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I've been shooting my 99R(1953) with the 1-14 twist quit a bit lately. It usualy groups the 75 HP Sierra under an inch with several powders. I bought some bulk 100 Core-Lockts and it goes about 1.25 with 4320. The kicker is, I can't get the 87 Hornady to group with anything I've tried. At times it even makes two groups about 2" apart horizontally. Go back to the 75HP and get nice small round groups again. What gives? The foerend has been bedded by the method recomended in the book "Accurizing The Factory Rifle" by MxPherson. I use the gun mostly as a fun shooter, with some coyote calling, and will try it on whitetails in a couple of weeks when the season opens. I had thought the 87's would be a fair compromise load, and was what the 250's reputation was built on. Can't figure why this one won't shoot it. Anybody have poor luck with one brand of bullet, and good with another of the same weight?
Steve

Well, I have with 170 grain .30-30 bullets - Hornady bad, Speer good.

Speer hollow points shoot pretty good in my .250 and Hornadys are just so-so. My .308 LOVES Hornady 165's though.

So, yes it seems to matter to us purists looking for the perfect group. Just part of the endless quest...

G'luck,

I wouldn't shoot anything less than 100 gr. on deer. Mine shoots really good with 40 gr. H414 and 100 gr. corelokts. 3/4" five shot groups and chronoed at 3048 from 24" barrel. I love it

Try the Speer 87 grain bullets. I have settled on the standard 87 grain for deer and the 87 grain TNT for coyotes. The 75 and 90 grain Sierra HPs are among the most accurate that I have tried in a 1 turn in 14" twist barrel, but both are way too fragile for deer.

Jeff

I'll order some 87 speers. "Bout to wear out the first 100 cases I bought just trying different loads! That's what makes this hoby fun!

Try 30 gr of IMR 4895 under that 87gr slug, I shoot this load in my 99 with good enough accuracy to hit ground squirrels at 150-200 yrds with a 4 power lyman scope 8 times out of 10. hope this helps

I just bought a 250 sav T/D with a 28**** serial number. I hope to shoot it in a couple days. I loaded 87 h/H380, 100 cl/H380. and some 120 cl/4350. I loaded about 10% under max with all of them. I'll post my result. I think that I have a i in 16 or 14 twist. My has a lyman tang sight and I'd call it a 80-85% gun. All wood is serial #'ed to gun and has a sav steel butt plate. no holes $?

Your gun has 1-14 rifling. I'd be surprised if the 120 grains shoot very well.

just FWIW ole,

i am not a big .25 shooter although i would like to change that, and it sound like you're doing OK with the 100 C.L.

i have used extensively though the 6 mm 85 BTHP game king by sierra, in my .243s... my friends called that load the death ray.... AND i noticed that they make an almost identical bullet in .257 a 90 BTHP gameking.... john w

I don't have high expectations for the 120 gr bullet, but I have a bunch of them and they are deadly out of my 257 Roberts. Maybe someone could jog my memory, Were the 100 gr factory loads, R/N bullets? I don't think that I would use a 87 gr bullet on deer. I'll know how she shoots what in a couple days. dingus

I have an early 50's 99R in .250-3000 which I hunted with for the first time this year. Having previously hunted with a .270 I was concerned about the .250 ability to kill deer. I handload 87gr Speer soft points over 34gr of 3031 with Remington cases and primers. My concerns ended early opening day of the NY Southern Zone first with a large doe broadside at 30 yards followed 3-4 minutes later by a 7pt 140lb buck broadside at 60 yards. The 87 gr Speer bullets entered and exited both deer leaving massive injury to shoulders, ribs and lungs. Both deer dropped dead within site. I think the 87gr Speers worked very well after this my first two kills. Not sure about downrange energy with this bullet and what would do to a deer but I would not hestitate to try a 100 yard plus shot with this combo. I do have some 90 gr BTHP to experiment with next. The trick to killing deer is not the size of the gun but rather the hunters ability to hit the target. After skinning both deer and witnessing the effects I think any 250 Savage round in the chest of any deer will put meat on the table.

I would advise against using the Sierra 90 grain HPBT. They are so fragile they often blow up on the surface and create a large, but not necessarily fatal, wound. When they do get through the hide, they often blow a hole in the rib cage that you can put your fist through. I've never had a 90 grain HPBT give through and through penetration and I've never found much more than bits and pieces of them in the pleural cavity. It is very accurate and deadly, but way too fragile for deer and for any coyote whose hide you might want to sell.

Jeff

Well I've gotten 2 does with the 250 so far this season. The first was roughly broadside at 100 yards, the 100 coreloct did the job, but with a poor hit. I hit too much bone for a guy that likes to butcher his own deer. Anyway I had a complete passthrough, but with little evidence of rapid expansion. Got to wondering about that lack of expansion, so came home and loaded up some of the 87 speers I had just received from Midway. Got sighted in at about 3:30, and got a guest situated in my best stand. Took what was left, about 300 yards uphill from my range, and about 5:00 caught a doe quartering away at 100 yards. The whole ribcage area was bloodshot on the entrance side. Had about a 2" hole in the near side rib, golfball size hole through the lungs, took the main vessels off the top of the heart, and had a 1" hole through the far rib, with exit through the far shoulder with no bone hit. Doe went less than 30 yards(good thing with all those ceders!) One shot each tell nothing really, but the 87 may have started expansion a tad early, and the 100 a bit late! Probably need a few more years worth of testing!! The old 270 may have to take a back seat for a while

Forgot to add that of the two groups I shot to sight in the speer bullet, one went 1 1/8, the other was 5/8 for three shots! Got to do some playing with this one!

My 25 cal experience is a lot with a 257 Roberts, a little with 25-06, but this is my first 250 sav. In the roberts, a 120 was almost idenical performance to a 270. I killed a number of deer with a 100 gr bullet, Sierra, probably. and I wasn't satisified with their performance. They didn't produce anything like the tauma I was used to seeing, so I changed to the 117 gr. I hope the 100 gr core lock shoot decent, as I would feel better using that than a 87. I won't argue with sucess though. dingus

I've got a sweet little BLR in 257 Roberts. It's my coyote rifle and I'll never get rid of it.

Out of all my levers I only have one that isn't Savage. I reload for it with 75 gr nosler ballistic tips so if I ever do find that first 99 in 250-3000 I'll be all set up.

Bringing this back up, because of the Kansas late doe season(jan.1-4 this year). My son-in-law and I both finished our 4 doe tag allotment Sat. morning. Had 8 does come into the small field around my house while we were sitting around discussing how to hunt the rest of the day. I got the 99 250 with the 87 gr. speers ready and shot the biggest one at around 160 yards, then handed it to the son-in-law who shot one of the does that had scattered, but stopped to see what was going on. His was about 170 yards. My doe dropped on the spot( the bullet had entered at the rear of the shoulder, gone through the shoulder blade, deflected up through the lung, shattered the spine, and lodged under the hide. Recovered bullet weighed 63.5 gr., 73%, classic mushroom shape). His doe ran about 100 yards, with a 1.5" hole clear through both lungs and ribs from the broadside shot( adrenalin high I'd guess). Thanks to 260remguy and others for they're suggestion of this bullet! Now it's time to load up some of those 75 gr. Sierra's and call some coyotes! Steve

Sounds like a perfect day <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> Thanks for sharing the information.