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Apparently since the .22 Savage HP was loaded with a 71 grain bullet it was intended for big game. This of course was in the days of iron sights and .30-.35 rifles shooting medium velocity round nose bullets. Introducing a .22 centerfire for big game for deer at that time seems odd to me. And I don't think they sold too many. Correct me wherever I'm wrong because it's a cartridge I just have never "gotten".

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It was definitely intended for anything from varmint to big game, and in fact there were people who used it for tiger hunting.

The shooting world had just gone through the smokeless revolution a couple decades earlier. They'd gone from large bore to 30 cal, over a LOT of resistance from folks who wouldn't believe that a small bore 30 caliber could kill big game. High velocity obviously proved them wrong. So with the 22HP they were pushing to go even lower. It was a bit of an overreach, especially as far as tigers... yipes!

Though the 22 High Power as it was factory loaded is still a legal cartridge in Nebraska for deer hunting, which requires a minimum amount of energy at 100 yards. I'd say it's almost an ideal cartridge for coyote hunting.


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Im a big fan of the 22HP, a tac driver, light to carry,just a fun gun iv taken 3 deer with mine, all between 20 and 60yrds, with a stith set up and Alaskan 2.5 scope. if you take your time and pick your shots.


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Why did they? Why not? I suspect old Charlie Newton bent someone's ear until they gave in and chambered a few.

What's wrong with killing stuff with a .22 centerfire? The .22 HP is no better or worse than the .223, and a lot of folks are going around killing all manner of deer sized game with that one. May or may not have been as valid a point 100 years ago due to advances in bullet technology, but still, HP's were always loaded with tough bullets. It was always considered to be a medium big game cartridge not a varmint round. Stick a deer in the guts with a .30-06 and it'll run a helluva ways before going to ground. Stick a deer in the guts with a .22HP and the same thing happens. Stick that same deer in the heart or spinal column and you'll get the same results whether it be with an '06 or a HP.

Advantages of the .22HP: Low recoil, accurate, deadly, found in delightfully handy woods rifles.
Disadvantages:


Bless those Savage thinkers for they gave us loonies a bunch of neat cartridges.


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So did anyone else bring out a comparable cartridge at that time? I don't know myself but it would be an indicator of public demand for a small diameter high power hunting round.


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I've seen as many as ten of them on GB at the same time, and all the adds said, super rare. There are 2 now. I think there are plenty around if you want one. Don't plan on letting mine go, and would like to pick up a couple more, Joe.


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Originally Posted by S99VG
So did anyone else bring out a comparable cartridge at that time? I don't know myself but it would be an indicator of public demand for a small diameter high power hunting round.



Not that I know of, but there was a small hot bed of wildcatters experimenting with .22's back then. The .32-40 was a popular base case for a lot of those guys like Niedner, Mann, etc. Nothing went mainstream for another 15-20 years. Note too, all .22 experimentation in the 'teens was with .228 bullets. That was the standard for .22's until the Golden Age of .22CF's that the Hornet kicked off. The .22WCF, .22-15-60, etc. set the trend with what we think of as oversize .22 bullets starting in the late 19th century.

Savage pretty much created a demand for small caliber high velocity factory offerings all on their own. Winchester and Remington came close with their .25-35's and .25 Remingtons, but they didn't carry the panache of the Savage offerings. I mean seriously, which would you rather smack a tiger between the eyes with- a .25 Remington or a Savage .22HP?!


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Just a clarification, I never said there was anything wrong with big game hunting with a .22 centerfire. I'm supposed to be doing it myself but haven't listened to my Doc. But I am wondering what market they were attempting to reach in 1912?

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To me the 22-HP has always been the least interesting of Savage's four proprietary cartridges as I figured it was pretty much rendered redundant if not obsolete upon introduction of the 250-3000. But now this thread has piqued my interest. Is there a good source for .228 diameter bullets? I know Ken Waters had some success with .224 bullets.

But to answer the OPs question I think we need to look as the 22-HP through the lens of the past and not the present where we have an overabundance of cartridges and components to choose from. Given that we can find rounds today that were specifically designed to shoot everything from gophers to elephants (something that really didn't exist in the past), I'd say that Savages intended market was simply the guy who wanted the latest and greatest super duper hunting round and that they really didn't care if you shot wild woodland critters, raging tigers or the neighbors overly noisy dog with it. Not that I've ever shot dogs but there have been times....

Last edited by S99VG; 09/12/17.

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Originally Posted by moosemike
Just a clarification, I never said there was anything wrong with big game hunting with a .22 centerfire. I'm supposed to be doing it myself but haven't listened to my Doc. But I am wondering what market they were attempting to reach in 1912?

The "Big Game" market.
Like the others have stated, Charles Newton was creating leading edge cartridges at the time, Savage Arms had a (marketing) need and so did the market.
This was a high velocity high shock cartridge.
Correct me if I am wrong but I think the 22HP was something like ~2700 ft./sec. and ~1500ft./lbs.
Was there anything comparable at the time?
Obviously things have changed since 1912, but,...


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Nothing else like it at the time, in a lever gun. The market wasn't flooded and overlapped into redundancy over 100 years ago.


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No reliable source for .228 bullets. Buffalo Arms carries them, and there's a guy in California who makes them (and sells some to Buffalo). RWS H-Mantels show up on the American market from time to time. Best bet is to haunt the internet for obsolete/discontinued Hornadys, Speers, and Sisks- beat the bushes and you never know what will turn up. They aren't as rare as some would have you believe. I figure I now have enough .228 jacketed bullets to last me most of the rest of my life- all garnered from want ads on the internet and by keeping my eyes (and wallet) open.

If you're serious about shooting a .22HP a lot, then now might be the time to invest in a mold and some basic equipment and cast your own. I shoot my HP's a lot with cast bullets, for less than some people pay for .22LR's.

As for .224's, knock yourself out if you want to. I care not a whit for them in the HP. Others do and that's ok.

I would sell my left foot if Barnes would make their TSX in .228 in a 50 or 55 grain weight- they would be the t*ts for deer at 3000+fps, as they are in the .223.

Last edited by gnoahhh; 09/12/17.

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Yes what Gary says! I too have enough Jacketed bullets to last me, I hope but always on the look out for more! I also bought a mold for lead bullets, not started to learn casting yet tho! Also 25-35 brass is the way to go to reload the 22HP. I also reload most of my 22hp with the Ideal 310 tong tools! its a fun Hobby!


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Remember that in 1912 there was no internet for feed back. A hyped published story or ad on a product would sell many before the feed back from use would effect sales.

There were a lot of HP's sold from 1912 to around 1920. The 250-3000 slowed it down after it came out in 1915 but the rifle also cost about 20% more than the Model H.


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Why did the 250-3000 cost more?

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I have found only one .224 bullet that shoots MOA in a HP. It's the 70 gr Speer semipoint. It is also rugged enough for deer sized game given very disciplined shooting.

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What? No internet back then? How the hell did anyone survive?

If you look at 100 year old advertising perhaps you'll observe that over-hyping of products was the norm. I think ad copy writers had a universal philosophy that dictated outlandish barely believable claims for their products in the hope that such would generate more sales among the generally poorly informed public. I doubt Savage truly expected hunters to go up against big dangerous animals with their .22 HP's, but it sure made for exciting ad copy and attracted a lot more dollars from rubes who believed it and guys who wanted to believe it.

The HP probably also appealed to the rapid fire crowd. Light recoil aided the emptying of the magazine to mow 'em down. "What the hay, the thing holds five shots and I'm gonna use 'em."


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Originally Posted by moosemike
Why did the 250-3000 cost more?


Because the M250-3000 was a fancier rifle than the M1899H.

Last edited by gnoahhh; 09/13/17.

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Originally Posted by moosemike
Why did the 250-3000 cost more?

I would guess it cost more because the Model H was a plane Jane straight grip, no checking. The Model 250-3000 Rifle was a checkered pistol grip. Maybe some other stuff, Ill check my books and see if I can learn something, Joe.


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The 250-3000 was checkered, pistol grip, takedown. Everything but engraving at a time that the standard Savage 1899 was a straight stock, uncheckered, solid frame.

Same with the 99G up until 1932 when the 99R came out. Only other with more features was the 99K.


The Savage 99 Pocket Reference”.
All models and variations of 1895’s, 1899’s and 99’s covered.
Also dates, checkering, engraving.. Find at www.savagelevers.com
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