Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters The old Winchester "SilverTip" Bullet

When I got my 700 Classic in 250 Savage I picked up some 100 grain Silvertip ammo. I hope yours is better than what I got.

[quote=mathman]When I got my 700 Classic in 250 Savage I picked up some 100 grain Silvertip ammo. I hope yours is better than what I got.[/quote

I've had it since 1980 or 1981, so I might get around to shooting it sometime during the next 40 years.]

As cup/cores go they're pretty much the opposite of a Hornady RP. PowerPoints have far less exposed (OK, covered) Pb. So don't know why anyone would be surprised by the ST's rapid expansion at low-velocities.

Someone might prefer heavy for caliber bullets on lightly constructed animals. Example, 180 gr ST in .300 Savage. Some like to reduce MV for beginners or kids. Old STs are fine in such applications. Kinda like flat points designed for old lever guns.

We're smart enough not to load 250 gr .338 TSXs to 2000 fps and expect pulped lungs on ribcage hits, right?

Far be it from bullet manufacturers to ever let the public in on changes they make in their bullets (unless they feel that they can ballyyhoo some alteration to their advantage).

My dad used them on elk out of a 30-06 in the 60s and 70s. The elk he shot died within sight. He used core-lokts on deer.

I have about four boxes of carefully hoarded Winchester .303 Savage ammo with the 190 grain round-nose Silvertips. They shoot well in my 99 Savage and have killed deer and three caribou for my brother and me. One of the 'bou was the biggest either of us ever shot. It was about 150 yards out and heading at a pretty good clip over the hilltop where it would soon be out of sight. It was just like when we were kids, I put my hand on top of a boulder for him to rest the rifle on (my brother lost the use of his left arm to polio when we were quite young), reached around under my head to plug my ear on the side toward the muzzle of the rifle and wondered what was taking him so long to shoot. The big bull was right at the peak of the hill when he fired. At the impact, the 'bou reared up on his hind legs and went over backwards, tumbling down the hill to our silent prayers that he wouldn't wreck that big, double-shove rack with big backstickers, the whole works. The rack survived intact and now rules over all the other antlered stuff hanging on the walls of the "club room" at the horse barn. Anyway, I like those 190 grain Silvertips in the .303 Savage.

In a rare instance of my using factory ammo I bought a box one year mostly for brass but they hit to point of aim as my rifle being sighted in for 150 grain Speers pushed to 2900 fps. This being the 150 grain Silvertips shot in my 30-06. I took a steep downhill shot on a pretty nice mule deer and the bullet broke up completely on it shoulder blade. after a long follow up I got another shot and this time broke the bucks neck. Those were the last Silvertips that I ever bought.

it is interesting to read the comments that are all over the place on how the bullets preformed.

My experience was always good with the 308 dia 180 gr. fired from a 30-06. It must have been that the ones I used were early 1950 vintage and where the deer were shot.

I cannot remember a failure or a blow-up on any animal I took.

Along about 1955 I switched to a 300 Sav. I continued to use the 180 gr. I killed several black bear. All killed wit one shot.

When I started reloading I started using other brands of bullets.

I got eight boxes of that stuff when I got my Model 54 .250 Savage. It shot pretty well with three shots going in 1 - 1.25 inch at 100m. I used it up on kangaroos, foxes, a couple of pigs and targets.

My Dad killed a nice 5x5 bull elk, and a 50"ish bull moose, in northern British Columbia back in 1983 shooting a 30-06 Remington 700 ADL with Winchester factory 180 grain Silvertips. He had access to a friends shooting range that could go out to around 400 yards or so, so my Dad practiced quite a bit prior to leaving for the hunt they were going on.

He shot the moose at an extended range (300-400 yards) 4 times, all the while the guide was hollering "keep shooting, you're missing him!". He shot twice while the bull was walking uphill, then twice more after it turned and started walking downhill. After the 4th shot, the bull stopped and just stood there for a moment, then fell over. When they got to it, and started skinning it, there were 2 bullets holes on one side, 2 bullets holes on the other, and 4 bullets inside the chest cavity.

While I do not remember all the complete details (I was 14 years old at the time, too many year, too many beers!), I do remember my Dad saying how shot up the lungs were in that moose.

He killed the bull elk with one shot at around 200 yards, something that the guide said that he had never seen before.

A funny aside about the guide...my Dad smoked a pipe at the time, and it was snowing while they were out hunting, and the guide saw my Dad smoking his pipe upside down so that the snowflakes wouldn't extinguish his pipe tobacco. The guide thought that was the craziest thing that he had ever saw!

Was a favored whitetail killer here in NYS. Especially the 308 and 30 30 150 grainers.

Lots more great stories shared, which of course is the 24 hour campfire's raison d'etre. If in my first statement reviving the old thread I misrepresented the opinions of previous posters I apologize. I just wanted to summarize that there had been varied results reported when these bullets were widely in use and to see what other remembered experiences there were out there with this bullet in 300 Sav specifically. It's a handloading option I'm considering (30 cal) due to scarcity of components. I discern that 300 Sav/30-40 Krag type velocities are probably the top end of its efficacy envelope. I should also say that I'm an Eastern deer hunter exclusively so what I consider adequate might puzzle those of you who live in the west.

This. My favorite 99F in 300 Sav loves the 180 grain, whether it is 25 yards of 250 yards.

Wow! Danged nice bucks!

Yes sir, that is what my grandfather fed his old 300 Savage, 180 grain ST’s. He never complained. Elk, moose, bear and piles of bucks.

Dad has shot many a deer from a Vanguard Carbine 30-06. 180 grain Silver Tips would leave an exit would in the rib cage I could put my fist through. He now uses the Deer Season XT since the ST’s can’t be found.

My father had Silver tip 30-06 ammo in the attic from the 1940s.

Yes, nice bucks and a very nice Savage there diamondjim. Thanks for sharing the photos. I think the 180s in 300 Sav at 2400+/- from the factory were ideal. I have 150s and will try backing it down a little, in the 2500s if accuracy holds up at lower velocity, at least not exceeding 2600. My powder will be W748, probably 41 or 41.5 grains but TBD by upcoming range trials.

The "old school" 130g .270 Win. Silver Tips shoot Right at 1/2" in my Sako AV Classic Hunter. I have a few boxes that I've hoarded. Also have 200 of the 130g ST's as loose bullets. When the loaded ammo starts to run low I'm going to see about duplicating that load. Only info lacking is the charge weight of 760/414. I've killed a few truck loads of deer with that rifle/ammo combination.

A guy had 3 boxes of 250 gr silvertips .338 here at the colo prgs show I passed on them at $50/box. Mb

I have a couple of hundred 170 grain 30/30 Silver Tips left of a Midway order from 20+ years ago. My Winchester 64-A likes them better than any other bullets.
I’m thinking of working up a 30/30 level load for a 30/06 for mid-range deer load too.