Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles 300 Savage reloading

Has anyone else thought about resizing .308/7.62 brass to 300 Savage? When comparing the basic dimensions, it looks like a pretty simple form and trim operation- - - - -run the .308 case into the .300 Savage die and trim to length. Of course, the headstamp will be incorrect, but I've been using .270 brass in my 6.5-06 for a lot of years. If a modified case happens to find itself in a .308 chamber, I don't see any catastrophic results- - - -just a really funny-looking extracted case!

Comments/ suggestions/etc.? I have a huge stock of 7.62 milsurp brass- - - - -thousands of them!

ight have to do it in several stages but I don't see why you couldn't. Probably end up reaming the necks.

I have 308 cases made to 300 cases and I have 300 cases. There's not much difference. Trimming to length is the longest time consuming, though I have a setup that uses an electric drill, so it didn't take to much time for me.

Run the 308 case into a 300 sizing die and then trim. I used commercial brass.

I am not sure if you'd need to ream the necks on your military brass. One way to tell, use the "COW" method of forming after sizing and trimming for maybe three cases. If a bullet easily slides into the case(s), I wouldn't ream. If it's a close fit, then I would.

COW method - uses some powder at the base of the primed case and fill with cream of wheat.

Cream O Wheat is a damyankee thing- - - - -us Tennessee ridgerunners use grits for case forming! LOL!

Yep grits is what we all use done here

Are 300 Savage cases that hard to find?

Neck walls may be too thick and need to be turned or onside reamed. I've done it and inside neck reamed. A fun project for learning but not needed as brass is available.

I would just buy the proper brass. When you get into neck reaming, you will also find a difference in case capacity and that may give you issue with load data.
Even two boxes of brass will keep you in business for a long time.

I haven't shot actual head stamped 300 Savage brass in either of my Savage 99's in decades. All I shoot is reformed 7.62 NATO. It's a simple conversion that requires no neck reaming. Measure your internal capacity and work up your load. I use 40.0gr of H4895 with a 150gr. Hornady SP for 2660 fps which is around a grain less powder than using thinner 300 Savage brass.

Good to hear the voice of some hands-on experience. I'm about to work up a load using Hornady 130 grain jacketed softpoints, and possibly some plinker loads with 125 grain hard casts. Thanks for the info!

Mirrors my protocols, although I use 38 gr. 4064/150 Sierra which is a grain less than when using factory .300 brass.

Most commercial chambers have so much slop/excess room that you shouldn’t have to ream or neck turn. You should be able to tell from a case fired in the chamber of the rifle you’re loading for. Usually if a loaded round chambers you’re good.
Good luck,
Rick

Speed goals with the 125 cast bullets? That'll determine hard or soft, along with how well the bullet fits your throat. There are times, a lot of times, when softer is better than hard cast. Hard cast isn't the panacea that the uninformed think it is - it gets a lot of play by commercial casters because it's easier to create prettier well-filled out bullets with a hard alloy, and they withstand the slings and arrows of shipping better, but most importantly people who aren't versed in cast bullet technology intuitively believe "harder is better".

If not aware (not saying you aren't) there are precepts to follow in seating cast versus jacketed. One can't just cram a cast bullet into a case neck with the same techniques one uses for jacketed - primarily inside neck diameter (.001-.002" tension is all that's needed plus any tighter and you start messing with the diameter of the softer-than-jacketed bullet), and providing an easy lead-in for the bullet (ie: a tiny bell in the case mouth).

Even if there's not a "will it fit' problem, how is the uniformity of the 300's neck walls formed from that part of a 308 or 7.62 case? Thickness uniformity around the circumference? Any taper in thickness from top to bottom of new neck section?

My 300 Savage is a very accurate 700 Classic that has been tuned up a bit.

Wonderful advice and direction here. To load cast bullets properly a Lyman “M” die is a must in my book. It should furnish the correct neck ID for cast as well as the bell to ease the start of the bullet in the neck. Powder charges and such certainly are different as well. 8 grains or so of Red Dot or similar should produce wonderful results. I would highly recommend the 127 grain bullet from an NOE mold, copy of the Ideal Louverin design bullet sized at minimum .309” and maybe a touch larger. Cast bullets are certainly a science unto themselves.
Good luck!
Rick

300 savage brass is nearly impossible to find, new brass anyway. You can still buy factory loaded ammo for the 300 sav.
Converting 308 to 300 sav is very common.

I think there’s quite a few people that shoot the 300 with factory ammo and they toss the brass. Ask around you might find people that will trade once fired factory brass for a six pack.

I still buy factory 300 sav amo when I see it locally. I shoot the factory ammo then reload the factory brass. This allows the proper head stamp on the brass, unlike converted 308 brass.

And very expensive when you do find it.

Thanks for the experienced insights, especially concerning the cast bullet info. I usually use a 20:1 lead/tin ratio, dropped from the mold into an ice and water bath, then run through a Lubri-sizer to whatever finish diameter I want. It's difficult to scratch the quenched bullets with a fingernail, no idea what the Brinnell hardness number might be. My cast bullet lube is a mixture of beeswax and general purpose automotive chassis grease- - - -no leading problems up to about 2K FPS across the chronograph. The wax comes from toilet bowl sealing rings that I buy in bulk when they go on sale at the local big box hardware stores. The wax/grease mix gets made in a double boiler- - - -a coffee can sitting in a saucepan of water. Then the melted mix gets poured into the Lubri-sizer barrel. Been using that wax/grease mix for revolver and low velocity centerfire rifle rounds for 20+ years.

Currently there is only two sources on the 300 Savage brass, buy factory ammo to get the cases once fired or form from .308 Winchester. Winchester and Hornady usually have the factory rounds in production, Remington when they feel like it. Last summer Hornady did a run on the brass and then discontinued the item. The part number was 86752. Per Hornady fashion once they consider the item to be no more the reference to it is also removed from their website. Unless something changes their theory is factory ammo only. This has happened to several calibers. Winchester may appear, it will be out of the blue but my guess is not anytime soon. Cases from Winchester are slow in coming with no rhyme or reason what and when appears.

It may be pricy if you do find them on line it is probably from a individual.