Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors The "Other" Savages

The .250 and .300 were chambered in other makes of rifles such as the Remington 722/700, Winchester 70 and Remington 81. I passed on a really nice 722 in 300 a few years ago, but it was tempting. And the old Woodsmaster has caught my eye at times. Anyone have or ever had one of the "other" Savages and care to discuss their qualities, be them good or bad.

I had a Remington 81 .300. Hated it- heavy and poorly balanced, and the recoil impulse was a tad disconcerting to me. I still chuckle when I think of Loggah having referred to it as "shooting a pogo stick." I will grant that it was accurate, and could be reloaded quickly by using M-14 stripper clips.

The 81 has always been more of a novelty to me and I've heard others give the same description. Still, they are somewhat fascinating to me. I don't know if I will ever seek one out but I'll probably remain a Woodsmaster looky-loo.

I have an Amish machine gun (rem 760) in 300 Savage. It shoots 1.25" at 100yrds with my go-to load for my 99s. I put a Ramline tupperware stock on it. It's used as a loaner and a plinker that I don't worry about banged around a little.

Lee

My uncle shot a Winchester model 70 in 300 Savage

I have Remington 700 Classics in both 250 and 300 Savage.

Well proportioned walnut stocks, 24 in barrels, good triggers, both rifles capable of 3-shot moa or less with factory ammo if I have my act together.

The only issues are weight and length, not that they are really heavy, but I grew up hunting with a pre war 20 in barrel 99 featherweight takedown 30/30 and a late 50s 99F in .308, so those 8lb vicinity 24 in barrel bolt actions seem like a lot of rifle to haul around. Oh yeah, if you need a follow-up shot they're a lot slower than a nice smooth 99 lever.

So they're pretty much just sitting out rifles, if walking and deer drives are the order of the day a Savage 99 or a Kimber Montana get the call.

Was daydreaming a little the other day about taking the 700 classic in 300, switching to a light composite stock, and lopping 3 or 4 inches off the barrel to make a better walking around rifle.

I also believe that when Kimber brought out a rifle called the "Adirondack" it should have been chambered in 250 and 300 Savage!

I have owned at one time or another an FN 98, Remington 700 Classics, Ruger 77R/RL/RSIs, and Winchester/USRA 54/70 Lwt Carbines in 250-3000.

I have owned at one time or another an FN 98, Remington 81/700 Classic/722s/760s in 300 Savage.

I restocked my 1986 vintage Winchester/USRA 70s with 70 Fwt stocks and they look sort of like a modern version of the original Savage 1920. Except for the 1-14" ROT barrels, I really like these rifles.

I was just doing some plinking at an old rock quarry this afternoon with my Ruger M77 Tang Saftey in .250-3000. This one really likes the Speer 87 TNT over Ramshot Big Game, lit by a mag primer. The stock could use some generous slimming and refinishing, but it's still one of my favorite rifles.

My Grandad's Model 20 in 250-3000 is in the basement.
It is my Dad's, probably be mine someday, hopefully not soon.
Never shot it, but it is a neat little rifle.

If anyone is interested in a really nice and clean Rem 81 in 300 Savage, let me know. I was at a shop today that had one for $550.

I own a Remington 700 Classic in 250 Savage. They were only made in 1984. It is now my oldest son’s hunting rifle. He has killed game with it!

Oh yeah.

I own a 1947 Winchester Model 70 in 250-3000. All original in 95% condition.

Killed two deer two years ago with a Rem 722 in 300.....with a K4

I bought one of the Lipsey's Ruger Model 77 MKII RSI Mannlichers and dropped it into a synthetic stock sourced here at the fire. It turned into a nice, short, handy, all weather 250 Savage. And it likes the Remington 100 grain factory ammo.
https://i.imgur.com/fB9OAxv.jpg

Still getting used to this posting pictures thing.

Oh My!!!

I had the same rifle, except it had been slimmed down with a schnable fore end, and it had been reamed to 250 AI. Never could get it to shoot anything really well but it was a beautiful rifle.

Got a 760 in .300. Also bring it to camp for a loaner.

I'm a fan of early 760s. A buddy of mine has one in 270 that's a damn nice rifle. I think you either like trombones or you don't without much middle ground. Which is kind of the way I've always viewed the 99.

My Rem 760 in 300 shot a 3 shot 1" group with open sights a few years ago. The 81 300 Savage shot 3 or 4" groups and recently found a new home. David

I've heard that 760s can be accurate and that 81s not so much.

i had a remington model 8 collection and one was a 300 shotgun. never could get it to hit close to where i was shooting let alone where i was aiming. got a 99 in 300 and learned what it could do and sold the m8.

Last years buck with the Ruger, 100 Hornady Interlock over Ramshot Big Game

I have .300 Savages in a Rem 760 and 722 as well as an 1894 Mauser. I do also have a Savage 99.

I really like the 760's pump action, it is open sight only and makes a great truck gun due to the removable magazine. The 722 is drilled and tapped but I shoot it open sight. Without a scope it's a nice lightweight rifle.

The Mauser wears a repurposed Springfield 1903 barrel. It too is open sight only. All three of the above are plenty accurate as-is and just plain fun to shoot. But the 99 with a receiver sight never ceases to amaze me with how well it shoots.

I see why it's one of your favorites, dang nice buck!


Lee

Every now and then I see an Arisaka Type 99 that has been rechambered to 300 Savage, most of them arent pretty, but I understand it was a pretty popular conversion on Japanese rifles after WWII ended.

Yes, because a bazillion of the things were brought home as souvenirs and there was zero/none/nada ammo for them. The 7.7 Japs got re-chambered to .300 Savage (remember, there was no such thing as a .308 yet) because the .30-06 was too long for the magazine. Never mind the fact that the .311 bores were a tad oversize for .308 bullets, by all accounts they shot ok. Likewise a lot of the 6.5 Japs got re-chambered to .257 Roberts, but those didn't fare too well for obvious reasons. (The average Marine/GI in theater always referred to those rifles as .25 Jap rifles as 6.5mm was a foreign concept to Americans, and the Basement Bubba gunsmiths back home doing the re-chambering weren't exactly guiding lights in the world of precision machining either.)

The total lack of Japanese ammo forced those orphan rifles to disappear into closets and cellars everywhere (those that weren't altered to use American ammo), and became the cheapest milsurps to be found anywhere for a long time thereafter. Then entrepreneurs started importing piles of Jap ammo from rotting supply dumps in the South Pacific and the guns got a lease on life. Poor deer hunters everywhere began filing the tips off of FMJ surplus ammo to create hunting rounds for the Arisakas they "sporterized" on the potting benches out in the garage, with decidedly poor results. That did nothing to help the by then poor reputation of what was actually a rather well built strong rifle.

My personal exposure to that phenomenon was a neighborhood older teenager who drilled out the tips on FMJ ammo (with a hand drill no less) to create hollowpoint hunting ammo for the 6.5 carbine his father brought home from some Pacific hell hole or another. To the rest of us kids who were lucky to have a motley selection of .22's he was like the One Eyed King in the Land of the Blind.

I guess filing the tips off surplus ammo, including the 06, was the thing to do right after WWII as hunting ammo was nowhere to be found. I imagine its performance was a bit erratic but still within "minute of deer." Ever hear anyone mention how it performed?

I've owned a fair number of "other" Savages, the 300 has been a favorite for a long time.

I currently own a Rem 700 Classic, a Rem 760 and a handful of Rem 81s in 300 Sav and a rebarreled Savage M 10 in 250 Sav.

The 700 is my main deer rifle though it will probably sit out this year in favore of the 250. I've had this rifle since it came out. It has been free floated, action bedded, and the trigger cleaned up. It is quite accurate if the barrel is left a little dirty- it doesn't like being squeaky clean or too dirty.

The 760 is my second one, the first one was sold to a WI relative who wanted more than I did. Both are older models and shot very well. I have a 3-9x Bushnell on it now as the old 4x Lyman gave up to ghost and is off being rebuilt.

The 81s I have been gathering for years. They range from one of the earliest serial numbers to one of the last in this chambering. My favorite is a Krieger conversion with the detachable magazine. They are all accurate enough for deer in the woods and I have shot several deer with mine though the only one that was drilled and tapped for a scope is the least accurate of them all. It might be the 3x Weaver as the open sights are at least as accurate as with a scope.

The M 10 is new to me, I just rebarreled it. It is obstensively for our grandkids to use but I like it a lot too. I'll know better after this season hopefully.

I have owned other rifles for Savage cartridges. Two Rem 722s have passed through my hands before I owned the 700. They were good guns and I kind of wish I would have kept the one with the peep sight. I also had one each of the converted Arisakas, i finagled with the dies a bit so I could use 150 gr .311/.312" and 120 gr .264" bullets in the respective guns. I never shot a deer with one but a smallish black bear fell to the 99. I was notched a fan of peep sights which these had and especially the safety which was hard to use unnoticed in the field so they went down the road at some point.

Some where in the family a Winchester M70 in 300 Savage is floating around. It was my great uncle's gun and was near new when I saw it last. I lost track of it when my great uncle died but I'm sure one of his grandkids has it.

It was more economics rather than availability that caused many to use modified military ammo. I have receipts of surplus ammo running 2-5 cents a round as late as 1952 for Brit 30/06 ammo which beats any factory ammo of the time by a considerable margin. Stories of Hosea Sarber and other government agents working in Alaska and other places regularly used surplus ammo as they could get it for free rather than paying for it out of their salaries.

I heard very mixed results as to the effectiveness ranging from not opening to shedding the jacket almost immediately and nearly disintegrating. I tried this for myself by grinding the noses off a handful of Greek surplus and shooting them into some newspaper. None of them had classic mushrooms but none "blew up" either. One looked like it riveted while the others tended to shear down one side or the other as if it glanced off something hard. I think plain old FMJ would have worked just as well with the benefit of less work.

Much to my dismay, when Savage introduced the model 14 American Classic it was not offered in 300 Savage. Remington offered their Model 700 Classic in 300 Savage about the same time, so I purchased it instead. Savage finally decided it might be a good idea to offer their classic rifle in their classic calibers a few years later, so I ordered a model 14 American Classic in 250 Savage. I also have the 50th anniversary model 10 in 300 Savage. I tried to buy a Ruger 77 RSI IN 250 Savage at an auction several years ago but could not keep up with the other bidders.

I have only seen one Savage 14 Classic in 250 Savage and that was less than a month ago, I have never seen a 300, I guess they didnt sell very well?

No, they didn't. It was more of a historical interest chambering that Coburn did rather than any great marketing idea. I should have bought them.

Actually, you still can get one. Just need to find a FFL to order one through and have him call up the Savage custom shop. They'll do a model 14 in 250 or 300, just be a bit more than a standard 14.

Hmmm. I wonder if the Custom Shop would take a ratty 99 and re-barrel it...

I didn't know Savage had a custom shop.

I built a 722 into a switch barrel 22-250/300 Savage by fitting an LVSF barrel to it and putting them in a 700 ADL stock. Both are very accurate, killed a lot of coyotes with the 22-250 but haven't been deer hunting since I built it.

Last I knew, no workie on things that aren't currently being manufactured. They'll sell new stuff with odd chamberings or some mix of features, but not work on old stuff unless it's warranty. Might have changed, can always call and ask.

You guys see that 22 hp go over Gunbroker recently that had a Westfield barrel?

No, what happened?

Now he tells us!

I'm lazy - give me a link if you please.

I'm lazy too. didn't save a link. 22HP with a Westfield barrel. That's it.

Yah, shur...

Savage made 99's in 22-250 so it made the HP obsolete.

Just a few days ago my friend, true story.

But you forgot where you saw it, eh?

Do you realize how ludicrous this statement is??

I think it might have been the .250-3000 that sunk the 22HP.

No, I already told you where I saw it, Gunbroker. And I told you when, a few days ago. Also told you I'm lazy, which you are as well, so we're completely screwed if we want to go find it. I did a Savage HP search but that's all I got. HP's just don't interest me enough to care. But I assure you, it was there.

Chronologically yes, true. I was thinking in terms of 2017- shooter X wants a small caliber Savage lever gun, watcha gunna choose?

Say goodnight Roy...

Here you go buddy

http://www.gunbroker.com/item/699705065

Even my laziness has it's limits...

Thanks, Roy.

Y'all are forgetting that Joe Martin owns a mint factory .22HP barrel with Westfield address too. Something weird was going on in a dark corner of the Savage plant 50 years ago,

Wow I had never heard of that! didnt know Joe had the barrel, over all Id like to have got the rifle, and tried to find out more on the barrel ect. Theres 50 22HP brass for sale in the Class. now if someone dont buy it Im going too! $30.00 for 50 brass shiped guys are always wanting brass , its been for sale all weekend!

I had a Westfield barreled 1899H 22 HP, It had been reblued and D&T'd. It shot groups under 1" but went down the road because it came with 9 other Savages and I needed to recoup some of the money I spent on the 10. David

I have a Chicopee 22HP brl that has never been mounted. This is the big thing to watch for when looking at `30-`40 rifles in .22HP. You want to be sure they have a brl from the correct time period as the serial.

Also, the Chicopee and Westfield replacement brls were all 24".

So I take it the problem with FB2's HP is that is has a barrel that post dates production of the 22HP. Given that, I also take it that for some time after WWII Savage would rebarrel your 99, or at the least they made replacement 22HP barrels available for doing such work. Would getting a letter from the factory identify the work having been done by Savage in the case of FB2's example?

So I take it the problem with FB2's HP is that is has a barrel that post dates production of the 22HP? correct

I also take it that for some time after WWII Savage would rebarrel your 99, or at the least they made replacement 22HP barrels available for doing such work? Savage would rebarrel to any of the Savage calibers and 30-30. Given that there are 22HP brls with Westfield addresses we know that it was done into the `60's. Don't know when it stopped. Don't know if they sold just brls. They would not return the old brl nor rebore/rechamber.

Would getting a letter from the factory identify the work having been done by Savage in the case of FB2's example? I doubt that rebarreling will letter. Info from the `50's on is minimal info.

My Chicopee brl is fully marked as the one in the photo. The one difference is the Savage proof mark on the installed brl. Given the proof mark I would guess that the brl was Savage installed.

Rick99 - thanks!

Ironically I’m up in Oregon right now and saw a Remington 722 in 300 at a Cabalas with a scope for four bills. Probably not a bad buy but I’ll likely let it pass.

If I was just starting out and needed a good all-around hunting rifle I would glom onto that. But at this stage, meh.

Crazy as it sounds I went back this afternoon and spotted a Remington 760 in 300 Savage. Both the 722 and 760 were not pristine but they would clean up into respectable rifles. Both are solid performers too.