So...was wondering this the other day...Lets say we have two like condition model EG's both made in 1940...both being pretty nice guns with no additional holes, original butt plates, original sight, no reblues...basically used, but not abused. One is chambered in.303 Savage and the other in .300 Savage. Does the caliber on these effect the value these days or is it pretty much even? Personally, I would think the .300 Savage would be worth more being the ammo is still fairly easy to come by. The .303 Savage has to be hand-loaded for and that might be a turn off for a lot of guys.

Any thoughts are appreciated!

I would think of it from a collectability point of view. Which one is more desirable due to rarity? 303.

99shooter,,

My GUESS is that the .300SAV will sell for considerably more, unless you are selling to a person who wants a .303 for his collection.

yours, tex

I saw a spreadsheet that fellow keeps up. It had 124 EGs in it - 88 were 300 Savage, 2 were 303 Savage, 1 was 30-30 Win. Given an opportunity as a collector, my money would be on the 303 or 30-30 EG ... unless a very rare 22HP showed up.

303 Savage ammo is being manufactured, but you would likely need to go on the internet to find some.

I bought a couple boxes from Grafs, think it was less than $30, that's what I will be hunting with in a few days. I also picked up a box of 190's at a gun show for $30.

EG .303 hands down.

Yes sir.

1940 is pretty close to the end of 30-30's run in 99s

"... used, but not abused."

Totally depends on why they are buying. Everyone that wants a 99 should be able to locate a (one) .300 EG in the price range and condition they want. I think few hunters would take a .303 or .30-30 over the .300 to hunt with.

Collectors/accumulators looking for something other than a .300 will generally have to pay more for a .303 or .30-30 because there were fewer made over a shorter period of years.

To the collector/shooter I'd say the .303. To the shooter/collector I'd say the .300. It depends on what priority comes first for you; collecting or shooting. But if I was the former I'd argue I was the latter as 303 ammo is much harder to find than 300. That's how I look at the world of firearms wheeling and dealing.

No difficult decision here. Do as all Savage 99 shooters/collectors do. Save the decision stress and buy one of each, or several of each. GW

EGs in 300 are like dirt , they are everwhere.

I'd reach deeper in my pocket for a 303 EG


Mike

I can dig it!

To All,

TRUTH is that the .303 will do NOTHING that a .30-30 won't if loaded with a heavier bullet.

Otoh, the .300SAV is nearly equal (and the "father" of the .308WCF) to the 7.62NATO & when loaded with anear max load & a 150 grain bullet, nearly equal to the .30-06.


yours, tex

300: more practical

303: more cooler.

This.

Seems to me 303's are cheaper than 30-30's due to ammo availability. But I like 303's for three reasons: It is the original 1895/1899 caliber, it seems I can find them cheaper due to the scarcity of ammo (no worry since I reload), and the 303 cartridges seem to slide into the magazine a lot easier than the 300's do. Must be because the 99's were designed for rimmed cases originally? For Wyoming hunting though, the 300 is the choice for me, for the greater range. But I'm still playing with the Leverevolution loads in 303! Nothing beats the cool of the early 1899's to me.

Now with the computer I can get 303 ammo easier than 300 or 30-30. All I do is click on "add to cart", and in 2 days it's on my front porch. 30-30 I have to get up and go to Walmart, and 300 I have to go to my LGS. Actually I can get them all with a click on the mouse. Grafs has 303 for about 10 bucks a box cheaper than my LGS has 300. I might use the "I can't get ammo for it" ploy if I'm trying to get the price down on a rifle. I also picked up a box of 190 gr 303 Silver Tips last year for $20. All my friends know to keep an eye out for any Savage ammo for me. My hunting buddy tossed me a box of 180 gr Rem 300's he got at a show in NC. He said the guy said he didn't want to take them home, sold 5 bucks.

As to the original question, two 1940 EG's, in the same condition? Easy Peasy, both.

From a practical standpoint, I like the .303 (and .30-30) much better than the .300. That's due to my predilection for shooting cast bullets in .30 rifles- the "original Silvertips". That short neck on the .300 has vexed cast bullet guys since Day One.

gnoahhh,

Actually, I've had ZERO difficulty with GCCB up to 152 grains in my .300SAV. = It does FINE.

yours, tex

the 303 savage is worth a lot more in value, but if your not a handloader a 300 savage for hunting would be a better choice ,but I agree with one of these other posts buy both I have !

All of my "serious" .30 molds are 180 grains and heavier and therein lies the rub. With so much of the bullet dangling down in the powder space is where the issues lie, though admittedly minor in nature. (Such things as bullet lube contaminating powder, "sand blasting" effect of the hot powder gases on the soft lead before the bullet starts to move out of the way, the risk of the gas check falling off and into the powder, etc.) There are molds on the market intended to circumvent the issue with short bodies that are contained within the short case neck and long bore riding noses, but they require attention to detail to work properly- the bore riding noses must just barely perceptibly be engraved by the lands so as to be guided straight up the barrel and the short body must closely fit the throat, which dimensions can change from gun to gun. With a large number of .30 rifles I can cast for, and only one of which being a .300 Savage, I'm not inclined to invest in special molds for just that one gun.

When deer hunting with cast .30 bullets, weight is needed to provide the energy for clean kills. The limiting factor is bullet alloy hardness: that which is soft enough to mushroom reliably isn't hard enough to drive much past 2000fps (with accuracy and lack of leading in the barrel). Ergo, to get the 'oomph' one needs to go heavy. (The alloy/velocity thing isn't determined by weight, it's the same if the bullet weighs 100 grains or 200 grains.) While some will argue the killing properties of 140-150 grain .30 cast bullets, I personally don't have that faith. For me a .30 flat nosed design weighing from 190 grains to 220 grains is where it's at if driven at .303/.30-30 velocities- and that is where the .300 Savage falls when the above mentioned limiting parameters for game bullets are adhered to.

I tried to get my best molds to work for the .300, and got fairly decent accuracy in a couple instances but not enough to choose pursuing the "X Factor" with cast bullet accuracy with that gun.

I too think the 303 is a "Jim Dandy" cast bullet cartridge and I'll even go as far as to give it a nod or two over the 30-30 due to its longer neck. If I seriously started pursuing prewar guns I think I'd focus on the 303 alone. But to me "300" and "Savage" pretty much sum up the 99. The 300 may be a bit too ubiquitous for many, especially in the EG, but it is an icon of American firearms history and I never heard anyone complain about over saturation of that other American icon of firearms, the 94 Winchester (well maybe except for the post-64 guns). To me, Savage 99 and the 300 go together like day and night, flapjacks and maple syrup, Barbara and Feldon (the other classic 99), and Kentucky and Long Rifles. The 300 is the classic 99 and I'd be more than happy taking one of those old "mater stakes" off anyone's hands who may find it a bit too pedestrian for their needs.

30 WCF is one of the 'original' cartridges......

I can't argue your logic of the 300 and Savage, but for me, it's the 250 and 99 that go hand and hand. But, now I'm getting off topic.

I'm on board with what S99VG said.

Forget value, if you are a hunter the 300 Savage wins hands down! I have killed Michigan white tail deer for 30 years and the 300 Savage is the boss king!

Eh, I suspect a little bias with a handle like yours 😁

PS - though I do agree 110%!

My experience is that I killed an elk with a 300 at 200 yards and another one at 120 with a 303. I wouldn't have attempted the 200 yd shot with the 303. I also addressed this distance thing in my post that started out with me killing an antelope with a 257 Weatherby at 400 yds.