Hunting with a .250-3000?

Kilo Charlie

Kilo Charlie

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I've owned a .250 for several years but have only hunted one day with it. No shots fired. Next year I'd like to hunt with it a lot more. From what I've read, it shines out to about 225 or 250 yards, then performance tapers off sharply. I've never used a smallbore rifle for deer (my go-to is a .280 Rem) so really don't know what to expect performance-wise. I've never personally shot a deer past 200 yards, but that distance, and even out to about 300 yards, is a distinct possibility where I hunt. Mind you, I hunt where there's lots of deer. It won't bother me to pass on long shots; I just really, really want to hunt deer with my old Savage 1899.
I'm curious what people's personal experience with this cartridge has been. In case it matters, I'll be running 100-grain cup'n'core bullets, likely Hornady flat base spitzers, at about 2850 or so f.p.s., just a wee bit quicker than factory ammo. My rifle has a 1:14 twist so that's pretty much what I'll be limited to, bullet-wise. The rifle is also quite accurate (sub-MOA, anyway) and easy to shoot. Any tales of game taken with this mighty midget would be most welcome.
 
While I have never personally hunted with one, I have hunted in company with a friend who owns a 700 Remington "Classic" chambered in 250-3000. I have seen him take deer cleanly out to 320 or so with this rifle, using 100 grain bullets. I believe it is just as effective as the 243 & 6mm on deer sized game. I would hunt with confidence using that fine old cartridge. Regards, Eagleye.
 
old timers said they were considered the ''hot ''rifle back in the 30's-but had fragmentation problems until they developed better bullets,I guess people were more used to the 30/30 with its slower and heavier bullet.funny-you don't hear of too may 250-3000's around-but the ''obsolete ''30/30 still sells a lot of shells.As for capability-my dad used to say ''any bullet will kill a deer-if you hold the rifle straight!
 
Kilo Charlie said:
I've owned a .250 for several years but have only hunted one day with it. No shots fired. Next year I'd like to hunt with it a lot more. From what I've read, it shines out to about 225 or 250 yards, then performance tapers off sharply. I've never used a smallbore rifle for deer (my go-to is a .280 Rem) so really don't know what to expect performance-wise. I've never personally shot a deer past 200 yards, but that distance, and even out to about 300 yards, is a distinct possibility where I hunt. Mind you, I hunt where there's lots of deer. It won't bother me to pass on long shots; I just really, really want to hunt deer with my old Savage 1899.
I'm curious what people's personal experience with this cartridge has been. In case it matters, I'll be running 100-grain cup'n'core bullets, likely Hornady flat base spitzers, at about 2850 or so f.p.s., just a wee bit quicker than factory ammo. My rifle has a 1:14 twist so that's pretty much what I'll be limited to, bullet-wise. The rifle is also quite accurate (sub-MOA, anyway) and easy to shoot. Any tales of game taken with this mighty midget would be most welcome.
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I used a 250-300 Savage for deer in the BC interior with very good results, black bears toppled over regularly also. I shot a big mulie behind the last rib as he quartered away from me,the bullet didn't exit but made a small entrance hole and exploded the lungs.The deer did a 30 yard death run and piled into a clay bank burying his nose into about 4 inches of mud. All I could find of the bullet was the base,it really made jello of the lungs at 75 yards.
I shot a big boar as he ate grass along a logging road, he was sitting facing me and I took him with one shot to the center of his chest. He did a backward roll and laid there,there was no exit from this shot at 60 yards. Handloaded ammo may exit , but the factory stuff didn't.
I tagged out one season in two days, I shot a moose, two blackies and a mulie. All were taken with the 250-3000 Savage, I wish my dad never talked me out of it..........:p
 
I have a .250-3000 (Ruger M77 International, since converted to a .250AI) that I used for deer quite a few years ago. It worked well with 100 grain Nosler Partitions and 120 grain Speer and Sierra spitzers although the heavier bullets probably aren't the best choice if you're expecting longer range shots.

It's a sweet cartridge (generally in light and handy rifles) that will reliably kill deer within the ranges that most people will hunt. I wouldn't hesitate to use it to 300 yards with a 100 grain bullet, but if you're going to be seeing most of your deer around the 300 yard mark, I think you've got better choices in the .270 Win, .280 (etc.).
 
Actually, A-Zone, I can't use ANY of the bullets you do, lacking the 1:10 twist of the Ruger. 100 Partition and 100 Barnes X will not shoot well (too long) as are all 100 grain boattails and all 110, 115, 117 and 120 grain bullets, except the 117 Hornady roundnose, which will group to less than 3 MOA in my rifle. Shorter 100-grain bullets is about my only reasonable option, and I have a couple hundred around the house.
 
My experience with the Savage model 99 in .250-3000 is very limited (the Ruger's another story).

I'm surprised that it won't perform decently with 100 grain bullets though, as I had always understood that it was originally designed around a 100 grain bullet (the choice of an 87 grain bullet being motivated more by marketing the idea of a 3,000fps cartridge).

Maybe someone else (with more Savage 99 experience) can chime in on your best bullet choices. Or, try to find a non-frangible 85-90 grain bullet.
 
A-Zone,
My rifle performs extremely well with short 100's....the flat-based Speer, Hornady, Remington and Sierra will shout routinely sub-MOA. Ditto 87-grain Hornadys. My best groups to date have been with 100 CoreLokts and Sierra Pro-Hunters. 3/4 inch for 3 shots at 100. It's the PREMIUM 100 grainers that don't group well.
The .250 was designed around an approximate weight of 100 grains, and was adjusted down to 87 grains to hit the 3000 f.p.s. mark. I believe that factory 100 grain loads weren't made available until the 1920's or maybe as late as 1930, several years after the introduction of the round.
The 1:14 twist will just barely stabilize most plain-jane flatbase 100 grain bullets. As soon as the bullets get any longer than that, the rifling twist is too slow. The construction of the Partition and the X-Bullet makes them quite long for their weight. The 100 Partition is fully 10% longer than the 100 Sierra Pro-Hunter, for example.
 
Well my daughter decided to hunt a couple days with me this year. I gave her the choice of my gun rack & she picked a nice little 1899 .250s :)
One shot at 50yds & a nice doe pilled up in about 50yds :)
All the 1899s Savs I have owned have shot much better with 87gn bullets :confused: & that also includes my Ruger tang 77 in .250 as well!
I can get hunting accuracy with 100 horns but they all prefered 87s.
 
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87 gr pills stabilise alot better in the old 1899's with the 1-14" twist, mind you just because your using 87's and getting great groups the groups are gonna spread out a little when using the 100's but not so much that your gonna be able to tell the difference in the field. Dead is dead, just because your groups spread out to 1 1/2" to 2" groups with the 100's and not making one big hole with the 87's it isn't going to matter. Now if your really worried about it and wanna throw the 100's more accurately sell me the old one and buy an newer 99 made after 1960 because Savage went from a 1-14" twist to a 1-10" twist after the 1,000,000 serial number in the 250's.
 
A-zone said:
My experience with the Savage model 99 in .250-3000 is very limited (the Ruger's another story).

I'm surprised that it won't perform decently with 100 grain bullets though, as I had always understood that it was originally designed around a 100 grain bullet (the choice of an 87 grain bullet being motivated more by marketing the idea of a 3,000fps cartridge).

Maybe someone else (with more Savage 99 experience) can chime in on your best bullet choices. Or, try to find a non-frangible 85-90 grain bullet.
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I never owned a 250/3000 or a Model 99. But some reloading manuals say the Savage 99 in 250/3000 Savage will not stabilize the 100 grain bullet because the twist is too slow. You might see if a lighter, premium bullet will work in the 99.

BB
 
Would it help if you reamed it out to a .250 Ackley Improved? I'm thinking if you were able to drive the bullets faster, might that not stabilize the longer bullets, notwithstanding the slower twist?

Kano: In my experience, the .250AI with either 70 or 87 grain bullets is devastating on coyotes.
I got a .250-3000, is it considered too big for coyotes?
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I've never used a 250/3000, but have shot more than a few Hornady 100s in my 257 Roberts. Accuracy is very good and they are quite fast, in my rifle anyways. I've only shot two deer with them, so no expert there, but both died quick with one shot. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that bullet for a "slower" 25 cal.


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One of the early members of our camp, a woman who is now in her late nineties hunted exclusively with the 250-3000 throughout her fifty year hunting career.
She had a reputation of never missing, and always getting what she shot at. Good luck!
 
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