Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Reloading the 99

Read an article today about reloading the 300 Savage. The article stated that if you were reloading the 300 for a 99, you should use a full length die, not a neck die.

Would you say that is sound advice, sound advise for all calibers loaded for a 99?

I tired a little hand loading for my .308 99 using neck sizing dies, my results weren't so good but I chalked it up to being a green reloader.

Why do they advise a full length die, just for the box magazine operation, would there be any reason a neck die would hamper accuracy once chambered?

What's the skinny on this subject?

Thank you in advance

Just a generalization since levers don't have the same cam strength as a bolt so if things are 'sticky' with a tightly fitted case it could be a bit more problematic

Someone once suggested small base dies for lever actions!

I've never used small base for levers.

So you need a bigger lever for "big base" dies then?

The 99 locks up in the rear thus providing more chance of cases stretching, just about like every other lever action.

In addition, the extractor on the Savage 99 is a lot smaller than those found on bolt actions causing extraction difficulties. I've had no extraction problems with my 99E/.308 Win when using small base dies. Neck sizing dies left me with stuck cases.

Orion got it right on. Neck sizing only can leave you with cases that are a tad long in the body and thus hard to chamber, especially with the minimal amount of mechanical advantage a lever action provides when compared to a two lug bolt action rifle.

Neck sizing in hunting rifles is a bad idea and it is over rated in other applications.

Agree on that point as well. Easy feeding of the round from the magazine to the chamber trumps an extra 1/4 inch reduction in group size IF neck sizing only accomplished that in a normal hunting rifle chamber and barrel which it probably does not. Works or helps some in tight neck match grade benchrest only rifles but that is another game.

Barkoff, I have several 99's and I have done both. I have a .22 HP, .250-3000, .300, & .308. All my rounds chamber easily with partial resizing or neck sizing provided the brass was new and fired in that particluar gun. The thing that I have learned is that you can't push the action of a 99 with heavy loads. Your brass will start to come apart on you very early if you do, and at least in my case, the accuracy goes to hell. I'm sure heavy loads are not good for the actions either. I have learned to take it easy with these guns. They are old and I enjoy them. I've also found that the .308, which is a newer gun, shoots the Federal Fusion 150 gr. loads so well, I am urinating in the typhoon trying to reload ammo. for better accuracy. Good luck and have fun with your 99. BT

The 99 is a springy action because it locks up in the rear and this causes "problems" if thats what you wish to call it, but its really not a problem if you full length resize and shoot the gun at about 2 grs. below max or just use the books starting loads, you don't give up anything in killing power or trajectory, at least from a practical standpoint in the hunting field and the 99 is definately a "hunting rifle"..

Small base dies or better yet the X die small base sets are a good idea, but you may or may not need them in your 99, that is just up to the individual..I like the X die in any lever action as brass really does streatch.

The 99 is easy to reload and it will tell you when your getting a little warm, if you feel that lever pop down just barely a tad, when you shoot it, then back off a grain pronto.

Brass won't last like it will in a bolt action as the design of a 99 does not have that camming power, and the ejectore is not nearly as strong,. In fact you may have to trim every fired round, you can anneal "every loading" and make brass last considerably longer, but brass is cheap and thats a lot more trouble than I want to go to, and since the 99 is a hunting rifle only from my standpoint and I don't shoot it like I would a varmint of bench rest rifle. therefore I have not had any problem of any kind with my 99s, They are mostly my "go to" saddle guns and I love them for that, I only use them for hunting deer and elk and took my 250-3000 to Africa once to shoot on a big Kudu, Springbuck, and Gemsbok cull hunt.

Same deal for my new Win. M-95 SRC, in 30-06, I shoot the 220 gr. Sierras and Noslers at a mild 2400 FPS, using its iron sights. I full length resize and only use it to hunt with with a little practice off hand now and then.