Picked up a Super High-Tech weapon, 1st rifle to shoot 3000fps! >>>

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ThomasH

New member
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Well, the first commercial rifle to shoot at 3000 fps. :) And to do it, Savage changed the bullet weight from the designer recommended 100 grain, to 80 grains.

Here is my recent acquisition, a Savage Model 99G (takedown) in .250-3000.


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This is one of those nostalgia purchases, I used to hunt woodchucks and deer with my Dad, using my Mom's Savage 99G in .250-3000. He hand-loaded low weight, fast bullet loads for woodchucking and heavier, slower bullet loads for the deer. Shot a few woodchucks but never shot at a deer with Mom's gun.

I asked Mom if I could borrow her old 99, since she wasn't shooting it anymore, but she wouldn't hear of it! :D So, what they heck, I bought my own.


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This one is very original which is nice, and hard to find. 24" barrel, with no holes drilled for scope mounts or peep sights, no rubber stock pads added and no infamous crack at the tang.

I was also pleasantly surprised how easy new ammo is to find, although some of it is from commercial reloaders like Ventura Munitions and Buffalo Arms. But Remington is still loading their versatile 100 grain Pointed Soft-Points!


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And the 3480XX serial number indicates this rifle was manufactured in 1935. Not bad for 77 years old!!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I plan on shooting it after work tomorrow, and I'll let you all know how it goes.

- Thomas
 
I was also pleasantly surprised how easy new ammo is to find, although some of it is from commercial reloaders like Ventura Munitions and Buffalo Arms. But Remington is still loading their versatile 100 grain Pointed Soft-Points!
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You're lucky you bought your 99 at this time of year. The 250 Savage is a "seasonal production" item, and apparently they produce it for deer season. I was looking for some 250 Savage about 6 months ago and could not find any, and then last week I was in the local warehouse sporting goods store and there it was in brand new shiny boxes!

Very nice 99, BTW. Like you, the 250 Savage has special memories for me: my Dad hunted for years with a 99 in 250 Savage he bought when he got out of the service in 1945. He only moved up to a new riffle when he was 76 and could no longer see the sights to make clean shots (I bought him a Rem 700 in 243 to replace it).
 
Wonderful isn't it? I am happy for you! Those firearms from our youth bring a sense of nostalgia that makes holding them all the sweeter. Neat cartridge too.

Thanks for sharing your story, it brings a smile to my face.
 
Ouch! That did it. Going shopping this weekend. I know where to find a .300 and a .243 chambering. I guess it's time to put on the thinking cap. Anybody notice a difference in accuracy? I've only ever shot the .300. It did well, like most Savages I guess. I think these came out before NM was a state. That makes it cowboy enough for me!
 
Got to shoot it tonight, nothing to write home about!

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I had to zoom home after work and throw all the gun stuff in the truck and then zoom back out to the range.

Heavy overcast, it was pretty dark, so I set the target at 50 yards. Shot off a bench, but I forgot my sand-bag bag so I was shooting off a wooden rest with a piece of old carpet on it.

I only got to shoot 4 groups of 5 shots before it got much darker and started drizzling.

I shot a 5 shot group of the Remington 100 grain Pointed Soft Points and they were shooting quite high.

Then I switched to the Bitterroot Valley 120 grain Grand Slam loads, and the groups were terrible! When I checked them through the spotting scope they were all "keyholing"! In fact most of the bullets went through the target perfectly sideways - you could see the shape of the jacketed bullet perfectly in the paper! Oh poop! Now I have 30 rounds left of those, that are useless...

But then I shot my final 5 shot group of the Remington 100 grain PSP, and while it's nothing to write home about, it wasn't bad. I really have to get used to the "buckhorn" open sights, or try to find one of the peep sights or scope mounts that attach to the existing screws in the tang.


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Maybe I'll go back out in the morning and try again, although I HAVE to mow my lawn soon, before my neighbors shoot ME, and then I have a doctor's appointment in the early afternoon.

Next week I should get some Buffalo Arms 75 grain 3200 fps loads, and we'll see how they shoot. Woohoo!

- Thomas
 
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I am not sure the .22 Hi-Power was ever factory loaded above 3000 fps, but, be that as it may, the .250 Savage is an excellent cartridge and, as with some other Savage products, was way ahead of its time when it was introduced. And, the Model 99 is a fine classic. ThomasH, the group you show has vertical stringing, which may be related to the way you rested the rifle at the bench. Lever actions, and other rifles with stocks that are two pieces of wood, are sensitive to where the front rest supports the rifle. Often, such a rifle will do best when rested near the rear of the foreend, almost to the front of the receiver. I had a Winchester Model 94 which liked to rest on the front of the receiver. I never had a Model 99, so can't say for sure, but some experimentation here might be good. I think you will get better groups as you shoot more.
 
The .22 Savage HiPower was the first 3,000+ centerfire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5.6×52mmR
Phil Sharpe shows a load with a 40-grain bullet and a bunch of 2400 at near 4,000 ft/sec.
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Sorry, the honor of first factory loading over 3,000 fps belongs to the 250 Savage. Savage offered the ammunition loaded with the 75 gr .228" bullet. Sure, handloaders have been hotrodding it ever since, but it truly was not a spectacular performer, only about 2,700 fps due to the lower pressure required for the Savage 99.
 
ThomasH, the group you show has vertical stringing, which may be related to the way you rested the rifle at the bench. Lever actions, and other rifles with stocks that are two pieces of wood, are sensitive to where the front rest supports the rifle. Often, such a rifle will do best when rested near the rear of the foreend, almost to the front of the receiver. I had a Winchester Model 94 which liked to rest on the front of the receiver. I never had a Model 99, so can't say for sure, but some experimentation here might be good. I think you will get better groups as you shoot more.
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Thank you for the advice McShooty! I will definitely experiment with this next time out.

- Thomas
 
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