Kaeto
Member
My dad has a Savage 99C in .308, and I believe he got it during the '50s.
You may be right -- the 99 IS springy, and it also lacks caming power on extraction. I stick with recommended starting loads and avoid problems.Originally posted by rcmodel
The Savage 99 isn't a reloaders gun.
The rear locking bolt allows a lot of action springing, and brass doesn't last long no matter what you do.
My hunting buddy had one years ago in 300 Savage and it was a 1MOA rifle any time, and where.
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But cases lasted three shots, at best.
I surprised you are surprised, 300 Savage is available in lots of gun shops that I haunt. You probably don't see it as much since you are in the deep South, but many shops and even big box stores in the North stock it.I am so surprised that Midway shows 300 Savage in stock...
I recently acquired 2 nice early 50s Savage 99s. One is 308 Win, the other is 300 Savage. I am going to keep one, and let go of the other.
Assuming all other things are equal (condition, accuracy, function, etc), which would you keep and why?
I am not currently and have no plans to start reloading.
I have two in .300 Sav., an EG and a T, and I have an F in .358 Win.that used to be a .308. Yes, have JES bore it to .358 Win, or .338 Fed and you'll have a nice big bore to compliment your .300.My experience, and many others, differs quite a bit. I get well over three reloads per case across a bunch of different cartridges. Only real issue I've run into is needing a small base die when forming 300 Savage from LC 308 brass. It's only needed when forming. After that normal dies work fine.
I would keep both. A 99 chambered in 300 Savage is a quintessential hunting rifle. I'd send the 308 off to JES and have it rebored to 358 Winchester. It's what I did, granted it was an E model, and I couldn't be happier.
The OP did not mention which models he purchased. This should be part of the decision as certain features command more money.
The 99Es were the least desirable. If your 308 is a 99E and your 300 is anything else, the 300 has more collector value.