Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game 250 Savage is still good enough

About 15 years ago I built a 250 Savage on a large ring Mauser- very short stock, 4X scope etc. Both of my sons learned to big game hunt with it; killed a couple elk and several deer a piece. I dusted it off today and my grandson used it to kill a Black Hawaiian ram this morning. One shot at 92 yards. My son decided he wanted to give it a run again and shot a ram too. Good times. If posted pics on here wasn't such a chore I would put one up.

I used factory ammo from some company in Montana since you can't buy brass anymore. Still a good low-recoil killer!

I remember when your sons used that .250 on elk! Didn't they use Partitions?

Hornady has been making .250 brass for a couple years now, and it's excellent stuff.

For how I hunt I'll take a good accurate .250 Savage over a .243 anyday. It kills way beyond what it's supposed to. I built one 10 years ago on a Howa 1500 action that was originally chambered a .22-250 Remington. I had a Krieger barrel made with 1:9 twist screwed into it and chamber. The barrel is 26" long and it gives me a lot of velocity for its size. But I won't go there. I'll just say it's a great low recoiling rifle and very accurate. It's not real light to carry but it's not a bar bell either. I figure it weighs about 8 pounds.

I worked up a load in Winchester brass with a 115 grain Combined Technologies Ballistic Tip and with 39 grains of RL-17 and a CCI 200 primer it gives me great velocities for such a little case with no signs of pressure. Recoil is so light I don't even blink. However, there is some there. Once my ex wife shot a doe with it. It was her first deer. She had been shooting at the range with me but I didn't notice in the blind she didn't rest the butt on her shoulder and just had it in between her arm and body and the scope eye piece came back and gave her a black eye. It looked like a real Saint Louis slugger punched her. Some people thought I was the culprit. Embarrassed me. It doesn't take much. However, it did teach her a lesson.

I had a 77 250, killed a fair amount of bucks, bulls and bear.. it's the Whelan of small bores...

Mine is in a 99 savage and is a 250-3000, but it still kills whatever I point it at😁

I am third generation to use the 250 Savage, all Savage 99s and love my Savage 99-A, so I can not explain why I wanted a Ruger 77 UL.

That’s a great rifle for the 250 Roundoak.

M77 RL is a sweet rifle. I have one in 257 Rob and one in 308. Always have my eyes open for a 250 Sav, but they're hard to find. I do have the M77 RSI tang safety in 250 though. good little shooter.

Always thought it would be the sweetest tree stand rifle. That 77 RL is sexy !

I have one in RSI. I've always kept my eyes out for one of these

Not my gun, or anyone I know but just in case anybody on this thread is interested.

http://classifieds.rennug.com/classifieds/viewad.cgi?adindex=5166809

those are great rifles, but worth about half that much, even with the scope attached. mine is the stainless version.

love the cartridge, wish they made cheap federal blue box, etc. for it.

I had a Rem 700 classic in 250 Savage. Shot 100 grain Core-lokts into nickel-sized groups at 100 yards.

Still trying to figure out why I sold that rifle.

I've got wood!!

Slick looking little rig. I would love to have that to sit in a stand with.

I missed out on a older Savage 110 chambered in 250 Savage ... it was a a local Pawnshop... $300ish .. I have regretted not picking it up

Mine is built on an older Model 70 Compact G series CRF action. Just about the perfect rifle

Good enough.

Dave Talley, Jerry Fisher

Oh wow. Awesome rifle there!

Geez Whitebird !

I’d give my left nut for that..

Then you’ll be as smooth as a Ken Doll...😎😂🤣😎

I gots a couple...

What do you all think of this deal?

http://classifieds.rennug.com/classifieds/viewad.cgi?adindex=5171133

When I was looking for the first rifle for my kids I stumbled on an older Ruger 77 in 250 Savage that I couldn't pass up. I cut an inch off the stock and added a 1/2 inch recoil pad and they killed a several deer, a black bear, and a ton of groundhogs with that rifle before moving up. I can't wait to teach my grandkids to shoot it and it would probably be the last rifle I ever sold, mostly for sentimental reasons. It shoots any 100 grain cup-and-core in to nice little 1" groups all day and has killed everything we've asked it to.

A really under appreciated cartridge

The .250 Savage doesn't get the market hype many cartridges do but it's a really amazing cartridge. It performs way over its head and without hardly any recoil. I recommend it for women and kids and for guys like me that appreciate its performance.

If they're handloaders or have trustworthy friend who is.

I've got quite a few in Savage lever guns. A lot of fun to hunt with.

Here's a keeper-

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/858913522

I don't own one , but if my Savage 99 was a 250, I sure wouldn't think I was under gunned in any way for the eastern states hunting I do. In fact, if I wasn't already loading so many different rounds, I'd look for one. I remember old timers when I was a kid marveling over the 3000 FPS speed. It got faster the more they talked!

Yes, I loaded 100 grain Partitions over R15. They killed everything with it- never recovered a bullet. When my son was going to Law School in Lincoln, he wanted a rifle to deer hunt with. I brought the 250 out to him. Couldn't find brass or loaded ammo at that time except one brand of factory from a boutique loading company. It doesn't specify which bullet- just says 100 grain PSP. Good to hear Hornady is making brass for it today. When I started with this rifle my other option was a 243 (unless I went wildcat). I felt the lower velocity, lower muzzle blast and bigger frontal was better for elk hunting. It has proven to be a great round.

I don't think I'd have built one if I didn't hand load. In my opinion it is definitely a hand loading proposition, especially if you shoot the bullets I do through mine. I forgot to add, I never use light bullets in mine. If I wanted to shoot 100 grain bullets I'd have just used my .243. My go to bullet is the Combined Technologies 115 grain Ballistic Tip. If I dare take it for elk I'd use the Combined Technologies 115 grain Partition or a Nosler 120 grain Partition. I've also used SGK 117 grain bullets on deer and hogs. With all these loads mentioned here I've used RL-17 in it for the best velocities with these heavier bullets.

An old work colleague I've reconnected with has been using a .250 Savage lever action to great effect in South Texas on whitetail. We were supposed to get together late March to hunt some feral hogs on his property but COVID-19 pandemic pandemonium has put a kink in those plans. Fortunately we can get together and do that any time we deem worthy to try as there's no season limits on feral hogs in Texas.

He's been using plain Jane 100 grain Remington Core-lokt factory ammo. I have some 117 grain Hornady SPRN bullets I plan to have Reed's Ammunition and Research in Oklahoma load up in .250 Savage as a thank-you token for inviting me to hunt his property with him. Maybe it'll lead to more such invitations.

I would like a savage 99 in 250 Savage if I had the need. I like the idea of an mild rifle cartridge in something larger than 243 diameter.

Despite this appreciation for the 250 Savage I wonder how much advantage it has over my 6.8SPC? It too is pretty mild mannered and it can throw 100gr bullets at decent velocity. I have taken one elk with the 6.8 with one shot but that really doesn't tell me a whole lot. I suppose the big deal for me is that the 6.8 ammo is much less expensive but it does throw that brass into the yonder. Still I would like to try a nice light 250 sporter and I'm jealous of those who can afford to use them.

I have a 99. In .250-3000 that is not tapped for a scope mount. I considered doing that but just figured I’ll stick with the factory peep sight and use my .257 Roberts for scoped rifle chores. Happy Trails

Truly a classic and will always have class. I was admiring the rifles pictured here and I got to thinkin, Ive never seen a 250 Savage I didnt like. I realize it has more to do with the cart. than anything. That custom is a beautiful rifle, well thought out. For the otc choice Ive always wanted a Ruger RSI.

As for the killing and staying power, Id say its designed about as good as any cart. out there. Got bullets light enough to call it a varmint gun and heavy enough to call it a deer rifle without starting a fist fight at the gun shop......add to that the velocities are just right for keeping the cup/core bullets together as they plow from one side through the other. Id say in todays world its more versatile then ever with the bullets we have now a days. With that said I could sit and look at a fist full of 250 Savage bullets loaded with the old Winny Silver tips for hours. Its a perty little round and it looks like they belong together.

The only field experience I have is from a trip to Wyoming with some buddies a while back. We decided we'd all take at least 1 antelope with our various 25's. I brought my old Win 94 rifle in 25-35 loaded with Hornadys 117 gr RN. I killed a buck at about 150 yds,, 2 shots through the lungs. He ran a little futher then I thought he shoulda. I think the velocity got down too low to initiate bullet upset, plus I believe the jacket on those bullets is pretty stout. On my next one I used my pards 700 classic loaded with 100 gr Solid Base bullets and it was 1 and done at about 200 yds, DRT. Ive always had a thing for those Solid Base bullets, even before the BT put em to rest.

Anyhow, long live the good ole 250-3000.

I picked this one up last summer. It will stay in the family. 1943 99EG with a 99T forearm, Griffin & Howe mount and Unertl 6X Condor scope.




... and you have to love the one that started it all, the Model 1899 .250-3000, this one is from 1916.

If you ever want to mount a scope, look up lightfoot over on the Savage forum. No tapping the gun.

I modernized mine by going the AI rout...the .243 can take the back seat.

Used a Ruger #1 250 from Lipskey's to cull whitetails for a couple of years, there's no fly's on the 250, my Granddaughter caught me at a weak moment and talked me out of it. she's taken Mule Deer, Whitetail, 2 or 3 Elk with it, and a couple of Speed Goats, She's a freshman at Georgia Tech, I ask her if I could have it back because she doesn't have time to hunt or shoot for the next few years, she gave me a big hugg and whispered in my ear NO!

Rio7

Rio, sounds like that is a pretty smart granddaughter you keep her and let her keep the gun, their are more than a few ways a man can live forever even if he ain't here no more. MB

Magnum Bob, I think your right, I knew when I asked her It was never going to happen, I just think it's wonderful she loves to hunt and shoot. Rio7

I have NEVER recovered a 100 grain Partition from an elk fired from my 250 Savage- they have ALL been pass-throughs. Why would you want to pass through even more?? The 25 caliber Partition is a much better bullet than anything I have used in .243. It flat kills and performs besides being accurate. You don't need to "Dare take an elk", my boys and I have taken more than a dozen and it never disappoints.