Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 300 SAVAGE EFFICACY..

On elk, say with 150-180grain bullets? I don't want the "yeah I've killed them with a 22 Hornet" yarns, but simply, does this cartridge provide enough of a comfort zone on elk at ranges up to say, 300 yards?

Yes

If I were to go after elk with conventional weight bullets out of my 300 Savage I'd heed John Barsness' advice from a while back about such a load: 42 grains or thereabout of RL15 with a 165 Partition for ~2600 fps.

Another way to look at it is if the question was "Assuming good shot placement is a 300 Win. mag shooting a 165 grain bullet enough for elk at 600 yards?"

I've got a Savage 110 WLE bolt gun in 300 Savage, I'd run it on anything you would use a 308 on. Some short barreled 308's probably don't shoot as fast as the 22" on that WLE. The 99 is what handicaps the cartridge. I'd bet a lot of guys that shot 721's and 760's found that out too. The factory 300 Savage ammo isn't anemic but designed to be safe in M99's. MB

Based on the number of really old Savage 99s chambered with the round out during Elk season
that I've seen here in Oregon... one would have to assume "hell yes".....

Every guy ya see one with, will tell ya its been killing deer and elk ever since Grandpa got it from the store or inherited from his dad....

People tend to keep using stuff that just plain works...

The post I suppose was purely rhetorical on my part, (hell, ballistically, it's a 303 but better packaged)just wanted to promote some fun discussions based on experiences I know a lot of you have and hopefully without glib, bs comments that eventually pollute all the threads around here. We'll see how long this one lasts

jorge,

Aside from the local friend who's been using a .300 Savage on elk for decades, in 2017 my wife killed the biggest cow elk either of us have ever taken using a .300 Savage-equivalent handload from her custom Kilimanjaro .308. It didn't even use a 150-grain bullet. Instead it was a 130-grain TTSX at 2850-2900 fps, about all the recoil she can take anymore without getting headaches from the 6-3/4 rifle. The range was around 250 yards, with the elk quartering towards us. At the shot the cow staggered 20-25 yards and collapsed. The bullet broke the left front leg just above the big shoulder joint, and ended up under the hide about half along the ribcage. Astonishing as it might seem to those who believe 100% weight retention is necessary, it lost all its petals (though I found one near the recovered bullet) and retained "only" 62% of its original weight.

Thanks John. Exactly the kind of response I'm looking for. In my dotage, I' sort of reverting to oldshit stuff and lately, 99s have my interest so I figured a 180gr (more or less) driven at those speeds would be MORE than adequate. Just picked up a real beaut (I think you saw it on fb0 complete with 2.5 Weaver and I've been looking to go on another elk hunt after I retire next year.

I have read somewhere that the Savage 99 in 300 Savage was the most popular elk hunting combination in the northwest for many years. If it wasn't effective, it probably wouldn't have been popular. Just another example of "proper projectile, proper placement" being an important component of a successful hunt.

I have a few rifles chambered in 300 Savage, mostly Savage 20/26s, none of which have been carried farther than the range for many years.

I would use a 300 Savage to hunt elk if it was my best or only option, but I have lots of rifle/cartridge combinations that I'd pick ahead of any rifle chambered in 300 Savage.

When I was in graduate school from 1984 thru 1986, I made pocket money buying and trimming the barrels on Remington 722s in 300 Savage and 222 to 20" to produce a sort of ersatz 600/660 carbine. Back then I could buy 722s in 300 Savage for between $75 and $150 anytime I wanted one. There must still be a few of them floating around northern New England just waiting for some unsuspecting buyer to get taken by an unscrupulous seller of these rare non-cataloged 722 carbines.

My Dad and Uncle both used .300 Savages, and I hunted with my Dad's M99 for 17 years. Though I never took an elk, it was an honest 300 yard deer cartridge, reliable and hard-hitting. I would not be reluctant to take one elk hunting if I had a load with a good bullet and didn't try to stretch the range too much. I think there were more .300 Savages than any other cartridge in the farming community in which I grew up. In the 1960s and 1970s bolt actions were just not that popular among the farming/ranching folks. People thought the .300 Savage far more effective than a .30-30, and having used both, I agree.

Dad used to say that a man with a .300 Savage and a McCormick-Deering M could farm the whole country in the summer, and kill anything in Montana that walked in the fall. I tend to agree.

I love my old Savage although I haven't shot an elk with it yet.

I remember reading John Jobson back in the late 50,s or early 60's. As I remember what he wrote he was quoting some rancher who said, "If you meet a hunter carrying a 300 Savage he probably knows something you don't."

When I was a young boy the rifle in our home was my dad's 300 savage M99. In fact, it was the only center fire we had. We were mostly deer hunters in those days, but now and then we'd shoot an elk. We also killed a few horses and cattle with it now and then. The old 300 Savage always did just fine. I was too young to pay attention to the loads, but I am betting they were 180 grain bullets. Both myself and my dad liked to shoot the 150 grain loads more then we liked the 180s, because they kicked less and the 150s killed deer fine, but I do remember having a few boxes of the 180s around, because I always looked at the boxes to find the 150s instead for my deer hunting.

When I was 12 I got a 270 and within a few months I got a reloading set up from Herders. As long as I was making ammo for the 270 we thought I may as well get a set of dies for the 300 Savage too. So at 12 years old I was loading ammo for the 270 and the 300 Savage, but none of us, my Dad, my Mom or myself ever killed an elk with the 300 after I got the 270, (None I remember anyway) so I cannot say with any certainty what ammo we shot the few elk with, before I got the reloading press.

But I have killed a few of them with 308 Winchesters. I remember killing 7 elk with 308s, and I may be missing one or two at the time I write this. Getting old makes me forget a few things now and then.
I have seen about 15-20 others killed with 308 Winchesters shot by friends and clients. A 300 Savage and a 308 Winchester are fairly close in their velocities, with the 308 never being over 75 yards ahead of the 300 in striking velocity. With a lot of loads the difference is probably closer to 50 yards of range at any given velocity.
So I am 100% sure the 300 Savage is all the elk cartridge most men would need for probably 98% of all the shots you'd ever need to take when elk hunting.
If the shooter has any skill, and knows anything about how to hunt, a 300 Savage will cover the bases fine.

I wouldn't hesitate to elk hunt with a 300 Savage at all. I'd probably try to get my favorite 150gr bullet shooting well and go with that. The 165gr and 180gr are awesome (on deer at least), but larger bullets get shoved back into the case to keep the COAL short enough and you start losing velocity quick. The 150gr at 2700fps shines.

Heck, I look at Federal 30-06 150gr vs the Hornady SuperPerformance 150gr 300 Savage load, and published velocities are less than 100fps different a couple hundred yards out.

Yes I would hunt Elk with a 300sav, I would not think twice about it !!!

Great analogy sir. I took advantage of the sale at Midway a couple of weeks ago and bought two cases of Winchester 150gr Power Points

We way under estimate the killing power of a good shot. I would never want to go back and shoot 32 specials and 25-35's but they worked for sure.

j, When I first started hunting elk in the early 70's there were quite a few model 99's in .300 Savage in use... Even a few 722's.. Most of the guys shot Core Lokes.. But I am not sure if it was 150 or 180... They were very successful with these old rifles.. But at that time most of the elk hunting was done in the timber on the National Forest.. Shots were close.. In the years since then, elk have filled every nook they can find.. Much of it very open prairie country.. So many have moved to flatter shooting calibers.. I have a little .300 on a 700 action, never killed an elk with it, but have carried it several days... But I always had a flatter shooting rifle in the truck...

how much were they going for?

230.97/case (10)

That's what the 30-06 was doing when Teddy Roosevelt took it to Africa in 1909.


Okie John

And he wounded many animals with the 150 FMJ. Not exactly a good comparison.

Today's expanding bullets are a lot better. There aren't many big game animals in the world I wouldn't happily hunt with the right 150-grain .30 at 2700 fps.

My Uncle John was a cowboy and rancher, who guided many hunters, over a lot of country, for many years.
All he ever carried was a Savage 99 300 Savage. Although it had only the original iron sights, he had exceptional eyesight, and never needed a scope.
I once saw him drop a bull elk, up near Raton, with a single shot to the neck - at 325 yards. Then the work began!
He also used it guiding antelope hunters - and am sure he cleaned up many "messes" over the years.

mark,

Great story!

The first full-time job I ever has was what in Montana then was called "pisser" (meaning a green kid) on a ranch south of Forsyth. I worked for a father-son team I worked for (mostly the son, as the father had semi-retired to town, 13 miles away), and the father had a Savage 99 .300 that he'd used since the 1930's. He'd recently turned 64, and finally decided to get a scope mounted, a 2-1/2X Weaver. The fall before I started working for them, he'd dropped a mule deer buck at what "everybody" estimated at 500 yards.

His 27-year-old son had the same scope on his Remington 721 .270, which shot a lot flatter but didn't kill any better. The son called the .300 99 "the blooper," because it didn't shoot as flat. In fact he called most cartridges bloopers--other than the .270, of course.

John worked at the King Ranch, out near Capulin, NM, and guided there, on the TO, the Cowan Ranch, and some on our and his properties.
He was quite handy with that old Savage. I wish I had his eyesight - he'd see deer and elk in the brush so far, I could only find them with binoculars, or a rifle scope!

Vry cool posts, thanks gents.

In the hands of my grandad, my favorite 99 spit out 180 grain Winchester silver tips and took elk every season. It has a straight stock and makes te perfect saddle gun.

Started hunting with an 1899 300 Savage take down a few years ago. It was built in 1922, and it in great shape, believe its a G model. I've fired a bunch of factory 150's and 180's, as well as handloads in both weights. It has an good, but old, Redfield peep on it. As I have become an card carrying old phart, I limit myself to 100 yards with it, less if I can. I have taken several whitetails and a Newfy bull moose, all clean kills, all with 150 gr Partition handloads.
I have concluded that the 300 Savage is the most underestimated round on the market.
I have also wondered just how good the 300 Sav must be in a scoped bolt action. I'm guessing that in a properly scoped Rem 700 Clacsic, or similar, could be one gentle shooting effective hunting machine.
I don't need no stinking recoil!
If the 300 Savage can literally roll a moose, it would have to be proper medicine on an elk, in the hands of a hunter. Mine seems to make it easy to put that bullet in the right spot.

I have one of those and it is very mild mannered with standard 300 Savage loads which are quite effective at "normal" deer hunting distances.

Speaking of efficiency, years back I remember reading one of the gun writer scribes writing that of all the center-fire cartridges at the time, the .300 Savage got the highest bullet weight and velocity from the least amount of powder. Only the rimfire .22 LR was more efficient power to powder. That might have changed with the advent of the Creedmoor and others, but that .300 Savage and the Model 99 were both way ahead of their time.

You all make the .300 Savage sound so good, maybe I should consider moving up from my .303 Savage....I don’t know....

I have a 99 .300. And will just say it will never be for sale!!!😀





Take care, Willie

My only 300 Savage at present is a M110 Walnut Limited Edition made back in 1988-89 22" barrel, they are much stronger than the M99, 2800 fps isn't a problem for them, got the loads out of the old Pacific and Hornady manuals and carefully worked up. I'd be the first to say though those loads shouldn't be used in a M99. If I was loading for a 99 I'd go to SPS site and see if I couldn't score a pile of 150 NPT's regular or try to find some of the discontinued 150 gr Protected Points and work up a load the 99 was comfortable with and shoot anything at all without reservations. That 2 cases of 150 gr WW Power Points sounds like a damn smart idea. Best of luck Jorge. MB

I use a 99 T, a 99F, a 99G and 99 E. They were built in the 1920 s and 30 s.

The 160 grain Hornady FTX made for the Marlin 308 express. It has a cannulure that matchs exactly where the brass wants to crimp, looks like factory when it's done.

I found the lever evolution powder will give more velocity out of the shorter barrels compared to H 4895.

I have harvested medium sized bulls and several cows with the 99. Three hundred yards plus on several cows. I use a LRD reticle, right now my T has a minox variable scope, but I prefer fixed six power with a smaller bell. I also use detachable rings as I am riding mules and have had trouble with the rocking motion in the scabbard. With detachable rings I have a peep sight set up for quick engagement.

More than once I had a lonely bull during archery season come up and try romancing my mules!

I also totally agree with MD and Mathman, them camel humped snake necked black maned buggers make it appear the vitals are farther back in the animal than they are. To predict mortality ....It ain't so much what they get hit with.....it is where they get hit!

I have never owned a Savage 99.I did however have a Remington Classic in 300 Savage and would say it was everything any 308 Win. is.Maybe someday I will own a Savage just for chits &grins.

Good point.

I meant to call out that a 150-grain .308" bullet at 2,700 is much gun. I assumed that people here would realize that I also meant "with proper hunting bullets."


Okie John

Besides the fact the 300 Savage is a great hunting round, the 99 is a classy rifle.

Life's too short to hunt with an ugly gun.

No doubt!

The bullets sucked, but so did his eyesight!

Wonder if Karamojo might have fared better with that combo?

(Give me TSX, however)

Too right!

I started out hunting with a milsurp sporterized .303 Lee Enfield, but traded it for a Savage 99 in 308 Win, which was my only centerfire rifle for the next 20 years, and used it to put a lot of venison in the freezer. Initially I used Winchester factory ammo with the 150 gr Silvertip bullet. It worked. When I acquired my first chronograph, I recall finding these factory loads ran about 2700 fps. When I started handloading, I used Speer 150 gr bullets, and found the most accurate RL15 charge gave a velocity right at 2700 fps, and they worked, too. Then I switched to 150 gr NP's, and they work, too.

I'm beginning to see a pattern here...

Yes sir , as was said earlier , the deer just hate the old warhorse .300 !👍

My old man has an old Remington 760 in 300 savage. He's always dropped his deer on the spot, so I have always thought
it was the best rifle and cartridge a man could get. We have a few old boxes of Winchester Silvertip and damn do they work good.

Someday I would like to track down a savage model 20 in this caliber.

My 700 Classic in .300 is a dandy. Took some work to get it to shoot, as one recoil lug didn't bear at all, and there ws a pressure point on the right of the barrel, as well as beneath. Floated, bedded, lapped the lugs, and put a Callahan firing pin assembly in to get rid of the J-lock, and it nestles 150gr Sierras into 3/4" groups all day. Occasionally smaller. Had a 99 that I foolishly sold to help fifnance my first Wyoming trip (2001). Sold it with a box of 150gr Speer mag-tip reloads that reliably shot 1 1/2' groups. Saw the guy in the ER four years later. He had fired eight shots in four years. First year, he fired one shot at 100yds that hit inc-and-a-half high of center. Good enough. Shot the biggest buck of his life that year with one shot. Repeated each year after that. Both rifles wear 4x scopes, which seem proper for cartridge and rifle.

Just returned from the range with the new (old) savage. Shot factory Federal 180s and my hand load 180s (Gunner 500's load 4ogr RL-15) plus factory Winchester Power Points. Rifle has an old Weaver 2.5X so a bit difficult to shoot precisely. I was also reticent to fiddle with the adjustments as the scope is over sixty years old. I was not disappointed . This is what she produced "as is":


And the rifle:

Great looking rifle Jorge. I picked up in a pawn shopp last year made in 1952. I haven't had a chance to work with it a whole lot but when I did, I shot a bunch of 150s and I was actually surprised how well most shot with W748.

What a beautiful rifle, and a sweet shooter to boot.

Son of a gun, Jorge.....looks as though you hit the aesthetic AND performance jackpot! What a sweet shooting and looking rifle!

The M99s are classy! But,I am curious how your M-S 257 Roberts worked out for you. Do you mind if I sidetrack your 300 Sav thread a mite and ask how it shoots?

Jorge,
beautiful rifle and very nice shooting.
Thank you to all who posted memories or photos of their favorite.
I have posted this before. BUT Its threads like this that I blame for my buying it. Even better, last time I linked the picture a set of very nice Redding dies found their way to my house from a campfire member who's dad was fond of the 300. I load with them and hope it keeps the circle going. My daughter loves this round and rifle.
My only deer with this Rifle fell soon after the shot. But it was and example of 1 and a ridiculously close deer. Round nose Hornady Interlock 150.
Love the 300 in this 722. It came from an estate and has been worked over. Barrel was cut back and recrowned. Lyman dovetail block was installed in the rear sight notch. Stock was retrofitted. Bolt knob had checkering done on the bottom after it was filed flat.
I found the early Weaver 2.5 at a local shop and installed it in the Weaver mounts. Still considering some options for the stock.
All in all its becoming a favorite.
But the 99's call to me every time I see one.

I agree with mathman. The 300 was my first rifle. Did not get a shot at elk with it but it dropped several deer in their tracks or close. MD has the right loads!

Good for coyotes

100gr Hornady hand loads ( the tight triangle) and 117 SSTs factory

To the guys that have posted, I have enjoyed this string, Thanks.
Good stuff. Betting most 300 Savage users are genuine hunters.

Oooookaay then....looks as though you are 2 for 2 lately. Congratulations on both of these winners. You might want to stop by the horse tracks more often!

Picked up a nice 1911 Officer's Model as well. Check it out on the Handgun Forums...

Very nice rifle. But, how can you possibly hit anything with that dinky little scope? Shouldn't it be a 6.5-20x Nightforce that weighs 3lbs on that thing?

Quite a run there, Jorge. Don't think you have to be told, but you have a good carry piece there. Mine is a Mk IV stainless Officer's Model I've had since the 80s. Never had an issue with feeding or FTF that some on that thread talked about and I've shot quite a few different ammo types through it....both factory and reloads. It will be dependable!

My old neighbor " Bennie" a world war 2 vet now deceased,old Bennie lived near me in the country for many years,when Bennie heard us start shooting on my rifle range he always drove over and Bennie either just watched or had me sight in his 300 Savage 99 with some old ammo none were ever the same bullets but that old 99 in a 300 Savage still kept them around a inch even with that old 4x Weaver scope. Bennie in his younger days went to Canada for many years killed plenty moose with his Savage 99 in a 300 savage ,also many deer and bears too. 25 years ago old Bennie made me a believer of Savage 99`s and the 300 Savage cartridge when i sighted that old 99-300 in for him.

+1, placement. placement, placement.

Channeling Elmer are we?

I think he meant it was accurate enough for coyotes.

I'm sure he did.

A .300 Savage/ Model 99 rifle WILL NOT WORK ON GAME! The bullets will bounce off!


....... I only say this because this thread will single handedly drive up the used prices and lower the availability of my personal favorite cartridge/model combo :-). I've been collecting (accumulating) them since 1983, and while I don't have as many as some, I have more than most. -TomT

I didn't say it was ONLY good for coyotes. Reading comprehension is a lost art.


late 80's, Savage 99, 300 Savage, 335 yards




2010, Remington 700 300 Savage 110 yards

Scott,

Still have that 99?

I sometimes complain that I have four .300 Savages - three 99's, and a 1920. Today I took the 1920 out, and had a couple of good groups with it at 100 yards, despite the iron sights. It reminds me why I have four of them.

The vintage Savages usually were not fancy rifles, but they were well made, with good barrels, and the .300 has shot well in all I've tried. I think it was Mule Deer who once said the .308 would shoot well with single base manure, and I think that goes for the .300 Savage as well.

I like Varget in the .300, which I also use in many other cartridges. It's a fun and satisfying round to load & shoot.

I've spoke of my Uncle Bill's 99 EG in .300 before, scoped with an old K4...one with covered turrents but a non-centered retical. Those crosshairs were always a bit low and left of center, but pretty close. Bill was the best shot at running deer I have ever seen. When I was a kid, we were walking a gentle coulee with a long hill on the other side. This was in the 1970s when a person could get multiple mule deer doe tags. Six mule deer does came running out the far side of the coulee and headed up that hill. Bill started with the furthest one, and when the rifle was empty there were five deer rolling down that hill, all hit in the front half. Shots were probably about 70-90 yards. I was impressed.

jorgeI,

Fwiw, I believe the .300SAV is suited to ANY Western Hemisphere game EXCEPT the biggest bears. = My favorite & "go to" rifle for USA hunting.
(My usual load is a Spanish-American War "clone" of the old .30-40 US Army & loaded with a 180 grain bullet.)

IF I was going for grizzly, make mine the 9.3x62mm & loaded with 286 JSP at about 2400FPS. = 'Ole Otto Bock knew what he was about in 1905, as it is suitable for most any game up to & including elephant.

At my age, I figure I have one more BIG -$$$ hunt left & that one will be in Fall 2019 for Cape Buffalo & (HOPEFULLY) a leopard.

yours, tex

Since I rarely have a big Clear Cut or long Highline over this way, the 2.5 is just right for most of the Bow shots that we get. But if I was to have to come over to PA and hunt it likely might need an El Passo 4x..........

Great thread guys. thanks

Now yer talkin'!

Saturday I was wearing out a 6" gong at 300 yards with a scope set to 3x, so the 4x may be a bit much.

Negative, the sins of youth. I think I paid $100 for it, back in the days with you tripped over 99's at gun shops. I do have a few replacements for it though.

300 Savage is one I'll not be without.

And I know you got the Power Points (which is the other bullet I load for my 300's) but a 130gr TTSX going close to 3K is a killer diller and the most accurate bullet I've used in the 300 and 308.


130gr TTSX 300 Savage (2010 coyote pic was 130gr TTSX too)

Those TSX's are next on my list to try in the .300. I'm sold on their efficacy, just haven't gotten around to them yet. The box I have on the shelf may soon go bad so I better not dilly dally.

I've loaded it in both the Savage and the Safari 308. One one Savage (99R) I had a bit of sticky extraction but not in the older (1921). Both very accurate. Since this is a "geezer" rifle, I'm shooting the 180 Speers Gunner 500 gave me with the rifle, but I am shooting the 130s in the 308 and as with all TTSXs the most accurate bullets on average.

I have a Nosler 150 partition load for just such an opportunity, if it ever comes up. I have 3 rifles in that caliber, My great grandfathers M99, a Rem 81, and a Rem 722. The funny part is I think they were all built in 1948. I use a moderate load with RE15.

Now for the obligatory 300 Savage story: When I was about twelve about mid week in the utah deer hunt I went out with my dad, He had the M99 with him it only had iron sights on it, in the past it had a weaver on stith mounts. I think he was shooting red box federal 150 grain loads. We went to a canyon where deer in the evening would come down some of the side canyons to the river below. Looking through his navy surplus binoculars he made out a small two point across the river and way up the hillside. It looked a long ways away, he said it was about 600 yards. We sit there for a bit, watching to see if the deer come closer. Eventually my dad walks towards the river finds a downed cottonwood and finds a good rest, starts aiming, he does this for two minutes, he tells me to watch with the binoculars and tell him how high or low the shot lands, one deer high or one deer low. First shot, goes low by two deer I call out, deer didn't move. Next shot at his feet. Third shot the deer rolled down the hill. I don't know how he did it, he did have good eyesight, being a navy pilot.

The next year he got a 7mm Mag with a Mcmillan stock and a nice Leupold scope, he never had a shot past 150 yards present itself after that.

Nice story!

Years ago my late father-in-law killed a good bull elk with one shot with his M99 .300 savage . He couldn't tell me exactly what load except it was a 180 gr. factory load. He kept Win. and Rem. round nose and spitzers mixed in boxes and in the magazine. He said they all seemed to shot the same so he didn't keep track of what he was using at any given time. It kind of disilllusioned me about precisely loading the perfect load with the perfect bullet for hunting.
Some people see the .300 Savage as a lower powered .308, I see it more as a super .30-30; either way makes it a good game killer especially in those slick handling old 99's.

I was hoping Mart would post some moose & grizzly bear photos. I believe he used 165 NP's in a 722.

This cartridge falls into a sweet spot for me: a ton of bite, with but a paltry bark.

FC

Any of you guys used the Hornady 110 gr GMX or the 125 gr SST bullets yet?

I never had the love affair with the Savage 99. I'm a lefty---so when it was time for me to go deer hunting, I got to use my Uncle Paul's 300 Savage. To me the trigger sucked----reminds me a clutch in a Mac truck. The safety was under the lever on the right side-----wrong side for me. A steel butt plate----kicked like an army mule. My dad & I both got scoped a few times at the range. Then there was the steel magazine--right where you put your hand carrying the rifle. That thing got cold during deer season in PA-----it went right thru my gloves. It did point nice & it killed many a whitetail. But I saved my money & bought a 30/06 Model 700 as soon as I could. That was back in 1971.

300 Savage & 308 Winchester really compliment one another.

I’ve got an EG my wife bought me for our anniversary one year. It wears a Lyman receiver sight and a Sourdough front. I took it to Kodiak and Afognak several times and killed some deer and a fox. I’ve packed it elk hunting since we moved down home but haven’t shot one with it, yet.

After I hunted with the 99 for a while I decided I was a fan of the 300. So I bought a pile of brass and rebarreled a M7. It was a 1st run 243 with the steel bottom metal but it had a big goose egg in the barrel. Guy didn’t want to bother with rebarreling it and gifted it to me. Another guy had me rebarrel his M70 300wsm that someone had barreled with an uncontoured Douglas blank. He didn’t want the takeoff back even though it hadn’t been shot much and gave it to me. I cut the chamber off and threaded and chambered it for the M7, then turned it to a M7 SAUM contour. Only thing I wasn’t crazy about was that I could only get 19” out of it, at least the price was right. Swapped another buddy something I don’t even remember for a Bansner and bedded the whole works into it. Got a 2-7 Leupold for nothing from a guy who was upgrading and mounted it in a set of Talley LWs. The beauty of working in a gunshop with a bunch of friends for customers! I killed black bears and whitetail deer with this one, took it for backup on an elk hunt this year but tagged out with my other rifle.

I have a little boy as we’re thinking he’s probably left handed. He’s just 3 but it won’t be long before he’s ready to shoot his own deer, heck he’s ready now if you asked him. So in the interest of having a lefty friendly rifle if that turns out to be true I did some horse trading for a 1950’s production 760 in 300 Savage for him when he’s ready. The plug screws have never been out of the receiver but I have an M8 4x waiting for me to find a mount and fit up for him. I’ll convert the safety to LH if I need to and he’ll be set. I shot my first couple bucks with a 50’s 760 so the whole idea is kinda cool to me.

I pretty much stick with 150s and 4320. All of my rifles have shot well with that combo regardless of bullet brand. I have shot some 180s but don’t really feel the need, the speeds attained with 150s are pretty easy on standard cup and cores allowing them to hold together and penetrate. I’ve killed stuff with 150s from Norma, Hornady, and Nosler, as well as the old 180 RN Hornady. The old 150 Norma boatail semi spitzer is my favorite but they haven’t been made in decades and my supply is dwindling. The 150 Interlock is my replacement and it’s been good so far too.

Brian have a bunch of LH rifles when your son is ready! Kurt

I think you're thinking of Waterrat. He has posted pics of dead moose and bear to a 300 Savage in a 722. I'm the 400 Whelen guy. I like the 300 Savage and think highly of it but have not owned one. Yet.

Great thread.

Thanks Kurt, you’ll just have to bring him an extra when you come down to your place down here. My good friend Mr White has promised him his custom stocked and fully engraved Savage 1920 whenever he’s of age too. Lucky little runt:)

Have 3 model 99 . One was grandpa's bought new in 1941 topped with a Weaver 4x. One is his brother's, iron sights never tapped for a scope. I started deer hunting with that one. The other my dad picked up in the early 70's. It is topped with a Weaver 2.5x7 , post reticle. I have killed many whitetail with these. Took my first cow elk with one.
I prefer the 180 gr factory loads. Shot Remington Core Lokt for years then they stopped making them so I now use the Federal Power Shock in 180 gr. Dad and grandpa always called the 99s 'ole meat in the pot' .

You sure don't need so called premium bullets in the 300 savage with velocity running under 2700 ft/sec with 150 to 180 gr bullets. Great old round that still works and kills all sizes of game well. I would not feel under gunned for elk with the 300 savage.

Dadgummit, you're right.

Whelens of all stripes are great, too!

FC

I see in the 10th edition of the Hornady reloading manual that they make a 150 gr SST .308 for the 300 Savage and a different one for higher velocity carts like the 308 and 30-06 (30302 and #30303) Anyone used the one made for the 300 Savage in the Savage? MB