Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Savage Collectors Looking for Info on Savage 1899 22HiPower

I am helping a friend locate info on his recently inherited 1899 Savage 22 HiPower. Wikipedia and this forum helped us find some info, but neither of us are familiar with the caliber.

We *think* we know:
- The rifle is old. Based on the serial (2266xx) it appears to have been manufactured in the 20s.
- The actual caliber is a .227 / 5.6x52
- The Hornady Die set is part #:546240

.. and that's about it. We could use some help figuring out:

- what caliber bullets to load (we know it's a .227)
- Any ammo options on top of the Sellier and Bellot
- approximate value

As always, I apprecaite any help/insight you guys provide.

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Truth: Probably made in 1920, looks to be an early model 99F takedown. It's been refinished and reblued, sights are Replacements. Decent hunter, but it won't have any collector value. Even though this is not a $1000 gun, take it out and shoot it, the 22HP is great fun to shoot and a great choice for things like coyotes or ground hogs.

The 22HP came out in 1912 and was developed by Charles Newton and Savage. Lots of initial press about it being an awesome big game rifle and up to being used on tigers, etc. Popularity declined swiftly once the 250-3000 came out. Hornady makes a 227 bullet which fits, but they also say it's not really made for the Savage's twist rate and may not stabilize. But it works for some people. Lots of folks have reported good success using .224 bullets in it such as the 60gr Nosler Partition.

They work well on gators and pigs. I haven't shot a deer with one yet. I prefer something with a 3 in front for deer. Enjoy that one, they are fun to shoot.

Ammo options are currently limited to S&B, Norma, and DWM (lottsa luck there). Frankly, I think they are all loaded pretty hot for use in our old Savages which contributes to short case life in these springy actions- but safe/accurate enough. Handloading is really your best option. (Modern factory rounds are mainly intended for the Euro market and their nifty 5.6x52R stalking rifles, usually strong single shots.)

Two opinions here concerning correct bullet diameter: those who argue that any old .22 diameter bullet that shoots accurately is ok, and those who argue that one should stick with .227/.228 diameter bullets like Arthur Savage and the Good Lord intended. I fall into the latter camp, but not because of how those two guys feel about it.

Get a good set of .22HP dies. (But be aware if you persist in using .224" bullets, you shall need to swap out the .228 expander button for a .224 one or else your bullets won't stay put in your finished rounds.) Get a sack full of .25-35 brass and run them straight into the .22HP sizing die. (I would take care to adjust the die so the bolt barely closes on one.) The resultant case will have a weird double shoulder. Fear not, it'll spring into shape upon the first firing. Note also the cartridge headspaces on the rim, not the shoulder, but the added support of the "new" shoulder helps keep the case head back tight against the bolt face where it belongs. Fill the case with your powder of choice (I like either 3031 or either of the two 4895's), load data is limited but out there. I have settled on 24gr 3031 or 25gr 4895 for a good relatively mild load that is both accurate, powerful enough for smallish big game, and yields decent case life (no unimportant thing with this cartridge)- all with a 70 grain jacketed bullet. That load is a proven killer of quadrupeds and bipeds (turkeys)- ask the guys here for whom I have loaded rounds.

Avoid if you can, starting out with S&B or Norma factory shells by firing them to get the brass. The cases will stretch like like crazy and put you behind the 8-ball right off the bat in terms of overall case life. Just get .25-35 brass and be done with it.

Bullets: extremely limited selection, if you wish to use .228's. In fact there is but one domestic offering, and it has become catch-as-catch-can finding them (like all other components these days)- the Hornady .228 70gr spire point. A wonderful bullet, but way long for optimal stabilization in the 1-12" twists of our rifles (rumor has it is intended for the Euro version of the cartridge and the guns designed to shoot it). You may get lucky and get good accuracy, but chances are equal that you won't. One way to find out. Options are to shorten the bullet for proper function (see me if you end up going that route), scrounge up obsolete Speer 70 grainers with a short round nosed profile, find the even rarer DWM 70 grainers, and a small handful of South African offerings (bring your wallet). A bullet mould makes eminent sense, and low velocity lead bullet loads will provide tons o' fun, much needed practice, and cases that last indefinitely. Or, you can go over to the Dark Side and go straight to .224's, for which there is a universe full of options. Bear in mind that .004" undersize is a lot when gas cutting and heightened throat erosion is the result of using a lot of way undersized bullets- and they ain't makin' Savage .22HP barrels anymore these days. Moderate to low use won't have much effect, I'm sure, but...

I crusade for .228's but that's because I shoot it a lot- out of two rifles, with a third spare barrel for another gun. If I only fired a handful of rounds per year (say a box full for practice and a box full to hunt with) in all honesty I would probably just use .224's and be done with it- if they shot well in my rifle.

Buffalo Bore makes good shooting bullets for the High Power. Me personally, I'm not a HP fan. Too much drama, and I'm a handloader!

Mea culpa, I forgot all about the excellent bullets Buffalo Arms peddles. (But, I did do a cross sectioning of a bunch of .228 bullets once, and found the Buffalo ones had the thinnest jackets which may- or may not- make a difference on deer sized game.) The 60 grainers were particularly accurate in my tests.

Drama? No worse than any other cartridge, once you become wise to it's foibles. You want drama? Try finding brass, dies, loading info for the .22 Maximum Lovell that I acquired last year. Now there was some drama!

I salute you sir.

Gentlemen, thank you for all of the input. This is exactly the type of info we were looking for.

Now to get some rounds made for it!