Despite everything this year had presented, I finally got out to take my Savage Model 20 out for it's 100th birthday. (I think it might have been manufactured in late 1919, but that's not important.) This is also the answer to "how to date an old rifle," take it to the range and try some handloads out.
The rifle was my great-grandfather's in 250-3000, which is a fun little cartridge. It took it's share of crows and hawks back then before being largely replaced in the rotation by a 257 Roberts. The best part is having old load notes from the 1920s on early loads for the rifle. He used to run 37 gr of IMR 3031 and a 60 gr bullet. I couldn't get IMR 3031 until recently to duplicate the old loads, but I made up a decent deer/pig load with some IMR 4064.
All in all it wasn't bad for a 100 year old rifle with an obsolete scope and a rough trigger design.
The 1944 Mosin-Nagant also came along to help celebrate, because why not?
The rifle was my great-grandfather's in 250-3000, which is a fun little cartridge. It took it's share of crows and hawks back then before being largely replaced in the rotation by a 257 Roberts. The best part is having old load notes from the 1920s on early loads for the rifle. He used to run 37 gr of IMR 3031 and a 60 gr bullet. I couldn't get IMR 3031 until recently to duplicate the old loads, but I made up a decent deer/pig load with some IMR 4064.
All in all it wasn't bad for a 100 year old rifle with an obsolete scope and a rough trigger design.
The 1944 Mosin-Nagant also came along to help celebrate, because why not?
