I second this. The 303 and the 30-30 have probably accounted for more game shot in Canada then anything else ever has.
Graydog
Look what i found!
- Thread starter Winchester30-30
- Start date
I second this. The 303 and the 30-30 have probably accounted for more game shot in Canada then anything else ever has.
Graydog
Yup. If I had to bet, I'd say .303, 30-30, and maybe .308 Winchester.
In no particular order. Except that .308 probably comes last.
No you are not good sir. But I figured it was going so well without any arguing that I figured why spoil it!!
.303 Savage 1899 was {almost} a milsurp, full wood and bayo in it's military configuration. (...and oh yea, if anyone has one of those I would appreciate a PM. 
)
)
It depends on how far back you go. If you started at the end of WW2, your three picks might be about right.
But in rural northern Canada a great amount of game was shot in the 25 years leading up to the end of WW2. This was the great meat hunting age when nearly every northern resident shot game to live on, 12 months of the year. The odd one even shot moose and sold the meat in town. The stories (true) abounded. Even after the depression era was over someone at the coffee table would recite that Bill ---- shot 29 moose during the winter of 1929!
At this time the 303 British was almost unknown for shooting game in the boondocks. The only 303 rifles out there was the odd military one brought home from WW1 and these were few.
During this great meat hunting era, the 30-30 was king over all else and the rifle that others were judged by.
I was a kid growing in the depression years, very much a part of it and well aware of the guns used. Going to a log school house in the bush, we boys would sit around inside at noon hours, on bitter winter days and discuss the guns our families used.
After 1900 in my area of rural New Brunswick the list of most popular rounds was topped by the .30/30 for sure. I remember my grandfather reciting off a list of local hunters and the rifles they used from memory forty years ago. The .30/30 led the pack also mentioned were the .32 Winchester, 35 Remington, .38/55, .32/40, .44/40, .43 Mauser, .30 and .32 Remington, .33 Winchester, .45/70, 8x57 Mauser even the .35 Winchester and .405. After WW1 a local rifle club started sponsored by the government and the members all received free ammo from the government(WW1 surplus) therefore Lee Enfields and Rosses soon were very common. A few new fangled lads purchased the 99 Savage in .300 or .250/3000 in the early 1930's and were viewed as pretty radical.
I was told by more than one former member of the now defunct rifle club that ALL members could keep 10 rounds in an 8 inch bull from a seated position with sling and open sights at 200 yards after they burned through a lot of ammo(and maybe barrels, that stuff was corrosive). Not many can do that today, I know I couldn't.
I was told by more than one former member of the now defunct rifle club that ALL members could keep 10 rounds in an 8 inch bull from a seated position with sling and open sights at 200 yards after they burned through a lot of ammo(and maybe barrels, that stuff was corrosive). Not many can do that today, I know I couldn't.
Last edited:
- Location
- In lalaland, that is Ottawa.
No wonder that I had a hard time finding it to check my earlier post!
This slow old fusspot has enough trouble without replying to a New Post and having to remember that it was in the wrong forum!
.30-30, 7 mm Mag are certainly not milsurp calibers whereas the .30-06 has over a century of being one of the great military rounds. My two moose were taken with my Winchester made P17 sportier and dropped with one shot. I owned a 7mm Mag and sold it keeping my Win 70 in .338 Mag which was a lighter and more accurate rifle than the Ruger 7mm. I only had two chances with it on moose and blew them,never getting the 225 gr. Hornady hand load a chance.
As for the .30-30, as a 16 year old first season, with a worn out W94 discard from the City of Toronto, I took 3 deer in a large commercial camp on Bapteese Lake in Ont. The U.S. guys in the camp with .30/06s we Canadians thought to be over gunned.
TheSteamingPile
Regular
- Location
- Scarberia, Onterrible
I bought an identical box of .30 REM earlier this year for $55-$60. Would .303 Savage be considered as 'rare' as .30 REM? I am pretty unfamiliar with the .303 Savage tbh.
The .303 Savage was not rare at all in the 1930's,40's, as previously mentioned by Mike Webb. By the 1950's and 60's the Lee Enfield came on in a big way. I personally really like the .303 Savage round and it's 1899 companion. I find them a well balanced couple as the round is light in the recoil department (much less than the .303 British) and the lever action of the Savage 1899 is buttery smooth accompanied with a solid "falling block" type breach bolt. Accompanied with a lyman peep set up, this rifle and round are friggin deadly accurate with the irons.
As I had mentioned, there are a few ammo manufacturers who will still do small runs of the Savage .303 round, but the bullets aren't round nosed, heavy projectiles as were intended, rather copper jacketed speer points that are lighter by...20 grains??? {can't remember exactly}
Did I also mention that I think the 5 round rotary magazine in the 1899 is the coolest thing since the AK47? It is little wonder why the 1899 didn't make the trials cut though, I can't imagine what in the he11 Johnnie Cannuck Troopie would do with a rotary magazine full of mud!? Although the rifle(not the round) is ill suited to a military application, it does (both rifle and round) make a wonderful sporting rifle.
Man, I'm going to wax the old girl and maybe cycle some rounds...
As I had mentioned, there are a few ammo manufacturers who will still do small runs of the Savage .303 round, but the bullets aren't round nosed, heavy projectiles as were intended, rather copper jacketed speer points that are lighter by...20 grains??? {can't remember exactly}
Did I also mention that I think the 5 round rotary magazine in the 1899 is the coolest thing since the AK47? It is little wonder why the 1899 didn't make the trials cut though, I can't imagine what in the he11 Johnnie Cannuck Troopie would do with a rotary magazine full of mud!? Although the rifle(not the round) is ill suited to a military application, it does (both rifle and round) make a wonderful sporting rifle.
Man, I'm going to wax the old girl and maybe cycle some rounds...
Neither are really rare but they were both designed by Savage and Remington to compete with the .30/30. The .30 Rem was chambered in the Remington model 8 and 81 autos and the Remington model 14 and 141. The .30 Rem was basically a rimless .30/30 and had limited popularity. I don't think either Savage or Remington realized that the .30/30's popularity had more to do with the 1894 rifle it was introduced in than any magical properties of the .30/30 cartridge. I don't think there has ever been a woods rifle built that carried or balanced better than the 94 Winchester and reasonably priced at the time as well, both Remington and Savage offerings had a higher pricetag.
