Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Savage 99 .250-3000

I have a rifle that my Dad left me when he passed that was left to him by his uncle. It hasn't been fired in many many years (25) and while I know nothing about rifles, it seems to me to be in very good condition. I've taken it out of the case a couple of times in the 7 years I've had it and oiled it, but mostly it sat forgotten. This year I have some buddies that want to take me out hunting, so I want to take it in and have it sighted and what not. It should still work right?
Can someone tell me that age of the rifle by the serial number? It's 574883.
What does the 3000 mean?

Ddbern The 250 come from the fact that this a 25 calibre,the 3000 is from the fact the gun
would/could reach 3000 ft. per sec. but in order to do the they reduced bullet weight to 87 grs.
If I was taking it hunting would definitely use 100gr. bullets and would also limit myself to deer
size and smaller animals. Good hunting and make that uncle as first owner proud.
Cheers Don

Ddbern,

Your Savage 99 is a fine rifle for game up to 300 lbs. You said you would take it to be sighted in. Since you have not shot much, may I suggest that you and one of your experineced buddies get together and shoot it. The practise will be good for you and truely only you can properly sight in your rifle.

The 250-3000 is a gentle recoiling rifle that is a pleasure to shoot. Take ear protection and safety glasses and shoot a box of ammo to get a feel for the rifle. The more shooting you can do the better you get.

Good Luck on your hunt,
BigBullet

Congratulations!

You have: A wise uncle; a great deer rifle; and some pretty good friends. I echo what the other guys have said, practice shooting before you go, use 100 grain bullets, and have a good time.

BMT

A little history...

The rifle was made in 1950. If it has a narrow forend with a schnobel end it is a Model EG. This model was not D&T'ed for a scope nor did it come with sling swivels. The heaver stocked version is the Model R or RS. These were D&T'ed for a scope and had sling eyes. The RS also had a receiver sight.
If the rifle is an EG in original and nice condition do not have it scoped or a sling swivels added as this will decrease the value of your rifle.

Your rifle was barreled to shoot the lighter 87 gr. bullet. Some shoot the 100 grs well others not. At a reasonable distance you should be ok. As the others stated, take it out and shoot it enough so you will know your/its capabilities.

You are luck to have been handed down a very nice rifle. Take care of it and enjoy!

Rick....

Ddburn... Sounds like you have a great little rifle there�



I suggest you be SURE to pick up and KEEP your fired cartridge cases at the rifle range. Why? Because you might find out that shooting is a lot of fun, even if you don�t enjoy the hunting.



If that happens, then you might wish to get into reloading your own ammunition which is a �fun hobby�! It is a LOT less expensive to hand-load your own cartridges compared to the expense of buying factory-loaded cartridges. However, you WILL need the factory made cartridge CASES to use for your reloaded ammo, so pick up those �empties� even if you do NOT intend to do any reloading at this time. Who knows what you may decided to do in the future?



You also may find you enjoy hunting� and if you want to get to be a good shot with that fine rifle you have, then you�re going to need to PRACTICE with the rifle� and, again, you very likely might decided to get into reloading, not only to save a lot of money� but to �work up� more accurate, higher-velocity, more powerful rounds for your own individual rifle.



You can reload a round in the 250/3000 class cartridge for about 25� tp 30� a shot (depending on what you pay for your reloading components) compared to more than a $1.00 to $1.50 per shot for a factory-loaded round� and you can eventually come up with a far superior hand-loaded round (definitely more accurate and often having higher velocity) compared to the factory-loaded round. And so, hand-loading is not only considerably more economical, but a very enjoyable hobby unto itself.



You can get a LOT of good advice here in the RELOADING FORUM from experts who have been reloading for decades� and I can tell you that I enjoy reloading almost as much as I enjoy shooting at the range or going deer hunting. It is really "SOMETHING" to bring down that big 10 point buck with a round you loaded yourself! I still have the recovered, hand-loaded 210 grain Nosler Partition bullet I took out of a huge moose I shot with my .338 Winchester Magnum many years ago on a fly-in hunting trip back in the "bush" in Ontario, Canada.



You may find that one or more of your hunting buddies reloads his own ammo. If so, most reloaders are more than happy to help someone get started in reloading and to give guidance and advice along the way.



The fact that I�ll probably NEVER shoot another deer isn�t important� hunting isn�t about �killing�, it�s about being out of doors enjoying nature and the woods� and it�s about the CAMARADERIE of being with your closest friends and your sons or fathers or favorite uncles at deer camp. It�s about feeling the cold steel and the warm wood of a fine rifle in your hands� and knowing you owe no explanations to anyone as to what you�re doing or why you�re doing it. It�s about freedom and personal choices� it�s about being "YOU".



Before I drift too far off the subject and into nostalgia� just trust me and pick up and KEEP your fired cartridge cases. If nothing else, the Savage 250/3000 once-fired cartridge cases are becoming more and more RARE and, as a result, are getting more and more valuable every day.





Strength & Honor�



Ron T.

If it helps any I load a 87gr lead bullet with 28gr of IMR4895 with accuracy out to 200yrds. The recoil is light enough that both my boys 4&7 shoot it off a bench (the 4 yr old can't hit with it but has fun anyway lol). I use it on ground squirrels, jacks & coyote & the occasional bobcat & it works great. For the hunting I usually use a 87gr spitzer.

Hi Savage lovers,

I have just come across an 25-3000 rifle with serial number 184598. There is a REAR site that has patented 1914 on it.

Where do I get ammo and when do you think it was made?



Kurt

ddbern

Your .250-3000 Model 99 is considered by many to be the best deer rifle that was ever made, although there are other contenders for that title. When it came out in 1915 it had the highest velocity of any cartridge and Savage advertised it with photographs of huge tigers that had been shot by some mad missionary who took one of the rifles to India. Of course that was overstretching the cartridge but it did indicate how well it was thought of. It also had and still has a reputation for extreme accuracy, before WWII it was perhaps the most accurate factory catridge you could buy. There have been improvements in ammunition since then but it is probably still among the top half dozen. Also because muzzle blast and recoil are moderate it is easy to shoot well. In the last thirty years or so it has fallen out of favor due to the rise of the magnums, but these extra powerful rifles are really overkill on deer and black bear, where the .250-3000 is still a top choice.

Miki

Go to www.savage99.com and you can look up the mfg. date. Ammunition is available at several mail order suppliers and should also be found in a true gun shop - not one of the mega-marts. All you can buy now in factory ammo is the 100 grain bullets. These may or may not shoot well in your rifle since it was designed around the 87 grain bullet. If you really want to have some fun, try handloading for it. Brass is readily available. Have fun!

According to Murray on P 4 the guy shooting tigers was using a 22 Highpower, which would have been even more of a test for an under gunned hunter. I have not seen the add for the 250-3000 and tiger hunting. Where did I miss it?