Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .22 Hi-power

Pictures as this project goes along would be appreciated!
Good to see one getting back to the field

A Methodist missionary in China, by the name of Henry R. Caldwell, wrote a book, the Blue Tiger, in which he gives his accounts of shooting tigers in China, including some man eaters with the 22 Savage HP. He said that he'd written the folks back home that he needed them to send him a good rifle, and this was that they sent. This was in the early 1900's, and he also used other Savage rifles, in particular a 303 Savage. His book gives accounts of other game being killed with the 22 HP. Karamojo Bell was also a fan of the cartridge.

Karamojo Bell wrote that he had seen 23 Cape Buffalo killed with 27 shots from his friends .22 Hi-Power

I'd also like to see some photos as the project gets closer to completion!

In addition to my old post on this thread about getting fine accuracy with .224 bullets in the .22 Hi-Power I owned for a while, especially the 60-grain Nosler Partition, it also shot 55-grain Ballistic Tips well enough to take prairie dogs out to 150 yards or so with the tang aperture and bead front sights that were on the rifle when I purchased it from a local pawn shop.

Indeed, pictures would be appreciated. I've owned more than a couple of them over the years.

I too have a .22 HiPower Savage 1899H, that I named "Phoenix", which was raised from the ashes of decay - a mixmaster that started out as a bare rusty/pitted receiver I got for $60. (I also additionally fitted a spare .303 Savage barrel to it in a fit of masochism.)




I haven't experimented with the .22HP much in recent years, other than continuing with some cast bullet stuff. The rifle pictured above has a bore with a solid .228" groove diameter and, more importantly for cast work, a .229" throat. It simply will not shoot worth a tinker's dam with cast bullets sized at less than .229". Jacketed bullets gotta be .228" also - smaller stuff I tried in it delivered so-so accuracy. Just goes to show that individual rifles can be finicky compared to their brethren.

Interesting side note: Pac-Nor still offers a .228" barrel blank, 5 groove, 1-10" twist. One of our compatriots here is looking hard at this as a second barrel for his Stevens 44 1/2. The gun is chambered for .303 Savage, and the second barrel in .22 HP would be the t*ts. It's got me thinking again about building a .22 HP on a High Wall action, to explore the limits of just what this old cartridge is capable of.

years ago at Gillete , Wyoming at O. Heins wild game processing building we were skinning animals , hanging and water rising these animals when a discussion started about a 22 Savage Hi-Power and using 224 bullets instead of 227 bullets in David`s old 99 take-down Savage 22 Hi- Power ,this rifle had a lift up old peep on the rifle. a older gentleman named Darrell who also was skinning with us said that would never work well . i went outside to take more garbage out in back of the building and there was about 20 antelope grazing about 300 yards away and David said i will get my rifle and prove those 224 bullets work just fine and the bet was on. so we went behind building again David brought the old Savage 99 Hi-power ,ammo and a 5 gallon bucket . well those 2 argued some more and the bet was if the doe antelope was shot and it had to be 1st shot , Darrell had to go gut the antelope ,drag it back alone and skin and hang it . if David missed the antelope David had to give Darrel 25 bucks David then sat down behind the bucket laid the old 99 Savage on the bucket aimed , and shot the doe antelope 1st shoot at around 300 yards, then handed Darrell his doe tag and walk back into shop without saying anything except let Darrel do his bet deal. man it was funny ! Pete53

I would've paid to watch that!!

I had a few animals processed there back in the day. I hunted with Randy Greer a few times.

Great story, Steve!

Might also comment that I tried .224 bullets in both my .22 HP 99 and a friend's I handloaded for. They shot well in both--but I got the idea from Ken Waters' book Pet Loads. If Ken said they'd work, I figured it was well worth a try....

John

I never could get .224 bullets to do anything but keyhole out of my 1917H, save the 63 Sierra SMP which patterned them like a shotgun, but at least they hit the target going straight instead of tumbling. I must have tried 30 different bullets from the 35 grain VMAX to 75 grain AMAX. It shot several true .228 bullets just fine, but they are getting difficult to find.

I finally broke down and had the bbl lined with a .224” 1/10 Douglas. I haven’t played with it much since then though.

The .228 (70 grain?) Sisk shot good and was a killer but I got tired of searching for old stock bullets.

Unique antlers on that buck, Tinman.

I think they look cool. But I'm weird. Just like those antlers.

then you must have met David and Owen, and know how David was a real card , we live 10 miles apart in Minnesota now and still get together some . and yet to this day i still remember that shot at that doe antelope with that old 22 Hi-Power Savage 99 rifle and i still laugh about it. Owen Hein also moved here lived 5 miles away but passed a few years ago . >those were some real good times matter fact David and myself might be headed to Lake of the Woods soon fishin. Take care ,Pete53

Hopefully the barrel got remarked so the next owner doesn't shove .228 bullets down it w/o knowing. Sure would be a hell of a lot more practical being .224. But at that point a 219 Zipper would be even better.