Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 250/3000 99-A

Hello from Oregon,
This week i will be getting a rifle i won on gun broker. Its a Savage 99-A in 250/3000. It has a 20 inch fast twist barrel. It Should be a fun one for lots of reasons. I bought an old gloss finish Leupold VX compact 2X7 by 28 I plan to mount in weaver style bases, with Burris Z rings.
My hope for this rifle is to approach 2900 fps with 100 grain bullets, and beat 1.5 MOA. What do you think are my chances. And what do you think of this as an eastern Oregon Mule deer rifle ? With a good High BC bullet, say a ballistic tip or a Sierra bt, do you think it is good for 300 yards ?
I have an older 99 in 250 (about 1937 or 38) that shoots the 90 grain sierra BT HP into about an inch 3 shots at 100 yards. What do you think of that load for the same purpose ?
...Thanks ...Tj,3006

sounds way cool and will work great, try some speer 85 grainers too they work awesome on deer too and faster!

I have a 1955 vintage Savage 99 F with slow twist. My rifle won't shoot 100 grain bullets very well, but the 90 grain Sierra BTHPs shoot great. I can make them go 3,000 fps without pressure or extraction issues. Many folks have used these bullets on deer with good results. I have not, but I have shot many woodchucks with the Sierra 90 grain, and they all held together and blew right through them. I always thought they would work fine on a deer.

Regarding the 1 in 10" twist Savage with 20" barrel, I don't know if you will get 2,900 fps with a 100 grain bullet. I have a Savage Axis bolt gun with 24" barrel chambered in 250 Savage, and it will give me 3,000 fps with a 100 grain bullet. I don't think my lever action rifle will handle that same pressure. My load for the bolt gun is 39.5 grains of H4350.

A Savage 99 is not a long-range firearm. I wouldn't worry about high BC bullets. That said, any spitzer at 2,800 fps should be good for a 300 yard shot on deer.

Thanks guys for the Replies,
And Clearly You are correct on hi BC bullets, but out near the 300 yard number the boat tails are likely moving a bit faster than a flat base and might give a bit better expansion.
Probably splitting hairs there cause the difference would be pretty small.
That 85 grain Ballistic tip on deer ? Might be ok, i bought some 80gr Barnes ttsx,s to try in the slow twist 99. Got them loaded but have not tried them.
If this fast twist 99 performs Like i hope the old one might become trade bait.
I found a well used super grade 06 at a price a can afford if they give fare trade on the 99. Never had a super grade. This one would be a great hunting rifle...

tj3006,

I've had two of those 20-inch, tang-safety .250 99A's. The highest velocity I could get out of either one with 100's without the lever getting sticky was around 2800, which works fine on deer, and has since the .250-3000 was introduced. Could get 2900 out of 85's.

The first one shot pretty well, but somebody offered me significantly more money than I'd paid for it. Found myself missing it after a year or so, and found another at a gun show for a pretty good price. It did not shoot very well, and despite being pretty familiar with "accurzing" 99's I never could get it to shoot any better. Good luck with yours.

Stop. Just Stop. The rabbit hole is already too deep. Between the 99 and the 250/3000 your killing me. Do not show pictures of this if it does shoot. The last thing my safe needs right now is another rifle trying to squeeze in there.

well Bob, it seems you haven't found the savage collectors sub forum! when you do we will see you in a white jacket posting from a rubber room. and i will be next door!

Let us know how those 80gr.TTSX's work for you in the old slow twist 99. Are they short enough to stabilize in the 1:14 twist?

I too would be tempted to work a trade for a M70 Super Grade with a 99, but the two would compliment each other if you could swing it without surrendering the Savage. You say the SG is well worn- depending just how worn and the model/condition of the 99 you might want to take a deep breath first. Just playing Devil's Advocate.

^^^
This

I've wanted a 99 for years, and a quarter bore one seems especially desirable right now. Yet, I'm retired and have to think and, more importantly, act responsibly. ( I know, not very loony like, is it)

to the OP, good luck with your recent acquisition,

Geno

Dig up a copy of an old article the late Jim Bashline wrote titled "The Spiteful Crack of the .250-3000" if you want to have your desire for one cemented in place!

I don't think much of the Sierra 90 gr HPBT on deer, but I use it on varmints (fox and coyotes) in my 99-A. Look what Sierra says about the bullet.
Website
"The 90 grain #1615 Hollow Point Boat Tail bullet was designed originally as a varmint bullet, but it has taken on an expanded role. This bullet is extremely accurate at all velocity levels, making it suitable for the entire range of 25 caliber cartridges. It will perform as a varmint bullet at high velocities, but it may also be used on medium game from smaller-capacity cartridges, such as the 250-3000 Savage and 257 Roberts."
Manual


I and fellow hunters in my deer camp stopped using it on Whitetails after getting mixed results.

My 99-A load for the bullet is 34-35 grains H4895 @ 2825-2850 fps and get 4-5 firings before trim.



My bullet choice would be the 87 gr Speer Hot-Cor.

Good luck, it is a sweet rifle.

I’ve got a 99R in 250-3000, slow twist barrel. It’ll shoot the 87gr Speer hot cores under an inch, usually flirting with 3/4”, and shoots the Remington 100gr factory corelockt at 1” on its good days, 1.5” on most days. I had a gloss 3-9 Bushnell on it, and just didn’t like the looks of it, so I pulled it and put a Williams peep on it. I still need to sight it in, and then get it to the deer woods this coming fall.

The 99 A may shoot well or may not, a lot had large chambers in the 250 Savage that can be a issue, tapered case that likes to stretch, short case life. Which is why I sold my last 99 A in 250 Savage.

Have 3 other 250 Savage rifles, 2 older 99 EG,s both shoot well with shorter bullets. One is a measured 13.5 twist rate and it will shoot some 100 gr bullets. 1 250 Savage is in a 1903 Springfield with a tight chamber and
case life is great and stretch is minimal. With 250 Savage brass in short supply something to consider if you shoot a lot.

I will let you know how the 80 grain Barnes shoot for me. I know this makes no sense at all , but my slow twist 99 shoots the 100 grain Hot core better than the 87 grain.
Roundoak, have you not had any luck with 100 grain bullets ? And thanks cause of you i will need to spend a couple hundred bucks on a checkering job !...tj3006

Oh, I've seen it. It Calls often.
Had a 250 in hand in VT two years ago at a shop up north of White River. But I paused thinking I would be back through in a week. Have regretted that.
They had a wall of well traveled choices in the 99 flavor. I need to make the run again this summer up through VT NH and ME and see whats on the racks.

Yes, I have had luck with 100 grain bullets both in accuracy and performance on Whitetails. Previously, I owned 3 99s with 1-14" ROT and loaded 87 grain Speers. When I obtained the 99-A I was excited with the prospect of loading 100 grain or heavier bullets and shot several deer with 100 grainers. Experience showed me they were not killing deer any better than the 87 grain Speers.

I never hunted Mule deer with a 250-3000, but Hornady came out with a run of 250 Savage 100 gr Interlock ammo which peaked my interest and bought some and went to Montana and left my 7x57mm home.



Shot a respectable mulie standing in a classic Mule deer look back at 224 yards utilizing my backpack for a rest. Lungs and piece of the offside shoulder, complete pass through. Deer in the middle.

Well thanks for the valuable report. I just put together 12 rounds with a 100 grain Speer Hot core over Ramshot hunter.
I have almost 200 interbonds but its discontinued. But i am not to concerned. i think most any 100 grain bullet flat base or boat tail will do fine.
Nice bucks by the way.
...tj3006

Well I have a 250/3000 Savage 99 deluxe pistol grip take-down made in 1914 (1 in 14 twist) that has been in the safe with alone with another beautiful deluxe 303 half round pistol grip solid frame. Both are projects that have been in the back of the safe for along time. Along with the 250/3000 99 I have a 1926 in 250 Savage with a 1 in 10 twist. The deluxe 250 was re-blued long before I was born, and the wrist is cracked from what my guess would be someone falling on it from the side. Still sound enough to shoot. The 1926 bolt gun has been altered mainly with a full length stock and the addition of scope mounts. Well I retired this year and projects are coming out and getting the attention they deserve. The 250's have always been of interest to me but being in Alaska the small calibers have been shunted aside.
So, since both 250's have been altered, but beauties still, I have been thinking about their future. I have been kicking around the idea of reaming out to the 250 AI for 2 reasons, one to eliminate case stretch and bolt thrust, and second to load these guns to the same velocity as the maximum for the standard 250, but at a lower pressure possible using the 250 AI. The take-down will have the crack addressed at the same time and maybe relined to a 1 in 10 twist.
I have set aside some Remington and Hornady flat base spire point 100 gr with reasonable BC. I know they will work in the 1926, I'm hoping they will work in the take-down. I'm not into hot rodding a cartridge any more. I guess I came to my senses a couple of decades ago and realized if you need speed, why stress a gun, there are larger cartridges out there.
The Savages are wonderful rifles, I have 4 and will pick-up more as money allows. Not that many around in Alaska. I've been using a 358 win in a 99 for my moose gun and have not been disappointed.
The 250's are going to hold my attention in stock form this spring and see how they preform. Changing to the AI, well I'll see.

I have shot three and there is not a better deer combo around. All were fairly accurate 1.5 inch or less. Plenty good to 300 yards with a 100 grain bullet at 2800 fps. A friend in Alaska used a 340 in 250 as his moose rifle, he bought it used and the previous owner had shot many moose and boat loads of caribou and seal with it.

The 250 AI would be tempting or even a 25 Creedmoor especially if the rifle had a generous chamber or you were going to re-barrel anyway. But I always ran the stock chamber. I wish I had one now.

I have put together 2 loads , 100 grain speer flat base over Ram shot hunter, and 100 grain Core locks over 3031.