Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Mule Deer: .300 Savage article in Handloader Oct 14

Mule Deer,
I'd like to get your view on some of the information set forth in Terry Wieland's article "Breathing New Life into the .300 Savage". For the record, I enjoy Terry Wieland's writing. In this article he introduces some information about the .300 Savage cartridge and M99 rifle I had not heard before. He recommends loading 150 grain roundnose bullets because: 1) The M99's 1-12 rifling will not stabilize bullets over 150 grains at .300 S velocities, and 2)Using bullets that extend past the case neck cause pressure spikes.

I find both assertions odd as the standard .300 S loading is a 150 spitzer at an often optimistic 2630fps vice the 2700fps he achieved in the article. Manufacturers also produce 180 grain loads and Federal's uses a 180 spitzer.

One of this year's off-season projects is working up your RL 15 .300 S load behind the 165 Hornady IL spitzer flatbase.

Many thanks and best regards,
Expat

Terry's a friend of mine, but in my experience with several 99's in .300 he's way off-base.

Many thanks!

Wielands article was disappointing and misleading, probably the lightest weight article I've ever seen published by Handloader.

Yeah, I bought the mag mostly for that article and was less than impressed.

I was a bit taken aback as well. I used a .300 for my main deer rifle for nearly 15 years, and my standard load was either 748 or H335 with a 150 grain spritzer (used several brands) at 2550 fps from a 24 inch barrel. Groups were usually right around 1.5", sometimes a bit better. I never used 180s though, perhaps I would have had troubles with them.

On a related note, since .300 Savage shooters will be looking at this thread, has anyone tried IMR 8208 XBR in the .300? I've a lot of the powder, and have the itch to make some .300 Savage loads once again. But no one is shooting .300 data anymore, so info with newer powders is hard to get. Mr. Wieland got that one right!

I just ran the 180 grain Sierra boat tail Game King through the JBM stability calculator with a 12" twist specified. It was stable even at velocities well below those achievable with the 300 Savage.

Here in Eastern Montana, the 99 in .300 was a very popular cartridge/rifle combo up till about 40 years ago. I saw way more of them than bolt actions carried by the folks who hunted mule deer and whitetails on our farm/ranch. My dad had one, my two uncles each had one, and several friends/neighbors had them too. The bolt, usually in .270 or .30-06, started edging the 99s out by the late 1960s. My uncle used a .300 with an old K4 in "Montana Mounts" for over 30 years, and he thought it was an honest 300 yard deer gun, and I saw him back that up. He used 150 grain factory loads most of the time, and one time I teased him about not sighting in every year before season. A little while later we kicked up a jackrabbit and it stopped and hunkered down about 175 yards away. He said, "well, I better sight in if you're so worried about it" and proceeded to explode that rabbit with one shot. I never teased him about sighting in again!

Earleir this year, I loaded some 180 gr PP Partitions over Varget & 4064 to about 2300fps. Also shot a few factory Federal 180's. My takedown G 1899 shot all of them very well. I used Nosler's data.

Remington 150gr Is pretty consistent at 2650fps. I have shot 3 era's ammo out of two 24" 99's 2641fps has been the Average out of both. Fill the case with Varget under Hornady 150gr and you get 2600fps. 125gr Ballistic tips you can run up to 2950-3050fps depending on the powder you choose. Any Article That is not saying this is Not 300 Savage Competent

I have a 12 inch twist barrel on a 30/40 Krag. It shoots well with 200 grain spitzers and 220 RN bullets. Saying that the 12 twist won't stabilize 150 spitzers is hardly credible. GD

Heh. 180's don't stabilize? That's funny, right there.

This gun absolutely loves 180gr Partitions.

There was a 99 in .300 Sav. in a shop the other day for $399. and it was in good shape with the original steel butt plate and a receiver sight. It was D&T'd for scope bases.

The thought of should I start to sell my stuff and that made me leave it there. I didn't know they have a 1-12" twist. The 150's I have been using in .30" is the 155 VLD.

Here is one on GB and it's not as nice as the one here. It's up to $415 and the reserve has not beem met.

Savage 99, if you go to wikipedia article on the 300 Savage they note a couple of places with load data for that cartridge. I also believe if you go to the Hodgdon load data site, I believe they have data on it too. If anyone needs any, I have some 300Savage brass listed in the free adds section. Right now, I only have the 44 pieces of once fired, resized and primed, left.

I don't believe a 155 VLD will work too well when seated to suit a '99 magazine. It does work great when seated long for my 700 Classic.

That's why God invented the Barnes 130gr TTSX...

Those will get it done too.

I really like the cartridge.

I have 4 .300's at the moment, and I also thought the article was off base.

I've had excellent accuracy with pointed 150gr bullets, usually running 2600-2700fps. For the sake of the takedown 99 I keep loads mild. Usually either Varget or Reloader 15, which work well in many other rifles. It is a decisive deer killer.

If you chase bigger game than deer, and really worry about bullet length, you can always use the Speer Grand Slams, or other protected point bullets, in up to 180gr weights.

Many of the 99's will shoot very well with handloads, and 300 yards is well within their range capability.

I only have two model 99's in .300 so not a very big sampling.

One was made in 1941 and the other in 1953 and they both shoot pointed bullets very well. The newest one prefers 180 PSP bullets.

Both weights are loaded with Win. 748.

$399 for any 99 in good shape probably wouldn't stay in the shop if I ran across it. That's a 99R, and while it is extremely common in 300 Savage, $399 is cheap enough to have fun with and sell for a $50-$100 profit down the road. And if the receiver site was a Redfield 70LH, always a chance it was a 99RS.