300 savage why no love?

4

458winshooter

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I bought a fine old model 99 savage in 300 savage, recently and in doing some research on it I was somewhat dumbstruck by the fact that almost nobody has mentioned the fact that this year the 300 savage celebrates its centennial. Designed in 1920 it was first chambered in 1921 as far as I can tell. This is a very fine cartridge that should be more popular than it is. It is nearly the equal to the 308 Winchester within 100 to 150 FPS yet is more compact and does so with even less recoil. Modern powders have improved the performance of this little gem to put it on par with a 308 factory loads but alas those same powders do keep the 308 out front just a little if you handload. If the so called dating app is correct my new baby was minted in 1926. I’ve always had a thing for older women! It also has the distinction of being the basis for 308. So what do you think, should the gun rags get on the ball here and show some love or am I going to have to try this on for myself?
 
No love? Where I come from, it is still a popular hunting round. It is the base cartridge for the 308. But don't worry. If others don't want it, just more ammo for you.
 
For the better part of the last century, the 300 Savage was a well-loved and well-thought of cartridge. It was chambered in Savage sporting rifles including the 99, Reminton 721 and 722s, Winchester 54s, and several others. It stood the test of time. As new cartridges hit the shelves, manufacturers other than Savage dropped it in favor of the 308 family of cartridges. When Savage redesigned the 99 for the 308 family of cartridges, it was the end of the line for the old cartridge, but it is still respected and admired. Lots of love out there for it!
 
300 savages were made only in the 722, not the 721,s(long action) i had three. two remington 722,s and classic remington 700, i sold one of the 722,s to a good friend. loaded to near the top for a bolt action it will come close to a .308.
 
It might be a mistake to confuse love with popularity. They aren't quite the same.
My perception is folks who have a Sav 99 in 300 Savage love them.

There are not a lot of them available. I'm sure you would have no problem selling yours.

But side by side,the new gun buyer has a lot of valid reason to choose the 308.

Availability,for one.

I have a Remington Model 81 semi-auto in 300 Savage,. Its IMO,the best cartridge that rifle was made in.
 
No love

Thank you for all the responses but what I'm getting at is the 100th birthday and no fanfare. It should have gotten some attention from the gun mags. It deserves better. It was also chambered in Remington's 81 semi auto.
 
Wayne Van Zwoll did a article in Guns magazine in June, other then that, nothing.
People that have and use one, love them. To most people it's another old cartridge.
Which is sad, the Savages, and Remingtons are great classic hunting guns.
Head and shoulders above a 30-30, not far behind a 308.
 
The 300 Savage is not a magnum. All it does is kill stuff with goof bullet's. American's are overall not hunter's, they are shooter's. Read what most write when asking about cartridges. Theyu all need something good to 400 or 500 yds, even if they don't have the skill. I'd bet a 300 Savage shot well placed at 500 yds will kill pretty much anything.
 
You’re right, it deserves more attention. It’s probably the perfect hunting cartridge. Good to 350 yards for anything up to and including elk. Low recoil. Twist rates in most rifles can run 125 gr to 180 gr bullets for a wide variety of applications. Short actions. It really does most things well.
Plus it frequently comes in one of the best hunting rifles ever made: the Savage 99.


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I'm still wondering why the .250 Savage has all but disappeared... There's a lot of good rounds that seem to fade away for no good reason.

Tony
 
It's not really a good reason; the 250 Savage is just as good as it always was. But the quarter bores, with the exception of the 257 "Roy", have been pretty much pushed aside by the 243 Winchester. I'm a fan of the 257 Roberts (folks get testy when you call it "Bob"), but maybe I should strike a blow for the 250 Savage and buy one!
 
A 99 is on my short list, would be quite happy with either a .250 or a .300 Savage.
A takedown model would be icing on the cake.

Would have to be a giveaway price wise, tho. So many guns, so little time.

I have my hunting needs very well covered now.
 
Folks look for good cartridges to use in a little Howa bolt action. I don't know for sure a 250 Savage would fit the mag box,but if it will,Why not?

The 250 Savage is one of the cartridges that responds well to the AI treatment,if a person was into that.

They put slow twist for light bullets in the older Savage 99 rifles.They don't do well with over 100 gr bullets....Except now you know why there was a 117 gr Round nose.Those are shorter and may stabilize.
But use a 1 in 10 barrel and the 115 gr Nosler Ballistic tip is a good bullet.

BC is .435 Its killed well for me out of my 257R AI.

I have never owned a 250, but IMO,it would make a sweet deer rifle inside 300 yds.
 
Ricklin said:
A 99 is on my short list, would be quite happy with either a .250 or a .300 Savage.
Click to expand...

I had a dandy of a specimen of a Savage 99A Brush Gun in .358 Win. Super nice rifle, but I hated the trigger, and it killed a lot of scopes. Recoil was pretty snappy but not unbearable. I sold it because I'm not a collector, and wanted a rifle I'd actually hunt with.

Oh yeah, my daughter has a pretty nice 700 Classic in .300 Savage she's used quite often to the demise of deer, pronghorn, and coyote.
 
But the quarter bores, with the exception of the 257 "Roy", have been pretty much pushed aside by the 243 Winchester.
Click to expand...

I have a .243 Win, and a 6mm Rem, and a .25-06, and trust me, the .243 will not do what the .25-06 can do!

What is this .257 "Roy" you speak of? Roy Weatherby could have named it the .257 Roy,...he did not. Its the .257 Weatherby.

I'm a fan of the 257 Roberts (folks get testy when you call it "Bob"),
Click to expand...

Folks get testy with calling it .257 "Bob" because that's even dumber and less respectful than calling a Weatherby a "Roy". Roy, at least was part of his name.
Bob never was.

The fellow who designed the .257 Roberts was Ned Roberts. Not Robert, not Bob, but Roberts (with an "s"). Its a family name and cannot be shortened to "bob" (unlike a first name) without flunking basic grade school English grammar.

To me, it doesn't make you look cute, it just makes you look ignorant at best or perhaps, willfully stupid. And I doubt I'm the only one.
 
Frankfort arsenal bought a few thousand 300 Savage cases from Winchester to help develop the 30 caliber service cartridge that replaced the 30-06.

Then Winchester introduced a commercial version that was more accurate than the 30-06.
 
I settled for a .25-06 when I really wanted a .250 Savage. Now money and space in the gun safe are both too low to go looking for one more rifle...

Adding another gun to my safe would mean I got it for a killer good price or as a gift. I don't expect either to happen...

Tony
 
44AMP, your reverence is touching. But I actually load for and shoot a 257 Roberts, Bob, or whatever you may call it. That's one more guy keeping it alive and shootin'. I'm much too old to be concerned with insults and name calling, especially on line.
 
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