Relodaing Info For a 303 Savage

[CARSON]

My uncle just gave me a call and told me he has one of my father's old rifles at his place and Dad siad it is mine if I want it. The only problem is that it is a 303 Savage. I cannot find any information on it. Do you know where I can get brass for it, or what other case I can make the brass out of? I also need to know what load to use, is there any reloading manuals that have any info anymore? I did find dies for it in a catalogue, but nothing else.

I rememeber seeing an article on the 303 Savage and the Savage 99 in one of the shooting magazines I read in the last year or two, but I cannot remember which one. If anyone remembers seeing this article, could you tell me where it is?


Thank you in advance for any information you can give me.

 

[Jim Watson]

Nonte shows how to make .303 Savage out of .30-40 Krag with a LOT of work, including swaging the head diameter and lathe turning down the rim diameter. Huntington doesn't even show form dies.

I think the best thing to do is to go to large gun shows and see if you can find a dealer in obsolete ammo with some.

Next, order them from Buffalo Arms. They will be formed brass and rather expensive because of the labor required, but unless you plan to do a lot of shooting and want to tool up for the forming, it is worth it... or would be to me.
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm?viewfrom=49&catid=35&step=2

Load data is in older manuals, some places say to use .30-30 loads, some say to use .30-30 less 10% (Which seems strange, the case volume is larger and the Savage 99 action is stronger than the Winchester 94, but best to play it safe if you can't find specific data.)
One thing for sure, USE .308" BULLETS, NOT THE .311" FOR .303 BRITISH.

 

[Mike Irwin]

.303 was a moderately popular caliber, but didn't survive past WW II in Savage rifles.

Ammo was loaded in the United States up until the 1980s, perhaps longer.

Loading information should be available in any of the larger manuals, but essentially the round is a .30-30 surrogate, but with a 190-gr. bullet being the standard loading.

With care, .30-30 data could probably be used and slowly worked up.

 

[Clark]

I got a Savage 99 from 1907 and a box of ancient ammo for $78. The catch was the bore is rotten and the stock has been repaired.

I don't want to pay $1 per case for 303 S brass
http://www.turngray.com/


So I shot the rifle with 30-30 brass.

It is possible to convert 220 Swift brass, but it is a pain.

There are a couple rebarreling converstions that look good:
30-30
25-35
.225 Win
and the Ackley Imoroved versions of the above.

When one looks at the 25-35, one sees wimpy factory ammo and book loads, but at the pressures that a Sav 99 can take, the 25-35 would rock.

 

[cdbeaver]

303 Savage Loads

Lee's "Modern Reloading" manual, still in current print, gives a lot of loading data for the .303 Savage. At the top of the section, Lee says, "These are .30-30 loads reduced 10% for your safety."

Loads are listed for the 93-, 100-, 110, 125-, 150-, and 170-grain bullets, both lead and jacketed.

A wide assortment of powders are shown with recommended loads.

Lee's loading manual is available from several sources, including MidwayUSA.com.

 

[Paul "Fitz" Jones]

My Wierd File of Brass

In my wierd file someone fired about 20-30 rounds of 303 Savage ammo without looking at the results of the shooting on the brass.????

They fired them in a 303 British caliber rifle.

They obviously did not read the box very well and if they did they did not know the difference.

If anyone asked for 303 ammo in my shop I would make certain that they fired it in the right rifle.

The brass expanded to fit the larger chamber without splitting and causing damage to the brass at all. Of course I don't know what happened after that but I found it on a range where I was teaching a Boy Scout marksmanship merit badge and my Scouts were also helping me to teach a City Hunter Safety course. They always picked up all brass they could find that we cleaned and I sold at gun shows as a Scout fund raiser.

Rather wierd!!!

If anyone would be interested in them as a curiosity or to make the heads into jewelry or to cut off the heads and nail them as decoration on a Savage 99 rifle They will fit in a USPO priority mail envelope for $3.85. If anyone is interested in one or all of them just send my your e-mail address and when I run across them again in my mess I will let you know. It was good quality brass for sure to withstand fire forming to that extent.

[email protected]

John Paul