Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 322A questions

First post here, but I have lurked for a bit. I am in the process of buying a Savage 322A and have already picked up brass and dies for it. I seem to be finding several answers to the question on bore diameter that differ. Has anyone here reloaded for these older Savage rifles, and are they .223, or will .224 caliber bullets work? I really love older rifles with a story and am just planning on letting this old gal just clear her throat every now and then. I grew up with, and still own my first centerfire rifle, a Winchester 43 in .22 hornet that I killed my first deer with back in the day when I didn't know any better, and I have a love for the caliber that goes way back. Thanks for the assistance, Kevin

Welcome! Glad to know there's another smallbore miscreant out there! Back in 1952I was so proud of he little blacktail meat buck I'd dropped with a .410 slug the year before that I kidnapped my brother's 23D and kilt my second one with that, not knowing that .22s were illegal for deer in CA then... (Hope the statute of limitations has run out!).

Those old "economy" Hornets are the nuts, for sure, although if you've priced a 43 recently, you might challenge the word "economy"! (Or bought a box of Hornet chow....).

My dad bought the Winchester 43 in the mid 50's thinking mom would go hunting with him. Didn't work out that way and the gun stayed at grand paps for many years. Hard to tell just how many groundhogs and other varmints and game that gun has spoken over. After i got old enough for it, it was handed down to me. I've certainly harvested more than my fair share with it as well. I'm now looking forward to working with this Savage 322. I'm sure its a shooter, it seems all Savage rifles are. There's just something about these older guns that speak to me.

I think the 332A is the Steven's version of the Savage 340 and was made 1947-1950. I can find nothing in print stating if these rifles had .223 or .224 barrels. I would load based on what your dies are set up for. I don't think it will matter which diameter bullet you use other than the rifle might be more accurate with one over the other.

It appears that a Savage 23D bore was in spec at .223" - .224", Savage 340 was at .224" - .225".

Easy to slug the barrel also. Some youtube videos out there will walk you through it.

As Rick said, whatever the rifle likes. I'd probably try the .224 first.

I assume we're talking about .22 Hornets here. If so, and it has a .223" groove diameter (and it shouldn't that late in the game - .223 bores were common pre-war), just use .224 diameter bullets. No harm no foul, lots more important stuff to worry about in this man's world.

I have a hard-headed uncle who swore by a 322 for Pennsylvania deer back in the 50's-60's, and killed a metric ton of them with one shot each. (PA game laws always simply said "any centerfire cartridge in a manually operated rifle" is legal, which meant a lot of marginal calibers were employed in the deer woods, and probably still are.) The last deer he shot with it took 3 or 4 shots to put the kibosh to it, so he changed course and went with an Amish Assault Rifle, a Remington 760, for the rest of his hunting days. He's pushing 90 now and still sits on his front porch in deer season with that rifle in case a buck wanders up the driveway. The Stevens 322 burned up in a house fire.

Just placed an order for 200 .224 diameter spear 40 grain spire points. We'll see how they work.

My dad a 322A in 22 Hornet and the feed ramp was broken, causing the the bullets to get pushed back into the casings when feeding. I understand this is a common, but easily fixed issue, as the ramp is still available from Numrich. Alas it "disappeared" with the rest of his guns before he passed away.....