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

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