.303 savage ammo

hftsmurf · April 3, 2012, 11:23 PM

have aquired a .303 savage and would like to find ammo or reloading supplies for it, Thanx for the help. Kevin

Jim Watson · April 3, 2012, 11:36 PM

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/760?

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/224?

**Mike Irwin** · April 4, 2012, 06:56 AM

Gotta love this description for the Hornady loaded ammo...

"Graf & Sons has teamed up with Hornady to provide quality ammunition in previously hard-to-find military surplus calibers.

Arthur Savage wished!

Now that the .303 is back in production, I may just renew my search for it in an 1899 in one of the classic calibers -- .303, .30-30, .32-40, or .38-55.

I had dropped the .303 some years ago because ammo was simply unavailable.

**James K** · April 4, 2012, 07:41 PM

"I looked it up and it was made by Savage, so of course it is in .303 Savage..."

---Gun dealer, holding a Rifle No. 4

Jim

gale9193 · April 4, 2012, 10:24 PM

i have 2 enfield .303s. 1 savage and the other made in canada, sorry but a long day and i can't remember the maker. bass pro and sportsmans still has rounds for them, but about a buck a pop. you can still get surplus ammo at gunshows cheaper, however the powder is corrosive and you have to clean them right away. hope this helps

Cheapshooter · April 4, 2012, 10:59 PM

Quote:

i have 2 enfield .303s. 1 savage and the other made in canada,

NOT THE SAME!!! Don't try 303 Savage in your 303 BRITISH chambered rifles. Or visa-versa
The Savage manufactured Enfield was a WWII lend-leas British Enfield supplied to the British army by the US. It is NOT a 303 SAVAGE caliber rifle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee-Enfield
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.303_British
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.303_Savage

carguychris · April 5, 2012, 10:20 AM

This is one reason for my ongoing campaign to stop people from generically referring to the British military rifle as a "three-oh-three". It's a LEE-ENFIELD, people!

I'll let you know how my campaign progresses.

gyvel · April 5, 2012, 11:03 AM

.303 Savage is easily made from .30-30 or .25-30 brass.

Edit: I meant .25-35 brass (typo), but that wouldn't work either.

jsmaye · April 5, 2012, 11:43 AM

Jeez - why don't you people educate rather than deride? I didn't know there was such a thing as a .303 Savage until I saw this thread (however the .303 Savage appellation would have made me investigate before trying to jam in the wrong cartridge. I am, at least, that cautious...)

**Mike Irwin** · April 5, 2012, 12:17 PM

".303 Savage is easily made from .30-30 or .25-30 brass."

Not really.

Head diameter on the .303 Savage is .442.

Head diameter on the .30-30 family of cartridges is .422.

.02 is getting to the point where you don't really want to try it.

A better route is to head swage .30-40 Krag cases.

Gunplummer · April 5, 2012, 02:24 PM

I never used the Graf brand. I bought some Norma and have shot and reloaded the heck out of it. I don't consider my chambers to be exceptionally tight, so Norma brass holds up really well. It is pricey but I bought it before Graf came out with their stuff. I have to agree with Mr. Irwin. If the right brass is available why look for trouble?

gyvel · April 5, 2012, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Not really.

Head diameter on the .303 Savage is .442.

Head diameter on the .30-30 family of cartridges is .422.

.02 is getting to the point where you don't really want to try it.

A better route is to head swage .30-40 Krag cases.

I stand corrected!

I know they are about the same power but, never having had either one (.30-30 or .303), I always assumed they were of similar general dimensions.

After looking up the pertinent data in my cartridge book, I see that .30-30 is .422, and .303 is .439, a difference of almost .02"

Jim Watson · April 5, 2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

This is one reason for my ongoing campaign to stop people from generically referring to the British military rifle as a "three-oh-three". It's a LEE-ENFIELD, people!

Well, yes, unless it is a No 4 or No 5 which was enough of a departure from the WW I era SMLE No 1 that I don't think even the British called them Lee Enfields.

I am sure it has been done to make .303 Savage out of .30-30 (What is a .25-30? A .25-35 shrunk to fit the screen on the internet, maybe.) even though the .30-30 is a good deal smaller head diameter. There was the gimmick of a wrap of Scotch tape around the head to insure that the expansion would be uniform and MIGHT not separate the case head for a few loadings.
NOT RECOMMENDED WITH FRESH CORRECT BRASS NOW AVAILABLE.
But there used to be a lot of that sort of stuff done.

**Mike Irwin** · April 5, 2012, 03:44 PM

I THINK the .25-30 was one of the old Stevens straight-wall target rifle cartridges.

Jim Watson · April 5, 2012, 04:08 PM

There is a .25-25 but CotW doesn't show a .25-30 Stevens.
A straight .25 like that would be of absolutely no use in a Savage 99, though.

**Mike Irwin** · April 5, 2012, 05:51 PM

Right church, wrong pew.

I was thinking of the .28-30-120 Stevens, a contemporary of the .25-25 and the .25-21.

"A straight .25 like that would be of absolutely no use in a Savage 99, though. "

Sure it would. It would be a wonderful reminder to pick up the right damned ammo on the way to hunting camp.

bahumbug · April 9, 2012, 07:04 PM

I just bought two boxes from here. I didnt want to retire the old 99A just yet.After all she cost me $25.00 in 1985. http://shop.reedsammo.com/category.sc?categoryId=142

azcavalier · June 19, 2012, 08:41 PM

Sweet! I just bought a box of ammo for the 1899 Savage .303 that I just inherited. I took it to a local gunsmith who admired it for about 20 minutes, telling me about it. When I get it back, can't wait to take it out and shoot.

April 3, 2012, 11:23 PM	#1
hftsmurf Junior Member Join Date: April 3, 2012 Posts: 1	.303 savage ammo have aquired a .303 savage and would like to find ammo or reloading supplies for it, Thanx for the help. Kevin

April 4, 2012, 06:56 AM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,125	Gotta love this description for the Hornady loaded ammo... "Graf & Sons has teamed up with Hornady to provide quality ammunition in previously hard-to-find military surplus calibers. Arthur Savage wished! Now that the .303 is back in production, I may just renew my search for it in an 1899 in one of the classic calibers -- .303, .30-30, .32-40, or .38-55. I had dropped the .303 some years ago because ammo was simply unavailable. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 4, 2012, 07:41 PM	#4
James K Staff Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 16,428	"I looked it up and it was made by Savage, so of course it is in .303 Savage..." ---Gun dealer, holding a Rifle No. 4 Jim __________________ Jim K

April 5, 2012, 10:20 AM	#7
carguychris Senior Member Join Date: October 20, 2007 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 4,629	This is one reason for my ongoing campaign to stop people from generically referring to the British military rifle as a "three-oh-three". It's a LEE-ENFIELD, people! I'll let you know how my campaign progresses. __________________ "Smokey, this is not 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules... MARK IT ZERO!!" - Walter Sobchak

April 5, 2012, 11:03 AM	#8
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 3,458	.303 Savage is easily made from .30-30 or .25-30 brass. Edit: I meant .25-35 brass (typo), but that wouldn't work either. Last edited by gyvel; April 7, 2012 at 02:51 AM.

April 3, 2012, 11:36 PM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 9,673	http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/760? http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/224?

April 4, 2012, 10:24 PM	#5
gale9193 Junior Member Join Date: March 29, 2012 Location: des moines iowa Posts: 7	i have 2 enfield .303s. 1 savage and the other made in canada, sorry but a long day and i can't remember the maker. bass pro and sportsmans still has rounds for them, but about a buck a pop. you can still get surplus ammo at gunshows cheaper, however the powder is corrosive and you have to clean them right away. hope this helps

April 5, 2012, 11:43 AM	#9
jsmaye Senior Member Join Date: July 18, 2008 Location: Amarillo, Tx Posts: 603	Jeez - why don't you people educate rather than deride? I didn't know there was such a thing as a .303 Savage until I saw this thread (however the .303 Savage appellation would have made me investigate before trying to jam in the wrong cartridge. I am, at least, that cautious...) __________________ No matter how big and tough you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone you'll answer it.

April 5, 2012, 12:17 PM	#10
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,125	".303 Savage is easily made from .30-30 or .25-30 brass." Not really. Head diameter on the .303 Savage is .442. Head diameter on the .30-30 family of cartridges is .422. .02 is getting to the point where you don't really want to try it. A better route is to head swage .30-40 Krag cases. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 5, 2012, 02:24 PM	#11
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 1,084	I never used the Graf brand. I bought some Norma and have shot and reloaded the heck out of it. I don't consider my chambers to be exceptionally tight, so Norma brass holds up really well. It is pricey but I bought it before Graf came out with their stuff. I have to agree with Mr. Irwin. If the right brass is available why look for trouble?

April 5, 2012, 03:44 PM	#14
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,125	I THINK the .25-30 was one of the old Stevens straight-wall target rifle cartridges. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 5, 2012, 04:08 PM	#15
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 9,673	There is a .25-25 but CotW doesn't show a .25-30 Stevens. A straight .25 like that would be of absolutely no use in a Savage 99, though.

April 5, 2012, 05:51 PM	#16
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,125	Right church, wrong pew. I was thinking of the .28-30-120 Stevens, a contemporary of the .25-25 and the .25-21. "A straight .25 like that would be of absolutely no use in a Savage 99, though. " Sure it would. It would be a wonderful reminder to pick up the right damned ammo on the way to hunting camp. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

April 9, 2012, 07:04 PM	#17
bahumbug Junior Member Join Date: January 2, 2012 Posts: 2	I just bought two boxes from here. I didnt want to retire the old 99A just yet.After all she cost me $25.00 in 1985. http://shop.reedsammo.com/category.sc?categoryId=142

June 19, 2012, 08:41 PM	#18
azcavalier Junior Member Join Date: June 19, 2012 Posts: 1	Sweet! I just bought a box of ammo for the 1899 Savage .303 that I just inherited. I took it to a local gunsmith who admired it for about 20 minutes, telling me about it. When I get it back, can't wait to take it out and shoot.