Reloading .300 Savage

Due to the lower velocities with the .300 Savage, you may wish to go with the Sierra 125 gr. hollow point. I use it in my .30-30 for hunting.

If you are not talking about hunting then go with any .308 bullet that is not too long for the rotating magazine of the 99.

300 Savage is no slouch, surely not in the 30-30 class. The 125's for 30-30 could open too fast and limit penetration. Factory loads are typically 150 gr soft points so that's what I would go with making sure there is enough parallel area to hold in the neck when seated deeply enough to fit the magazine.

150 is the best bullet weight for .300 Savage. Anything bigger eats up too much inside the case real estate for powder. My Dad had a great load for his Savage 99 using 150 Partitions and 40 grains of IMR 4064; We shot a coffee can in my uncles' pasture at 250 yards with peep sights with that 99 using that load. He never did get a deer with it, sold it long before he shot his first deer.

150 is the best hunting bullet weight for the 300 Savage IMHO. As was stated above 300 savage has lower velocities than 30.06 or 308 Win, but 125gr is too light for hunting. A 150 grain 30 cal bullet going 2500 fps is a deer killer. I reload for a Model 99 also and I've tried 130's, 150's and 165's. The 130 hollow points are fun for target shooting, but the 150's are the most accurate and best suited for hunting. 165's are good also but I found the 150's shoot better.

I've tried boattail design bullets but found the flat base 150's with either IMR 4064 or 4895 are the easiest to find an accurate load. My favorite is the Hornady Interlock, but I'm sure the Nolser Partition or Speer Hot Cor would be great.

My Model 99 is a fun gun to shoot and the Speer 130 HP's are the most fun for plinking and lower recoil. My last comment would be to not push the Max loads too much with the Model 99. The max loads will probably be fine in the lever action 99, but are better suited to the bolt action rifles.

I am partial to 170 grain Cor-Lokt bullets with a close to max load of IMR 4320 in my 300 Savage ammo. Inexpensive, accurate, and DRT if I do my part in a Savage 99 or sporterized and rebarreled Arisaka 38 that I own. The Arisaka will shoot 1/2 to 3/4 MOA with ease using this combo. YMMV

I concur with most above that the 150-grain bullets are probably best all around, especially for hunting deer. I shot over a dozen Kodiak Island blacktails with my .300 and 150 BTips downloaded slightly. Only bullet recovered was from a lengthwise shot at ~200 yards.

The M99 was designed two centuries ago and older versions were not as strong as later rifles. It was common for the action to stretch slightly and cause tight extraction. Just back off top loads a 100 fps or so and enjoy the rifle, the game won’t be able to tell any difference and you’ll have trouble-free shooting.


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I use a 150 grain Sierra Pro Hunter RN with 40 grains of Varget in my 99.

Definitely use “regular” .308” bullets.
Yes, the .300Savage comes up a “little” short of the .308/.30/06, but not enough to matter.

Not all .308” 150’s are the same.
Nosler 150gr BallisticTips are superlative in the .300Savage. Likewise the 150gr Partitions. The nose section will expand down to 1,800fps or so. Sierra claims expansion with their 150’s down to 1,600fps. I’m fond of Sierra’s for their deserved reputation of superlative accuracy.

Then, Hornady has a .300Savage specific 150gr SST Interlok, which I would consider a one-stop-shop for all .300Sav uses.
Also, Hornady sells a 160gr FTX intended for use in the .308MarlinExpress. I can tell you from personal experience that this bullet at 2,600-2,700fps is devastating on whitetail deer. It’s also got an enviable reputation on elk.

Add in all the 125gr that are also suitable, you’ve got an over abundance of suitable bullets.
IMR4064, H4895, and CFE223 should keep you busy for a couple of decades figuring out what you and your Savage prefer.

I also love the .300 Savage and use the Hornady 150 SST Savage bullet, Hornady brass, and Varget for hunting loads. This was a very accurate load out to the limits of what I would shoot the model 99 at. I also worked up a light, fun plinking load with trail boss and MBC 135 grain Hi Tek coated .308 bullets and that thread is on here somewhere.

Enjoy that classic '99 rifle they are a breeze to carry in the deer woods and a blast to shoot for fun.

My Hornady 3rd edition shows 150 gr spire point with imr 4064 max 44 gr 2800 fps. Right on par with a 308 win.

150g bullet with a flat base. 40 grains of 4895. Accurate and trusty.

Don’t forget about 180 grain round nose. 38 grains of 4895. Devastating

All .308 bullets.

I have ventilated many deer with the .308" 150 grain Speer Mag tip from an M99. I run the same bullet at 2600fps in the wife's .308 and it's murder on whitetail. I'm running them over IMR 4064 which is a fine powder for this round. I have also used W748, but discontinued this powder as it isn't very versatile for my other cartridges, but got fine results in the M99 and my buddies Rem 722. My M99 seems to prefer a somewhat blunt and protected tip or a sharp and hard tip to feed reliably. It does not like Sierra or Hornady soft points. I've had the best luck with the discontinued Mag tip. The regular Speer Hot core feeds well also, as does the Rem Core Lokt and some various RN slugs I've tried. When my supply of Mag Tips is exhausted, I will be going with the Speer Hot core. Be sure to monitor the condition of your brass and keep track of number of trimmings. The M99 is a brass stretcher. Avoid BT bullets as you won't really gain anything and they are generally too long for the cartridges short neck and limited capacity. Not saying you can't use them, but they are definitely not an optimal fit.

Back in the 60s,70s the 170 grain FP was a
fantastic deer killer in 300 savage , I use 170 FP in a 308 win. @ 2500 fps. It creates a large wound channel.

Hornady 10th edition lists [email protected]@2600fps with Varget and 150gr bullets.35,7@2100-40gr@2400 for the 170fp. 40.8max for the 165@2500fps. I would approach these loads with caution. Their loads are a little warm with other powders vs. Hodgdon's pressure tested data. Fed primer and Hornady brass were used for these loads.

This out of Lyman 49th Edition, the bullet
is a Hornady SP 150 grain.