Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Case stretching .303 Savage

I have a .303 Savage Model 99 lever action. I recently started to reload for it, and find the cases seem to be stretching a lot. The book says case length is 2.015, fired cases are 2.02-2.03. These are once fired factory loaded cases. Should I trim the cases each time, if needed, or just leave them long? They seem to feed and chamber ok. My .270 don't stretch this much in 5 or 6 reloadings, let alone first time fired.

I often find that once fired factory loaded cases come out to long. The problem is not as common now as it was 30 years ago but does show up now and then. I don't know when Winchester quit making ammo and brass for the 303 Sav. but I bought some unfired Win. 303 brass a couple of years ago that was over length before it was ever fired. I would trim the cases to the minimum recommended length, better to be safe than sorry. Then adjust the sizing die so that the case shoulder is pushed back just enough to allow easy chambering. With standard loads you should get several loads before needing to trim again. How many loads is impossible to say as you may have some soft brass which tends to stretch more and if you load a little on the hot side can cause more stretch. Not pushing the shoulder back helps prevent case head seperations a problem common to rimmed cartridges and associated with case stretch.

If you have a headspace problem, you might consider having it rechambered to the 307 Winchester and load the 307 Winchester to 30-30/303 Savage pressures. I have a 1930s vintage 99H that has been rechambered from 303 Savage to 307 and it works fine, but I load it at 30-30 pressures and don't shoot factory 307 ammo in it.

Jeff

Sorry to be so long getting back. Thanks for the advice.

EdD270,

Along the line that quarterboredave posted, Ken Waters mentioned in his Pet Loads column that to help prevent excess case stretching with the .30-30 case, he backed off the sizing die 1/2 turn. Worth consideration with the very similar Sav.303.

Thanks, Carbon, I'll do that next time I reload these. I remember seeing an article that to adjust a full length die to only neck size, you could put a washer under it, but I don't remember the details.
That is why I get so many reloads out of my .270 and .243, I load them with a Lee Loader which only neck sizes them. fine as I'm shooting them in only one rifle of a calibre.