The Old 99 .300 For Opener....

The 99's in the truck and ready for tomorrow. I just like that rifle and am curious as to how well it'll untrack them. It shoots pretty fair at 200 yards and I figure it should work just fine if I can get a decent shot at anything out to at least that distance. Will be using Federal Classic 150 grain loads since I zeroed it with that a year ago and haven't changed zero since. Do wish that I'd chronographed these for speed just to know what it's doing. Shot a couple of milder handloads through it at the range last week and it did just what it did last year with them. Either of them would be usable at 100 yards with no adjustment. And one combo is only a tiny bit low at 200 but still centered for windage. May end up using another rifle before all is said and done this season, but the .300 gets another opening day chance again.AW

Adobe...
Relax Dude, the rifle and cartridge are great. It's my wifes rifle of choice and she has killed a boat load of deer, turkey, and hogs with her's.



It's a 1938 Takedown. The barrel has been cut down to 18.5" to balance the rifle after the hand oiled stock was fitted to her small frame. The barrel was also Mag-N-Ported and all the metal Parkerized. It is a sweet shooter with just about any load. The handloads I produce for her push a 150-grain Hornady BTSP at 2575 FPS.

Good hunting!

Can I have one too?

NH_Hunter

My 99 has the brass rotor. It was made in the early 50's according to serial numbers. It wears an old Weaver K4 in/on Weaver rings and bases. As for the POI on the Federal 150's; it was zeroed at 200 with them a year ago.  I intended to confirm the zero again this year, but goofed and left them at home. My Hornady 150 spire point handloads being a bit more sedate, are printing as they were last year which was just a tiny bit below the Federal loads. (still in the black on a 100 yard bull at 200) My latest handload with the Sierra 150 RN is really low at 200 but is "headshot" on at 100.(three for three in the small diamond on a Redfield target at 100) That RN obviously has a lot of drag in the second 100 yards of travel. If I  had a more refined version of the RN load, I might lean towards it a bit more even for ranges up to 200 yards. I think that bullet might be a "sleeper" for the .300 Savage cartridge, as it came highly recommended from a Sierra tech for .300 Savage speeds. Anyhoo, I went to the woods this AM and saw nothing but a squirrel and some dogs attempting to chase up some squirrels or rabbits in the brush. Heard about 20 shots by 7:30 but all were some distance from me on other properties. Some of it sounded like "buck fever" given the cadence of two or three strings. Deer probably are holding tight unless stepped on is my guess. Might be a good day to hunt mid-day between 10:00 and 2:00. Going to load the chainsaw and tools and go back after breakfast. If I can't eat meat I might as well get some wood while I'm out and about today.AW

Forgot to mention it, but I have a left handed female friend that lives in the foothills that has a chopped 99 tang safety version in .250-3000. She has whacked lion, bear, and deer with that little peashooter. I think at least one elk fell to it as well in either her hands or another family member. I don't consider the .250 to be quite enough cartridge for some of the tasks she has put it to, but the critters obviously didn't get the memo and expired without incident. For deer and varmints around the ranch and farm  the .250 works pretty slick. I think bear and elk are stretching it somewhat. It's too bad she can't find a companion 99 in  .308 or .300 to compliment it.AW

Well Ranch dog, whichever you think is more suitable would be fine by me. Adobe, too bad you didnt have any luck with the .300 Savvy in the regular season. Last year my dad had to shoot two shots behind the shoulder to knock over a 200 lb. boar with his. He shoots the Remington 150 gr. Core-Lokt. He is one of those light bullet fans it seems. It took me a while to convince him to use 180's in his .300 Winnie for elk. And you know what, he shot it right behind the shoulder and it went 30 feet and dropped. Blood trail was 2 to 3 feet wide. After this you would think he would listen to me more often.

NH_Hunter

My Dad was born in 1922, about the same time the 300 Savage was released.  He hunted everything western Wyoming offered with his featherweight 99 Savage.  Moose,elk, blackies, mulies, and 'lopes fell to his 300 and plain vanilla factory ammo. 

Amazingly, his favorite elk ammo featured Remington's round nose 180 gr. soft nose.  Dad always said it opened up fast like a 150 gr pointed bullet but had the  weight and momentum to break bones for deep penetration. 

Dad no longer hunts.  His incurable congestive heart condition has taken away his strength.  He told me last month he was waiting for the angel of death to take him away.  I think we will bury Dad's 300 with him.  It will never be mine, I'll always think of it as Dad's rifle.  My brother feels the same way.  We don't want a stranger to have it either.  I know this is irrational but that's the way it is sometimes.

But I'm glad the 300 Savage cartridge lives on in older rifles and Remington's new Classic edition. 

TR 

Back in about 1995 the Farmer's Cooperative was going to discontinue selling ammo. The manager remembered me buying some type of Savage round, it was 300 Savage, so he gave me 10 boxes of Remington 250 Savage ammo! I've looked high and low for a rifle but last year ran arcoss a young lady that hunted with one. I gave her all 10 boxes and it really made her hunting season.

Teddy,

I think the old heavy weight Round Nose soft point bullets in the vintage loads were far more effective on heavy game than a lot of us younger guys that were raised in the high speed everything era would at first glance believe. If it'll penetrate and expand, it doesn't matter much how fast it was traveling through the animal.AW 

I just re-read your post about your Dad again. He was of the same generation as my Dad.(only a year difference). My Dad was sold on those Remington CoreLokt bullets too. The 170's in his .30/30 worked to perfection for him.AW 

Edited by Adobe Walls

NH,

You may be right about the "CoreLokt generation". It (the CoreLokt) really was the first great leap forward in jacketed bullet technology for hunting bullets. The idea is sound and well proven at this point in history. The bullets really did a fine job under most scenarios. Later hunters might prove to be the "Partition" generation, which probably was the next "big thing" in bullets after the CoreLokt.AW