303 Savage Bullet Recommendation

[COREY]

I have a Savage 1899A in 303 Savage. It shoots alright and I plan to rebuild her (stock and reblued) and put a peep on the back.

I have been working with Winchester 150 grain Power Points as that was what I had at the house from when I owned a 30/30. Does anyone have a recommendation for a better bullet than that with a cannular to keep the bullet in place?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

[mbogo3]

With a rotary mag why worry about the cannular ?

 

[COREY]

I like to have a bit of a crimp on a cartridge feeding from a magazine and I cannot reach the rifling, even if it is rotary. I have used Lee factory crimp dies on rounds without a cannular; it makes them a bit more accurate. I had a 375 H&H load that was okay, but nothing great; I put a light crimp on it and shrunk the groups from 2" down to 1 1/4" (probably better, but the recoil makes it hard to shoot tight groups).

I was thinking of getting a 30/30 factory crimp die, but was unsure whether it would work for the 303 Savage. If it would, I am more than game to try something without the cannular.

 

[bigedp51]

I would load it with the Hornady 170 flat point bullets, because it is .300 in front of the crimping groove and .308 behind the crimping groove.

1. This type bullet shoots very accurately from older worn barrels because of its design.
2. The design decreases chamber pressure
3. The base of the bullet when kicked in the seat of the pants when fired, fills the bore. (Obturates)
4. It has your crimping groove.
5. It is a "InterLock" bullet and performs like a Nosler partition bullet and always holds together.
6. It has a softer lead core than than .308/30-06 bullets and expands well at lower velocities.
7. There is no substitute for bullet weight. (the bigger the mass the more it kicks the animals ass)
8. I was a Boy Scout and never lie. (except to my wife)

 

[H4831]

Crimping a 30-30 class round that is being fed from a rotary magazine is just a waste of time.

 

[bigedp51]

Crimping a 30-30 class round that is being fed from a rotary magazine is just a waste of time.

What happens when you do not crimp a .44 magnum when loading 296 or H110?
What happens when you do not crimp a 30-30 cartridge when loaded with 3031 when fired from a 16 inch barrel?
What happens when you do not crimp a .223/5.56 cartridge loaded with 748 and fired from a AR15 carbine with a 16 inch barrel.

A crimp helps the boiler room build up steam pressure and makes the train go faster. Never say never...........

 

[COREY]

Thanks bigedp51; that bullet is probably exactly what I am looking for. The bore is pretty good, but it is 100 years old an not perfect, so a bit of extra help would not hurt.

 

[commonman]

If you do wish to crimp a 303 savage, pick up a 308 winchester factory crimp die not a 30-30. I do crimp my hunting rounds as they tend to get carried in pockets and glove boxes etc. sometimes for years and crimping makes me feel like the bullet is right where I put it to start with. The hornady 170 is a good bullet for the 303 but so is the 170 speer or sierra and they have a little better BC if I recall correctly. Pretty much any 30-30 bullet will work well but I have yet to find a spire point bullet that is flat sided enough to crimp at the right over all length to fit the magazine. I also have not yet found a pointy bullet that will expand properly at the velocity of the 303, most need more if you are going to hunt them. I have heard that the new hornady 160 and the LVR powder work exceedingly well in the 303s.