The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Curios and Relics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old April 3, 2012, 10:23 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
hftsmurf is offline  
Old April 3, 2012, 10:36 PM   #2
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/760?

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/...ategoryId/224?
Jim Watson is offline  
Old April 4, 2012, 05:56 AM   #3
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
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.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old April 4, 2012, 06:41 PM   #4
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
"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
James K is offline  
Old April 4, 2012, 09:24 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
gale9193 is offline  
Old April 4, 2012, 09:59 PM   #6
Cheapshooter
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 2, 2007
Location: Missouri
Posts: 8,306
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
__________________
Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #1: NEVER SELL OR TRADE ANYTHING!
Cheapshooter is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 09:20 AM   #7
carguychris
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 20, 2007
Location: Richardson, TX
Posts: 7,523
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
carguychris is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 10:03 AM   #8
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
.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 01:51 AM.
gyvel is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 10:43 AM   #9
jsmaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 18, 2008
Location: Amarillo, Tx
Posts: 616
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.
jsmaye is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 11:17 AM   #10
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
".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.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 01:24 PM   #11
Gunplummer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 11, 2010
Location: South East Pa.
Posts: 3,364
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?
Gunplummer is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 01:51 PM   #12
gyvel
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 30, 2009
Location: Northern AZ
Posts: 7,172
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"
gyvel is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 02:22 PM   #13
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
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.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 02:44 PM   #14
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
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.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 03:08 PM   #15
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,484
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.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old April 5, 2012, 04:51 PM   #16
Mike Irwin
Staff
 
Join Date: April 13, 2000
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 41,374
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.
Mike Irwin is offline  
Old April 9, 2012, 06:04 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
bahumbug is offline  
Old June 19, 2012, 07:41 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.
azcavalier is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 08:11 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.05110 seconds with 8 queries