Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors .303 Savage Reloading Data

For those of you who are shooting their Model 99 in .303, Handloader Magazines most current (August, 2019) issue has an article on reloading the .303. It includes a number of modern powders. Hogdon Powder's Leverevolution provides very impressive results. It also includes data on the Barnes 190 grain bullet, something I didn't know was available, but which provides the bullet weight that made the reputation of the .303.

Wolfe Publishing Company (https://www.riflemagazine.com/home/index.cfm?CFID=60811200&CFTOKEN=60598649) is the publisher for those of you unfamiliar with the magazine and I believe you can order single issues from them if you can't find a copy of the magazine at your local bookstore.

Very helpful. Thank you.

Thanks, I'll have the check and see if Handloader is carried on any of the local shelves. I'm curious to see the data; I bought a box of the Barnes 190s, but they have not /posted load data for it on there web site.

I looked at the article again last evening. He was shooting a .303 with a 26 inch barrel. Load data indicated over 2200 fps with the 190 grain Barnes and almost 2450 fps with a 150 grain bullet (can't remember which one). That last load is not too far from the original .300 Savage load in the 99. IIRC, both were with Leverrevolution powder.

A couple months ago NorthWestHunter posted some results here of his testing several .303 Savage rifles, several weights bullets and LRV.

Reloaded my first batch of .303 the other night.

29.0gr BL-C(2) topped with a 165 grain sierra game king HPBT

Don't have a chrono, but that's probably the closest this 94 year old rifle will ever be to being a tackdriver.

A lot of good info in the article. I can't throw rocks at Wieland but I'd like to have seen COALs listed for the loads along with the case capacity. He did both in a way but it was kinda like going around yo elbow to scratch yo butt. If the 42 gr of that powder fills the case up to within 0.2" of the mouth, you can backfigure using the VMD and add back the unfilled space and get +/- 46 gr of water capacity overflow. The picture shows an interesting shot of a cartridge laying in the "box magazine" being a perfect fit with the bullet seated to the cannelure. A little strange as the only info I've seen here was posted back around the middle of April giving capacity of the Norma case at about 44 grs. Not a lot of difference but as he states, a dish worth careful consideration. Strange too that 46 grs is the same capacity I get when examining 30-30 Win cases of Win manu once fired with a max load in my rifle of H4895 under a 170 gr NP. Contrasting those 150 gr loads with the same powders in the 30-30 shows loads of roughly 2-3 grains more powder. Nesbit lists the figure of 43000 (cup prob) when using 0.311" projectiles in his article. I have no idea of the pressures of the loads in this recent article but they're durn sure not weak! Back awhile, Mule Deer did an article and quoted a Win case charged with IMR 4895 as producing 1950+ fps as his chosen max load. Anecdotal evidence from years back report factory 190s to yield +/- 1850 to 1950 fps dependent upon barrel length. All the stories of larger critters demise and super performance of the round is built on the 190 gr. I have no idea as to how many of these stories were accomplished with hand loads but I doubt a large percentage. Old girls ain't meant to have their feathers ruffled very hard. That "A" model pictured appears to be in good shape considering its age. Wonder how it will hold up?

I think Logger head is pretty well right on with his comments. I have to admit I was tempted to seek out the magazine when I seen the reported FPS with the Barnes 190 grain bullet. But after careful consideration and Logger Head's thoughtful comments on the performance over the years of factory 190 grain loads I have opted not to pursue. My 1913 1899H pushes a Hawk 190 grain at around 1825 fps with no signs of any near max loading. Plus I like loading with the old school IMR 3031 powder. Still any read on my favourite rifle cartridge is appreciated. I will likely buy one next time I am near a major centre just for the reference value.

Darryl

You might indeed be very safe with that load, however many a person with infinitely more experience than I have said reading case signs is a crap shoot at best. Generally pressure signs don't materialize til your well beyond SAAMI pressures limits.

I chronoed six factory Winchester 190 silvertips from my 20" 1899H back in 2015; they averaged 1791 fps with a high of 1821 and low 1770.

The data I used for that velocity and bullet weight came from an older Lyman manual. It is not the maximum loading and I trust it entirely in my carbine. I don't have the option of owning any pressure testing equipment so I rely on using reliable, trusted data and always looking for any signs of excessive pressure. Having said that my carbine is in very good condition with no headspace issues. I agree that increasing a powder charge beyond the listed data using visible signs of pressure as a stopping point is not safe.

Darryl

I just use the low end of 30-30 data. If I need more than that, I have a selection of 300 Savages to pick from.

Any of you coming to Noxen this year, I'll have a chronograph with me and can measure your load's velocities if you wish.