Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .300 Savage Handloads With TAC?

Howdy.

Finally got my gray rat 99 functional today after it being a project gun for way too long. Had to "borrow" the old Weaver K4 that used to sit atop my wife's Sako .223. (It now wears a 2X7 Redfield) Still need to do some wood repair to the fore end, but I got her on paper at 100 yards with some handloads that I'd loaded years ago for another 99 .300. I've tried several different charges of IMR 4064 with a few different 150's and some RL 15 and some Hornady 165's in a previous rifle and found them all "huntable accuracy" but my next move is IMR 4895 w/150's and some more experiments with RL 15 w/165's for this new rifle. I have read that Ramshot TAC is very good with 125's, but I am looking for data for 150's, to see if there is any real advantage with TAC over IMR4895. I need to read a good updated .300 Savage reloading thread or magazine article again. Thanks to any .300 Savage shooters that might be able to give me a new lead here. AW

Try the Savage collectors forum. Lots of load info there.

I haven't seen advantage in using TAC in the .300 Savage, probably because TAC works best at high pressures (60,000 psi or so), which is too high for the 99 Savage.

This is also probably the reason that IMR4895 works so well in the 99/.300. It is designed to work best at somewhat lower pressures than TAC.

I've loaded and tested TAC with 150 gr Hornady SP Interlocks out of my M99EG. I get groups of 1" or slightly less and a MV of 2660fps out of a 24" bbl at 41gr of TAC. This is with Remington and Winchester brass (groups and velocity didn't deviate), WLR primers, and a Shooting Chrony F1 at 15' at around 80 degrees. Scope is a Leupold VXII 1-4X set on 3X.

However, Mule Deer's post does now make me wonder if I'm using loads with more pressure than the M99 action and cartridge was designed for. So this is NOT a recommendation, merely a report of my findings.

Not only what works, but why. Much appreciated.

Sycamore

Howdy.

Thanks to everyone who responded and a special thanks to J.B..(Mule Deer) That was somewhat of a "To whom it may concern" type of post but I certainly was hoping to hear from you, since most of the information I have on the .300 Savage has been gleaned from your writings.
Just left the range about an hour ago, where I fired a couple of three shot groups with the Savage, and a couple groups fired with a 1908 vintage 94 .30 WCF rifle. Decided to get that old Winchester zeroed with a decent handload just in case I don't sell it before November and wish to hunt a bit with it. Currently working with a 170 grain Hornady FP over 30.0 grains of IMR3031 in Remington cases. It's adequate hunting accuracy right now, but I'd like to try some 170 grain Silvertips just for fun too. For a 100+ year old rifle with a ringed bore it's performing more than adequately, and it's a curiosity piece to be sure. I'd swear that old rifle is begging to go hunting again just to relive it's youth in another time place and era.

As for the Savage, I intend to load some 150 grain SP Hornady's with your recipes of IMR4895 to test it for potential. I also have a pretty good supply of grade #2 150 grain Sierra RNSP bullets that should make an entirely adequate "woods bullet". I also have yet to try 165 grain Hornady's with the RL 15. For the deer hunting where I live now there probably isn't much real reason to even consider bullets heavier than 150's, (unless the rifle just shows a marked preference for them) but I'd like to have a reasonable elk/bear/hog load figured out in case I ever had need of them.AW

Adobe,

along the lines of JB's thinking, if 3031 is good at lower pressures (model 94 30-30) why not try it in the 300, esp in an older model 99?

I've just talked myself into it, I have a 300 in an old grey rat, and in a 700 classic.

I will try the 3031 in the model 99, should be a good fit.

Sycamore

My uncle always used 3031 in the 300 sav. 41.5 of imr4895 with a 150 grain bullet has been a shooter in 4 different mdl99s I've played with. I like the 150 hornady btsp myself.

I tried TAC in my 300 savage 99R, 24" barrel.
Johan Loubser from Western Powders recommended the following:
Ramshot � TAC

Bullet weight: 150 grains.

Start load: 37.0 grains (2400 � 2500 Ft/p/sec)

Maximum load: 41.0grains (2600 �2700 Ft/p/sec).

I pressure tested ( one shot each in 0.5 grain increments) five different 150 grain bullets, Hornady IL, Sierra Prohunter, Speer HC, Speer Mag-tip, and Winchester Power Point.
Case R-P
Primer Federal 210
OAL 2.6"
Velocity/Charge ratio (V/C)i.e. 2400/37= 64.86
Velocity per Crony at 12 feet, Temp 69 degrees, Altitude 6200'

Hornady IL 41.0 grains - 2662 fps - no pressure signs, V/C= 65.35
Hornady IL 41.5 grains - 2669 fps - no pressure signs, V/C=64.31

Winchester PP 40.5 grains - 2653 fps - no pressure signs,
V/C= 65.51
Winchester PP 41.0 grains - 2633 fps (yes) - very sl flattening of primer, V/C=64.22

Sierra PH 40.5 grains - 2649 fps - no pressure signs, V/C=65.41
Sierra PH 41.0 grains -2632 fps(yes) -no pressure signs V/C=64.2

Speer HC 41.0 grains - 2627 fps - very sl flattening of primer,
V/C=64.1
Speer MT 41.0 grains - 2665 fps - very sl flattening of primer,
V/C=65.00
All cases extracted easily and rechambered easily. I gave examples where the increase in velocity was not linear, most likely it was a wide extreme spread. These loads were tested at 25 yards because the rifle came with a Redfield peep sight and I did not know where it would hit at 100 yards. The most consistent point of aim was by the Hornady IL - less than 1", then the PP, MT, HC, an PH in that order.

TAC does not seem to provide the maximum velocity for the 300 Savage according to the Hornady, Speer and Sierra books.
Hornady manual - 44.0 grains IMR 4064 - 2800 fps, 22" barrel.
Sierra manual - 44.5 grains Varget - 2800 fps, 26" barrel.
Speer manual - 44.0 grains VV N140 - 2663 fps, 20" barrel.

Though TAC does not seem to be an ideal powder, the 150 grain Il at 2669 fps may be a good deer load in my 1941 99R if it shoots just as consistently. Good luck on your 99.

Mule Deer
Is H4895 similar in working at lower pressure? My presumption would be that it probably is, due to its use in reduced loads.

Be careful with that Hornady max of 44 grains of 4064. That's hot stuff, I won't run it in my Model 700 Classic.

I am gonna have to try TAC again. Have a new-to-me .300 99F and it has shot very well so far with factories.

Howdy.

I agree with the IMR 4064 warning. That 44.0 grain load data HAS to be either pure error or was developed with a very slow lot of IMR 4064 powder. I've loaded up to 42.0 gr under Hornady 150's and consider them VERY WARM. They print a lot higher and the groups are bigger than the more pressure friendly factory duplicating 41.0 gr charge. Also the primers are beginning to flatten. Not total edge to edge primer pocket fillers, but definately enough to see a real STOP sign. I think that in real hot weather even the 42.0 grain charge might be too much. Similar results in two rifles.AW

Varget for the win.