Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 99A 250sav What bullets should I look for ?

Hi everyone , I have a 99A 250 sav with thumb tang safety .The serial number starts with a D if that helps. It's a safe queen been sitting in the safe over ten years. This summer I'm hoping to work up a load for hunting deer and hogs . I'm not sure what twist the barrel is .
What bullet's should I try to stock up on ? Will this handle 100gr and over bullets? If I could find any, I really like to try the older silver tips but don't know if they will work even if I could find any . What currently manufacturer bullets should I have on the shelf when I start working up a load this summer. Thanks for your time . Singleactionsrule

It should handle pretty much the whole range of .25 bullets. Personally, I wouldn't bother with bullets over 100 grains as I'm a firm believer in the .250's strength lying in its speed and it starts running out of steam with the really heavy weight bullets. If you want to shoot 117's for example that's why God gave us the .25-06 and .257 Roberts.

I don't have a 99A but I do have a Ruger #1 in .250-3000 with a very fast twist barrel. What do I shoot out of it? The same 87's that I use in my old Savages. They are accurate, so why not? And I don't fancy myself shooting at stuff way to hellandgone out on the horizon.

The barrels of 99's in 250-3000/250 Savage made from 1960 onwards is 1 in 10" twist. Should have no problems handling most any 25 caliber bullet you would like to try, barring some really long monometal ones that may be out there.

I'd grab some 100gr Nosler Partitions (I'm a fan) for hunting and be happy as a clam.

As for Silvertips, I never had really good luck with them in any gun. Back when you could actually find them I was determined to make them work, for purely nostalgic reasons. I always thought they looked cool. The hard truth of my personal experience was they just weren't as accurate as Sierras, Noslers, Hornadys, etc. My last go-around with them was with .30 150's and performance in .300 Savage and a couple .30-06 Springfields was only so-so, compared to tried and true Sierra 150's in those guns. I swore off of them at that point. I hope (and assume) other's experience is better, but I am probably as guilty of misconceptions as the next guy and maybe I didn't give them a fair shake - but, life is too short to pointlessly chase my tail over something like this so I trend toward the tried and true!

Thanks for the replys ! Our cabins five acers backs up to Catoosa WMA 85 thousand acers in North East Tennessee. They run pigs with dogs 10 days in December they get pushed everywhere. Sometimes they hang out around our creek behind the cabin that runs 7 miles into Catoosa. From the back porch to the creek is about a hundred yds longest shot under 200yds.

Check out this thread...roundoak likes your rifle with 87 Speers....seems to work ok!
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/15461588/1

I got the same question. I was able to find Remington 100gn corelocks and some 75gn Sierra hp. From all I have read so far the perfect range of Bullets is from 87-100 gn, with the lighter the better. Good luck!

Just got rid of my over 100 gr and over big bullet stash that will not shoot in my slow twist 1903 and 99,s in 250 Savage. Kept short for overall length 100 gr and under. No use wasting hard to find powder on loads that won't shoot.

Most 1-10 twist measured 250 Savage will shoot most .257 bullets.

I use the 100 gr silvertips in my 250-3000 after 1952 and they work ,last one 175 yards WT doe

Shorter the better that is...

If you can find them the old red box Remington bullets B22740 worked best, followed by B22738. Most likely not sold for 30 yrs, but keep your eyes open at gun shows and long time LGS. I now use Speer 1405
100gr, and Speer 1241 87 gr. My go to powder has been 3031, and I stay at or near the starting loads. This is in my 1930's 99G TD, 1/14 twist. I could never get the 100 gr Hornaday to shoot without keyholeing.
Its been a safe queen and a range gun for years , but I have a no-drill mount an the way, and hope to take it to Maine next November.

100 Grain Partitions are about as good as you can do in my opinion.

You can never go wrong with a Partition for shooting game and the 100 grain 0.257" version is a proven performer.

I normally prefer ballistic tips for deer and antelope and partitions for elk, But when I hunted whitetail with Brent Geistweidt at White Ghost ranch I happened to have both for my 99K 300. He said he would prefer I used the partitions because they go all the way through the deer and leave a better blood trail through the dense undergrowth. I hadn't thought of this since we hunt in the wide open spaces here in Wyoming. The deer I shot at Brent's only went a short distance then fell in sight of us. He was headed for the dense stuff and I could understand what Brent was saying. I like the BT's because all the energy stays in the critter with more damage and greater shock. We usually see the critter when it goes down out here even if goes a mile or so so the blood trail isn't as important as in the thick stuff.

Hey David, not arguing, I use my 250 with CL's, and I'm stocked up for life. I've only shot one deer with a partition in a .243, at just shy of 200 yards. What I found under the off side hide was just over half the bullet weight, and I had holes in the lungs and a piece of copper jacket in the liver, and it was a bang flop. When I complained about the bullet blowing apart on a 90 pound deer, I was told that is what partitions are made to do, lots of internal damage of pieces flying around?

The partitions don't usually exit on elk for the reason you mention. That's close range hunting at Brent's so the partition did exit. The elk I've shot were a lot further than the deer was. I think the partitions were designed for long range but serve the purpose for short range on smaller animals.

For whatever reason many people believe the Partition is a "hard" bullet, but the front halves of the ones designed for light to medium big game are made to expand readily and produce secondary projectiles.

About 70% of the bullet should continue penetrating, yes. Best of both worlds, fast expansion and internal damage with deep penetration and wide wound channel.

Only Partition I don't remember exiting on dozens of deer, few antelope and one cow elk was a forkhorn whitetail I shot straight down the body from jaw to butt. I think the bullet stopped somewhere in the rear leg. It was self defense...