117gr. will not work in this twist either. Start with 85gr. bullets and work up to Hornady 100gr. flat base Interlock. This bullet, I can tell you from experience, is death on deer. RS

fb, the 1930's vintage 99 in .250Sav does indeed have a 1 in 14 twist. I have loaded for several and have found none that will adequately stabilize a 100+-grain bullet, although I have heard that the occasional individual rifle will stabilize a 100 grain pill. In the past I have taken a number of mule deer with the speer 87 grain spitzer in front of 36 grains of IMR 4064. Steve

I have had good luck with both the 100-grain Speer Hot-Cor and Hornady Interlock in 1-14 twist .250's. The Hot-Cor spitzers are generally the shortest of any in a certain weight, mostly because of ogive shape, and will often stabilize when others won't. It works fine for most deer hunting, though it wouldn't be th eone I'd choose for an expensive trophy mule deer or whitetail hunt in the North.

Most 1-14 .250's will also stabilize the 117 Hornady roundnose. Accuracy is adequate for woods ranges, say under 200 yards.

appreciate the tips on the speers and hornadys; my rifle seems to handle 100grs just fine, but i have only fired a half dozen rounds. heading to the big city after Christmas and hope to find a selection at one of the larger stores. out here where i live, i couldn't find any 25 cal bullets!

Had a similar rifle. It loved 100 Hornady Spire Points.

You don't say what you intend to use it for, but if you are looking for a deer bullet, the 100 grain Hornady flat base Interlock works very well in my 250AI. It kills like lightning at 3200 fps but seems at the upper limit with respect to frangibility (is that a word?). It should be even more reliable at 250-3000 speeds. An excellent balance between penetration and quick opening on deer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

yup, looking for a deer bullet, primarily, tho i will not refuse advise on varmint slugs! i currently stock a variety of 60-86gr slugs for my 25/20 remington pump. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

interestingly, the hornady 117gr rn doesn't look to be much, if any, longer than their 100gr spitzer, will have to get some and see if i can develop a brush load to cut thru the blackberry and alder!

my trip to eastern washington yielded both 100gr and 117gr bulets, case trimmer and fresh w-w brass. one of you likes 4064, i have on hand 4895, 3031, 2520, 2015br and 4350; any powder/load likes or dislikes from your experience with the 250 would be appreciated.

Where in Eastern Washington?
I am guessing Spokane, Sportsman's Warehouse, White Elephant, maybe General Store?

my favorite load for the .250 is 40 gr. H-414 with 100 gr. corelokt bullet. chronographs at 3048 fps from 24" barrel. 5 shots into 3/4" at 100 yds. shooting over hood of pickup. worked really good on a wyoming antelope this year.

yup, spookaloo! hit both white elephants, the warehouse and general store; found that at the white elephant on north division, prices were pretty much equal to the warehouse AND they had a lot of 250 brass. wife is from spokane, i grew up 20 miles south and east next to the ideeho line.

Mr. Roper, i've never used hogdon powders, but i heep reading about how well h414 performs in the 250, might have to have me some! thanks.

I was over at the Division Elephant the beginning of the month. I am not too overly impressed with them, but they were certainly unique.
Personally, I like the General Store, bought a rifle there in August for what seemed like a reasonable price. Nice selection both new and used.
Love Sportsman's Warehouse, got one here in Kennewick. That's where I get most my reloading stuff.

I have settled on the 87 grain Speer bullets for most of my 250-3000 rifles and XP-100. The "regular" 87 grain Speer offers a good balance of velocity potential, penetration, and accuracy for deer, while the 87 grain TNT is a really good coyote bullet and they tend to shoot to the same POA/POI in my rifles. I used the 90 grain Sierra HPBT for years, but no longer use it on game, as it is just a bit too fragile. Since I still have around 2000 of them around, I suspect that I'll still be shooting them for a few years.

If I was only going to shoot varmints with a 250-3000, I'd be tempted to go with the 75 grain Sierra. I have never had a 250-3000 with a good barrel that wouldn't shoot its best, or near best, groups with this bullet. It is really too bad that Barnes has dropped their light 25 caliber bullets, as the old 75 grain "X" would have given even better velocity potential and penetration than the 87 grain Speer.

Jeff

thanks Jeff, i appreciate having the benefit of your experience; i was unable to find either speer 87gr last trip, but it appeared that stores might be letting shelves empty before their annual inventory. will be headed out to the 'world' in a week or two and will hopefully find some then.

I aggree with jeff. The 87gr Speer "Hot Core" shoots best in my 1-14" twist Model 99. I've tried most every way possible to use 100 grainers, but my rifle just won't spit em consistantly. The Speer is a good bullet, but I wish somebody would make a truly tough/bonded 87 grainer. The only bullet I have yet to try in my 99 is the Hornady 117gr round nose, which I hear will fly in some 1-14" rifles. If it works in mine, I'll switch to it, as it has to be more durable than the Speer. By the way, I get the best accuracy with H4895 driving my 87gr slugs, but I will be giving TAC a try just for grins.

Jeff

well, the little bit of shooting i've done has shown acceptable accuracy with factory 100grs', as to the 117, time will tell. i'll be working on loads later today, after i decide whether or not to shovel the driveway! had hoped to find some remington core-lokt 100's on my last trip to the world, but no such luck, speer and hornady only. and since i have 4895 on hand, i'll include it into the mix! tnx for your help.