303 Savage

remrug · Jun 17, 2020

A friend has a chance to buy a 303 savage and asked me to teach him to hand load.I researched it some and it seems like brass may be hard to find at times.Factory rounds are hard to find and off the chart expensive.Should I sway him to buy a different rifle in another caliber?

He owns one other rifle in 338 something and he wants a less recoiling cal for deer hunting.

Steel Hunter · Jun 17, 2020

I wouldn't ever choose an uncommon caliber due to availability issues.

.308 or .243 are both adequate rounds for deer. Throw a compensator on and both are easy enough on the shoulder.

chooks9 · Jun 17, 2020

.303 Savage is a decent deer round, but very obsolete. I don’t think anyone has made a rifle in that round since the Truman administration.

Do they have a Savage Model 99 by chance?

remrug · Jun 17, 2020

chooks9 said:
.

Do they have a Savage Model 99 by chance?

Yup,a 99 and a very reasonable price tag

Squaregrouper · Jun 17, 2020

remrug said:
Yup,a 99 and a very reasonable price tag

I have a 99 in .303 Savage and I load for it. It is a fun round. Finding brass is the tricky part. Once a year or so, PPU does a run of brass.
If reloading is not in the picture, .303 savage is a hard pass.
https://www.buffaloarms.com/303-savage-cases-by-prvi-partizan-303sav2
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/75913

rseymorejr · Jun 17, 2020

If it was me I'd go ahead and get it. I sort like oddballs.
A quick search shows Midway has brass .50 a piece and loaded ammo on Ammo seek for about $2.00/round

I was in the same boat when I bought a 30-40 Krag, I've never shot anything through it that I hadn't loaded myself

Uncle Duke · Jun 17, 2020

Nobody buys a 99 in .303 Savage today because it'll do anything that other cartridges can't.

But if you want a Model 99? In 303 Savage? Cuz history? Cuz you like the rifle? Cuz nostalgia? Just because?

Then hell yeah! Lay in a good supply of brass and a set of dies, and have some fun extending the life of an older rifle and cartridge combo. Kill a few deer with it while you're at it!

Jimbob2.0 · Jun 17, 2020

.303 is a fine cartridge very manageable recoil. If you can get a nice unmolested Savage 99 at a fair price grab it though your friend may want to buy something else for regular hunting, even if its just a basic .308 bolt action.

Will require hand loading or purchases through a obsolete ammo manufacturer like Buffalo Arms. https://www.buffaloarms.com/303-savage-hornady-ammo-150-grain-rnsp-box-of-20-hor80495

K-43 · Jun 17, 2020

PRVI and Petersons makes 303 Savage brass and all of the big name online retailers sell it at reasonable prices.
Check out Midway, Graf's, Powder Valley. Some of what was oddball and difficult to get in past decades is not so hard to find today.
There's no need to avoid it. Google and you'd never guess it's an odd, obsolete cartridge from the plethora of fans.
You can use any .308 bullet you can feed from the magazine of a 99.
The Lyman and Lee books as well as Pet Loads have data with common bullets and powders.
https://www.handloadermagazine.com/303-savage
https://www.chuckhawks.com/303_savage.htm
Hodgdon only has W748 data for some odd reason.
www.loaddata.com and www.ammoguide.com are pay sites with data from published sources.

remrug · Jun 18, 2020

Thanks for the info guys.Looks like the brass isnt as hard to find as I thought it would be.Im sure he will be buying the rifle now

Squaregrouper · Jun 18, 2020

remrug said:
Thanks for the info guys.Looks like the brass isnt as hard to find as I thought it would be.Im sure he will be buying the rifle now

Get the brass ASAP. It comes in waves- lots for a few weeks then MIA for 6-8 months. (This was my experience 7-8yrs ago- haven't shopped for it since)

remrug · Jun 18, 2020

squaregrouper said:
Get the brass ASAP. It comes in waves- lots for a few weeks then MIA for 6-8 months. (This was my experience 7-8yrs ago- haven't shopped for it since)

Gotcha
Thanks!!!

6Den · Jun 18, 2020

I have a small collection of vintage ammo boxes, some with live ammo. I happen to have a box of Savage .303Sav with the Indian head. It may have a couple fired brass cases but the rest are live. I own an M99 but in .300Sav. If you guys with M99s in .303 would like to have it to go with your rifle, make me an offer. I’m open to most anything. I’m just nostalgic and believe some things just belong together.

remrug · Jun 19, 2020

6Den said:
I have a small collection of vintage ammo boxes, some with live ammo. I happen to have a box of Savage .303Sav with the Indian head. It may have a couple fired brass cases but the rest are live. I own an M99 but in .300Sav. If you guys with M99s in .303 would like to have it to go with your rifle, make me an offer. I’m open to most anything. I’m just nostalgic and believe some things just belong together.

My friend doesnt have the rifle yet.The guy who owns it now,says the last time he tried to shoot it ,the gun misfired.He has the dud cartridge and says it seems it had a good firing pin strike.I want to disassemble that round to see if the powder has spoiled.If that looks good,I will pull another bullet and see if the primer goes off.If its a firing pin problem,my friend might pass on the deal.

If all works out,I will ask my friend what he is willing to pay and I will see if you still have some available.
Thanks!!!!

remrug · Jun 20, 2020

6Den said:
I have a small collection of vintage ammo boxes, some with live ammo. I happen to have a box of Savage .303Sav with the Indian head. It may have a couple fired brass cases but the rest are live. I own an M99 but in .300Sav. If you guys with M99s in .303 would like to have it to go with your rifle, make me an offer. I’m open to most anything. I’m just nostalgic and believe some things just belong together.

PM sent

remrug · Jun 30, 2020

I have only loaded for bolt action rifles and never messed with crimping.Since my friend's rifle has a rotary magazine and not a tube,I can forgo crimping these hand loads also......correct?

ps....I want to give 6Den some props.He has helped me out a lot!!!

6Den · Jun 30, 2020

Thanks, remrug, it was my pleasure. I don’t crimp for my Savage rotary.

303 Savage

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