Doing it out of necessity, but i do have some caliber specific questions, .303 savage.

Ive got reload data, powder, bullets and about 100 empty cases.

Id like to try spitzer bullets instead of the round, or flat nosed factory offerings. Off the top of my head, OAL is like 2.525, and case length is somewhere around 2.015. I cannot exceed the OAL or the rounds will not load/cycle properly.

Could i seat the spitzer bullets a little deeper in order to achieve OAL? will there be issues with headspace? Will the gun go boom out the wrong end?

What rifle are you loading for?

Savage 99G

I don't see any issues with the spitzers with the rotatory magazine.

The 303 case head spaces on the rim.

The spitzer/rotary mag thing seems to be the issue. Apparently the use of spitzer rounds creates an OAL that is just a tad too long for the rotary mag, the rounds get all hung up, the spindle cant rotate and it creates a mess. This is why im wondering if a simple solution to a headache i havent experienced yet is to seat the spitzer rounds a little deeper, in an effort to keep the rotary mag happy.

The spitzer/rotary mag thing seems to be the issue. Apparently the use of spitzer rounds creates an OAL that is just a tad too long for the rotary mag, the rounds get all hung up, the spindle cant rotate and it creates a mess. This is why im wondering if a simple solution to a headache i havent experienced yet is to seat the spitzer rounds a little deeper, in an effort to keep the rotary mag happy.

I found this on another forum, to help give some insight on the 99's spitzer troubles.


" I can provide a reason for the round-nose bullet - shorter bullet nose length. The Savage 99 magazine is very sensitive to cartridge overall length, and will jam if the cartridge is even slightly longer than standard . If the cartridge is loaded with heavier spitzer-type bullets, the intersection of the bullet’s ogive and the cylindrical body will be below the case mouth at the maximum cartridge OAL. I have found that about the heaviest spitzer bullet I can use in reloading for the .303 Savage is 130 grains for that reason, and I usually use 125 grain or 110 grain spitzer bullets when I don’t use 150 or 170 grain RN bullets as used in the .30-30. Within the useful hunting range of the .303 Savage, a round-nose bullet is fully adequate. The original .303 Savage load using the 190 grain RN bullet had a well-founded reputation in its day for its penetrating capabilities on large game. Otherwise, it’s the ballistic twin of the .30-30."

In general, seating deeper is not an issue so long as you don't run out of bullet body.

I only use loading manual or SAAMI seating depth as a starting point not gospel, adjust as needed for individual firearm feed/function.

I ran into this when I started reloading for a premil 99F in .308 using 150 gr. Sierra bullets. The rifle had functioned flawlessly with factory ammo, but with my reload at 2.800" OAL they jammed up. The problem wasn't immediately visible so I spent some fruitless time adjusting the magazine spring before I discovered the problem. Seated to 2.750" worked just fine.

Headspace has to do with how the brass fits the chamber. Bullet seating doesn't affect that.

Just want to be sure the bullet isnt going to skip a short distance down the chamber before being engaged by the rifling.

The bullet will. It usually should. Don't worry about it.

First off, with the kind of use a .303 Savage gets put to, the old standby RN and FN bullets intended for .30-30 use are all any sane man would want or need. There is nothing to be gained ballistically with spitzers inside of 150-200 yards. In fact with some premium spitzers intended for use primarily in hot shot .30's you would be hindering yourself by using them- unless of course all you intend is to punch paper. Trust me when I tell you that there are many more issues to solve in this man's world than trying to get spitzers to work in a gun that doesn't require them.

That is a cartridge, not a caliber. The caliber would be .308