250 Savage

'Boo

'Boo

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Yesterday afternoon I took my 3rd deer using the Ruger 77 RSI chambered for 250 Savage I bought a couple of years ago.

To say I have been impressed with this little cartridge would be an understatement. The short - 18" - RSI barrel spits out the 110 grain Accubond at a modest 2550 fps. Ranges have been from as close as 80 yards to just under 200 and all shots were standing broadsides that took out the bottom of the lungs and top of the heart.

None of the deer went more than 50 feet after the shot and all were stone dead by the time I walked up to them. Over the years I have shot a few deer using a .243 and seen a couple taken with a 6mm Remington. None of them went down as quickly as the what I have seen with using the .250. While I realize 3 animals is a statistically small sample I have started to question why the 250-3000 was abandoned by most firearms manufactures in favour of the .243.


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Last years deer.
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:cool:
 
You are spot on with about the .250-3000! I am glad you are enjoying that rifle...I remember when you let me hold it last year. Luckily for you I wasn't able to make a quick getaway with it! Have you tried Superformance in it yet? I figure it would do well with it and 100gr bullets. I should also point out that the regular old 100gr Spire Points from Hornady are great! I also prefer it to the .243 Win.

On Saturday I was thinking of last year's hunt as I opened the last package of venison from that deer. It was a loin roast and I made a pot roast with carrots, an onion, seasoning salt, juniper berries and red wine. I threw some finger potatoes in the pot for the last 1/2 hour and made a gravy out of the drippings. It was good! Oh, and I finally swapped that old scope off the 7mm...what a difference!
 
While the RSI will shoot 100 grain bullets reasonably well it loves the 110 Accubond often clustering 3 shots into well under a 1 inch group at 100 yards. I also think when velocity is modest that heavier bullets tend to penetrate better than lighter slugs.

I agree that mule deer can be some of the best eating meat out there. The doe I shot yesterday was a yearling (the only type of doe I want to shoot) so she should also be very good. :D
 
I think Winchester had more cache when the 243 took over. It was also chambered for the Model 70, so I wonder if the bolt-action option contributed? I believe Savage was only offering the Savage 99 at that period and not everyone wanted a lever-action, perhaps.

I don't get it either. I would sooner have a Savage 99 than any Mauser-style bolt action, but there's no accounting for taste, right?
 
I don't know about the last sentence there Kirk, a Kurz Oberndorf Mauser in .250-3000 is pretty darned appealing!
 
dan belisle said:
They were also available in the Savage 20, a rifle very much ahead of its time, I have one in 250-3000. Also have a modern 110 in this caliber too. Some of the early rifles had a twist too fast for the heavier bullets, they were designed to work with the 87 gr bullets. - dan
Click to expand...

Typo, Dan. You mean the 87-grain twist (1:14 inches) was too slow.

I'm hoping to take my 99 in .250 hunting next year; I just found a very accurate load for it.
 
I killed a few nice deer with my 250 Savage 99A before it held no more mysteries for me and I sold it. Wonderful cartridge, and I found it especially deadly with the 117 Hornady round nose. Not just a close range bullet either, killed two deer at 250 yds with it started @ 2700 fps with W760. Your stainless fullstock carbine M77 looks to be about the ideal platform for the little killer. Glad you are enjoying it!
 
Win 760 is the powder for 100gr bullets as well the 87's thrived on IMR 4895 followed by IMR 3031.I FL size 22-250 brass,in a Rem 700 classic with very warm but safe loads.don't try these in a Savage 99.I've also have correspondence with John Barness about the .250 and 1-14" twist.I found the Speer 100gr has the shortest OAL and shoots best in those guns seeing we can't get the old Dominion /CIL 100gr KKSP RN anymore.........Harold
 
ill take a 260 first but the 250 savage might someday be in the safe, its doesn't dervesve to be punished to plastic stock like savage at wss had on sale a while back so i left it be
 
It's my light game gun that kills just fine out to 300 yards on game under 500 lbs with 100gr Partitions/Sierra's for deer......have several 6.5x55's[ a step up]........Harold
 
Just finished re-reading Larry Koller's " Shots at Whitetails " (1948)
Larry was a well respected gun writer (and gunsmith) of the day, and
had loads of good things to say about the 250-3000 and Savage 99's.
 
One thing about resizing .22-250 brass is that, using W-W brass, I found pressure signs much sooner than expected. I also noticed that H4831SC filled the case up just as much as regular H4831 in .250 Savage brass. In other words, case capacity appears to be less in the reformed brass.
 
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