I have a 1956 .250 Sav EG in great shape. Shooting Rem 100 gr. PSP Core Loks. I have yet to shoot any tight groups at 100 yds. Topped with a 9x scope. Are these shells producing good results for any collectors. Thoughts on better loads ??? Limited manufacturers out there for .250's

Factory ammunition has gotten better over the years but your results may differ.

Many of us SAVAGE SHOOTERS have resorted to hand-loading - reloading to get the results we're looking for in these older rifles to eliminate or at best reduce the variables in order to gain accuracy.

Not all .250s shoot MOA. What kind of groups are you actually getting?

I had an EG .250 that I couldn't get much below 2 moa.

I get around 3.5 to 4 in. groups. Not what I would expect...

If you reload, might want to try some 87gr Speer Hot Cores. Shorter, might be a stabilizing issue with the 100gr Remington length bullets.

There are as many opinions on this as there are fish in the ocean, but the fact is that many of the pre-mil 99s with a nominal 14" twist will not stabilize a bullet that long. Best bet IMHO is to switch to an 87 grain bullet.

My first suggestion is to remove the forearm and shoot it off the bench with a rest under the receiver. Lots of Savages have problems with uneven forearm pressure on the barrel.

I never shot much factory ammo in a .250 but the Winchesters did better than Remington when I did.

Therein lies your best bet for assured accuracy. The 100's are a crapshoot, and even the vaunted 100 grain CoreLoct is on the ragged edge of "maybe it'll work maybe it won't" in any given gun. The simple universal physical laws that govern this stuff can't be repudiated. Rate of twist, velocity, air temp, atmospheric pressure, humidity, elevation above sea level, etc. all have a say in the matter. You can dick around trying to make 100's work, and you may succeed, but if you have more important things to do with your life then just head straight to the 87 Speers. You won't gain a heckuva lot by using 100's over the 87's anyway.

I know the older 99's with a different twist were known to shoot the 87 gr bullets much better. Just thought the 100gr. were supposed to be better in the newer guns.

The twist didn't change to 1:10 until after the 1 million mark.

Which was 1960.

After checking the serial # again on ( savage levers site ) I found my Savage to be produced in 1950. I now need to be looking for some lighter bullets.
Any suggestions on where to buy factory suitable rounds as I don't reload..... Thanks

None of the big name manufacturers offer factory loads with lighter bullets anymore.

You'd either have to find NOS antique ammo, or find it from a botique manufacturer. BA has it in stock once in a blue moon.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/250-savage-ammo-250-3000-sava-amo250sav.html

Maybe now is the time to consider handloading......

That might depend on how many rounds you plan to shoot.

How true, but if proper new factory ammo is impossible to find (ie: they aren't making any 87 grain stuff anymore and likely won't ever), and what ammo is being made (ie: 100 grain stuff that may, or may as likely not, shoot ok in a pre-mil 99) it quickly becomes a matter of taking up handloading even if one is just an occasional shooter/hunter. The alternative is to haunt the gun shows and auction sites for old stocks of .250-3000 ammo, but you'll likely pay collector's prices for it*, and it may not work all that well anyway depending on how well it's been stored for decades. Even if a guy is rich and can afford to go that route with impunity he may well be kidding himself.

*Have you priced "vintage" ammo lately? It's all gone nuts, like everything else it seems.

You could try Hendetshots for custom loaded ammo, but it won't come cheap.

This is going to sound odd... but if you have Remington 100gr on hand that you want to shoot, you might try just filing the lead tip down a bit. Probably cut 3gr-5gr or so of weight off the bullet, but looking at a 250-3000 100gr Remington Kleanbore I think I could shorten it by 0.1".

That 0.1" might be enough to tighten up your groups.

I'd done the same thing by filing lead tips off of Nosler Partititons and watched the groups shrink tremendously.

Just a thought. Learning to reload is probably the best long term solution. Doesn't have to be an expensive start. I started with a Lee handloader, dies and scale for weighing powder. Nothing a competition shooter would want to do, but for loading up a couple boxes of ammo a month it was fine.

All true.
I do not reload. I will in year though...
I see a custom ammo niche developing.
Whether a large manufacturer, a hand loader or a custom loader, all need need brass, bullets, primer, powder, etc. which seem to be in short supply as well.

Fairly recently I went the Custom Ammo route. Found someone that did it. Paid the price. Couldn't be happier.
In parallel, I scrounged brass, bullets, dies and coerced a friend reloader nearby to assemble. Couldn't be happier.
I think I got 3 boxes of 87gr. at Savage Fest. Thanks Skidrow!
Couple more boxes on an on-line auction.

Fishing in many holes is good a strategy.

No, that's not odd at all.
What's odd is pulling 100gr bullets and installing Speer Hot Core 87gr!
I know this guy...

you might want to try "Custom Reloads of Dallas" Chad has the best reputation of any one I know. ph 972 478 1747, check him out on "texashuntingforum.com"

Lee loader?

Hand press. No need to mount to a table. Official name is "Breech Lock Hand Press Kit". $78 off of Amazon. Add in a scale to weigh powder charges, dies, and bullet/power/primers.

Probably take 8 boxes of ammo to pay it all off.

Cranked out a lot of ammo on one of those Lee hand presses when I was in my crappy little college apartment. Pinched the bejeezus out of my fingers more times than I'd care to admit, too 🤣

You will definitely gain an appreciation for compound leverage if you size many 06'+ class cases through one. They work great for smaller stuff, just takes a bit of getting used to not to spill powder while seating or get bullets started straight.

*added*
I still have it, but haven't used it in years. It had gotten pretty sloppy from FL sizing several years worth of .270 Win. Seeing that post sorta makes me want to crank out a few rounds with it for nostalgia.

Don't forget the Lee Loader too. My incessant banging away with one drove my Dad nuts so he broke down and got a loading press. The heckuvit is they make pretty darn good cartridges too.

Lee Loader, that's what I was trying to remember. I recall my dad using one to reload 25-20s. I was always nervous of all the hammering when I was a kid.

I gave my son my hand press. It is definitely not for full length sizing military brass. I'd think factory 250 cases would be fine. You'll need something for measuring powder, I've never used a dipper. By the time your done buying, a single stage, collet press kit makes better sense. Get your powder measure that way, and a powder funnel. I really like the Lee hand primer too. I use it even with my 4 hole turret press and auto prime.

I started on the Lee Classic Loader, but finding one in 250 Savage is probably not going to happen.

And totally agree the hand press is NOT for full length cartridges.. it's just not fun any more doing those. Words great for 250/300/243/308 tho.

Lee loader for the 250 l’ve got one I would part with. Shoot me a PM

Steve

Bought a Ruger Blackhawk .357 about 1969. Came with a Lee reloading set. I pounded just long enough to know that if I was going to reload it was going to be with something a lot better.

Actually we were all pretty dumb by pounding those buggers with a hammer. A vise works wonders, and better yet an arbor press. I saw where a guy made a crude arbor press out of a couple 2x4's and it worked pretty slick. There's guys who pay righteous dollars for custom straight line sizing and seating dies for perfectly straight precision ammo, used in arbor presses. The old Lee dies do the same thing. We had an advantage and didn't know it.

Ken Waters had good luck with 100 grain bullets in his 1 in 14" 250 Savage. I recently bought a 250 Savage with a 1 in 14" twist. I shot a little off my deck with 100 grain Hornady's. They seemed to shoot OK, but the weather is bad and the snow is deep. It will be a month or more before the range is assessable.

I had an EG in .250 once which shot 100 grain Speer flat base bullets into about one and a half inches with an over book max of 4895. Lost interest and sold it.

I think my buddy got a box of 100 gr Hornady's in a box lot. He loaded up 10 and they shot to the same point of aim at 50 yards as my 1950R shoots the 100 CL's. We haven't had time to move back to 100 with them. I trust that rifle to the point I have taken to shooting deer in the eye. I also shot pig in his little beady eye. That particular rifle has no problem ringing a gong at 250. I thought my field was 300 yards, but some questioned my hold over, and ballistics, and said something was off. So, I bought one of those wheels you roll along and it put my long table at 250 yards. So, my guesstamate was off buy 50. I have 300 87 gr Hot Cores, but I'm saving them for when the supply of 100 CL's dry up.

i have to keep looking for 87s my mid 50s 250 does the 100s ok but i am starting to run out of them.

norm

Which 100 grainers? Speer has the 100gr Hot Cors in stock now.

https://www.speer.com/bullets/rifle_bullets/hot-cor_rifle_bullet/19-1405.html

I'm getting ready to start my adventure of loading for my 250-3000. I've got a mixture of 87gr bullets and some older 100gr I was able to pick up from PHASMID here on the Fire that I will try. From what I've gathered here the Hot-Cors should be good to go, but I'll run them all through their paces.

I've got a variety of powders that I can use. Varget, 4166, H380. Anybody have suggestions as to which one to start with.

Here's looking forward to spring and some range time.

LHS

Of the 3 I'd use Varget first.

Reloder 15 has been the best in the .250 for me. Good velocity and no pressures signs.

10-4 on Lightfoots post. I've used alot of Varget and RL15 for both of my 99's and a Ruger M77 (bolt) in 250 Sav. Have heard of 4166 and H380 but no experience with them. Like Vargets and RL15's resistance to temperature swings, esp in cold weather. Both powders give me excellent accuracy. Use alot of IMR3031 also for the 250, excellent accuracy. Load only Hornady 75 grain V-Max and Speer 87 grain SP Hot Core's. Just getting into using a NOE 86 grain cast for plinking/target work.

I know a 87 Grain Speer SP over around 33 grains of Varget will drop a deer. Can't hunt em in Iowa with bottle neck rounds (only some selected straightwall rounds, shotgun slugs, and muzzleloaders/bow). Was out coyote hunting sometime back and ran across a banged up doe that was struggling, hit by vehicle more than likely. Called Game warden (knew him) and he advised to put her down as he was tied up across the county. Direct hit at around 50 yards and she dropped pretty fast. Too far gone to process. Other wildlife feasted on carcass for several days.

4166 is a Varget analog I'm told. Even more tolerant of temperature and supposedly less copper fouling. I snagged a bunch of it when my go to powder for my 7-08 was unobtainium.

I've seen Varget used in a bunch of calibers-testimony to it's broad spectrum of application.

Thanks for the input.

LHS

You're right LHS, I'm pretty set with powders I've used over the years I don't try or investigate alot of the newer ones on the market. Reading the info on Hodgens/IMR site it sounds like its a twin of Varget. Who knows, could be the same powder in different canisters. Alot of that has happened over the years, esp since Hodgon has taken over many of the different powder companies. Winchester 231 and Hodgen HP38 is one that comes to mind-same powder, different canister, few others I know of also.

Looking back at notes, my previous 250 (Ruger 77) was partial to 748 Win and Varget.

My current 99 shoots Accurate 4064, IMR 3031, and H4895 well. I've got some Accurate 2495 test loads cooked up, but I haven't tried them yet.

I've had several .250s, but all were bolt-actions. I never found a better powder than H4895 with either 87 gr. or 100 gr. bullets.

I've loaded both 4895's (IMR and Hodgdon), really had no problem with them, but found the sweet spot with my three 250's with Varget, RL15, and 3031 and stayed with them.

My current fave is the 87 grain Speer pushed by 35.0 grains CFE-223. Not a hot load, approximately 40K CUP, but it registers 3000fps on the bean out of my 22" barreled Ruger #1, and delivers sub-MOA accuracy. Just what a .250-3000 is supposed to do. It is a load I worked up for my last M1899 (cunningly accurate, it was, with that load) because I have a mountain of those bullets, and a stupid amount of that powder left behind when I rid myself of the AR-15. Fortunately that powder turned out to work a treat in the .250 also. It works great with the Sierra 87 spitzers too, as well as the Nosler 100 Ballistic Tips (its Douglas barrel has a 1-10" twist, and even handles 117's pretty well too, but what's the point with bullets heavier than 87 grains anyway?). The big jug of Reloader-15 that was my previous go-to in years gone by has gotten about a 1/4" of dust on it now since I switched to CFE-223. (And it lives up to it's name: copper fouling is nil when it's used.)

Nothing against the 87, but the 100 grain ones work real nice too. Pigs don't like either one.

The .250 IMO shines as a speedster. When called upon to sling heavies there's better .25's and 6.5's for that. But, I shan't get into a pissing match over 13 grains of bullet weight!😇🤗

Let us know hot the 100gr Hornandy's work when you get a chance to sling a few more!