Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors 22 HiPower

Hi,

A friend gave me a well-used Model 99 take down in .22 Savage HiPower. He also included 6 boxes of original Remington and Winchester ammo. The ammo and boxes look perfect. Does the ammo have any collector value? or can I shoot it? I'd hate to shoot up stuff that a collector would want.

I'm planning on getting dies, etc. so I can reload. Any hints, other than Hornady .227" bullets?

Thanks.

I'll bet you could sell that ammo and buy enough components to shoot it for a long time.

We have hashed out methods for making the HP work several times here in the recent past. May I suggest doing a topical search? I don't think I have the energy to go through it all again!

Thanks for the reply. I've been thumbing through the archives and found enough info to get me started. Thanks for all your posts. I'll PM if I can't get it to shoot.

The trouble with my initial search is the multiple ways "22 HiPower" is spelled (22HP, 22 High Power, 22 Savage, etc.)

The 5.6x52R is the same cartridge as the 22HP, so if you're looking for reloading components that's the one to look at.

The Hornady cartridge isn't made for the twist rate in the old Savage 99's but rather for a faster twist rate commonly found in European guns, so most don't shoot them very accurately. Your rifle may vary. Lots of folks on the web just shoot .224 and get good results, the 60gr Nosler Partition is one that gets mentioned frequently.

I recently bought 500 Hornady .227 bullets from Graf and my .22HP loves 'em............

You must be living right Charlie! You might want to buy a Powerball ticket while you're at it!

PepeLp, I found that forming brass from 25-35 win. very easy and less expensive than using 22HP brass. All you have to do is run the 25-35 brass through the 22HP sizing die, load it up and fire it.
As far as other bullets, I've been using 60 gr. cast bullets with 7 grs. of unigue powder. Here's a link
http://www.montanabulletworks.com/224_Rifle.html
I found these bullets to be quite accurate.

Lee

You apparently missed my post about my recent health issues... not quite so lucky.

Hang in there Charlie. I have a cousin going through the same thing. Not cheap and no fun.

Update:

I got some dies and .25-35 brass. Because of the encouraging results from people using regular .224" bullets, I decided to try some 50gr. Noslers first. I sized the brass in the .22 Hi-Power dies and loaded up some 50gr. NBT's using Mule Deer's info from another thread. First group was 3".........at 25 yards. Well, maybe after fireforming they'd tighten up........... not really, 2.5". Decided to try some Sierra 50gr. bullets. Surprise, total case head separation, my first ever. Not too exciting, but very disappointing.

I guess my next step is to try some of the Hornady .227" bullets. This could get frustrating very quickly.

Headspace issues? How hot are your loads? Full length or neck sizing after initial fireforming? You said initially that the gun is well used condition. What's the bore like? That could be a factor in the rotten accuracy you got. Are the bullets at least going through the paper nose first?

What diameter expander ball came with your dies? One for .224" bullets or for .228" bullets? (It'll make a huge difference in terms of proper neck tension, although that shouldn't be an issue re: case head separation.)

Many guys find that the Hornady's aren't very accurate (too long) but at least try them, you might get lucky.

I'm going to try neck/partial sizing, hopefully this will solve the separation issues.

I was using 1 grain under JB's load from another thread. (28.0gr. 3031, 50gr. NBT) No real pressure signs.

The bore looks good. The bullets were hitting nose first.

I didn't mic. the expander ball, but the neck tension was good, nice and tight.

I'll try the Hornady bullets, regular and trimmed.

I'll probably clean up the crown as well.

Thanks for the interest.

R

So, neck sizing is working, at least so far. I found a bullet that it likes as well. I had some old 50gr. Remington Corelokt HPs. They have a concave base that may seal better. I've been getting 2 1/4" groups at 100 yards, probably as good as I can shoot with the current sights.

Thanks for all the help.

my load for the .227 70 grain is 25grains of h4895 in a reformed 30/30 win case.This load also works for the .224 70 grain speer bullet. i have also used the 63grain .224 sierra bullet.S&B has factory loads for .22hp, it is their 5.6x52r ammo.70 gr bullet .Norma also made ammo for .22 hp. i suggest you try some 30/30 cases ,might solve you case separation problems . it is a thicker in the web area ,compared to a 25/35 case. also alot easier to find . it takes a little more time to reform ,but i think it is worth the extra effort.

The old rem coreloktagain, its gotta be still one of the most reliable game takers. No plastic bells & whistles just dead set reliable.

Johno

There isn't a whole lot of difference in the web area between .25/35 and .30/30 cases. A couple of thou at best. I proved that to my satisfaction a while back by sectioning a boat-load of different cases in my milling machine. The photographic evidence was posted here. Must have been a year or two ago now. Making .22HP's out of .30/30 brass is such a pain-in-the-butt I don't even consider doing it anymore.

Personally I see no reason at all to not use .25/35 cases and be done with it. If there are some headspace issues just run the .25 case into the die far enough to achieve a crush fit when chambering, then fireform with a Cream-of-Wheat load, then reload as normal. (That's not a panacea for excess headspace though. It'll just buy you a reloading or two before the case must be scrapped. Best bet is to have it corrected properly. Reference what Grogel Deluxe did with welding/stoning his 1899 bolt.

I too like the load of 25gr. H4895 under any .228 bullet. Good accuracy, decent energy level, and good case life. At least for me.