Since I got the case situation worked out I am trying to develop some accurate hand loads. When I acquired the rifle I got some Rem 150 gr Core Lok ammunition. The gun shot these fine and grouped about 1.75" at 100 yds and I was able to ring a 10" steel target at a measured 200 yards 3 out of 5 shots. The forearm on the gun would shoot loose. The mounting of the forearm was poor, the screw was only engaging the barrel stud with 2 or 3 threads. I purchased a new barrel stud and now have the forearm mounted. However the gun now shoots patterns instead of groups. I have relieved the channel in the forearm and placed an o-ring around the barrel stud. I have business card clearance between the barrel and forearm forward of the barrel stud and clearance behind the barrel stud to about 2" from the receiver. Anybody have any more suggestions?

I hope you can figure this out…My wife inherited two of these really neat rifles, both takedown models. Neither will shoot better than 1 1/2” groups at 100 yards with Remington factory or my 150 grain hand loads…I’m OK with that and quite a few pigs and deer have fallen to these old rifles. It appears the last time one or the other of these rifles was hunted by her grandfather (we have license) was 1951 in Pennsylvania, based on hunting license and other documents given my wife when estates were settled.

PS: I’ve shot a couple of does and at least 8 pigs with these rifles, and hope to shoot more!

Hello, have tried using different ammo perhaps the gun cannot do better with your choice of ammo?
Is the gun a Take-Down model?
BB

Gun is not a take down. I do not have any more factory ammo. I am going to try some hand loads and see if I can do better. It has to be something about the forearm. Wish i could get some Rem 150 gr factory ammo.

I've had good luck shooting with 42.0 IMR-4064 with just about any 150 grain I put in the case. Everything from 150 grain Sierra Boattail to old 150 grain Remington Corelokts. They all shot well. Right now Im loading 150 grain Speer RN and prior to last deer season sighted the rifle in and shot a 1/2" three shot 100 yard group. Spongy trigger and all. Good luck.

Ray is the one to talk to about your 99.

I owned up to six but they all shot fine for their intended purposes

The 300 Savage has a bad reputation for accuracy, that's not to say a few don't shoot great. That said most will shoot 3" or 4" at 100 off the bench and that was suitable back in the day. I never found but one real shooter and a gent from AR sent me his 300 99 to fix it, I glassed it and it shot one hole with 3 and under an inch for 5 and no he wouldn't sell it. Ive never seen a 99 250-3000 or any 250-3000 that wouldn,t shoot an inch, some need a bit of tinkering..

Everybody thinks free floating the barrel is the way to go anymore. But a few decades ago plenty BR shooters used to bed the entire barrel. you might give that a try. It sounds like tightening up the screw might be somehow putting it on a bind. I would bed the entire forearm, or at least within a few inches of the screw on either side with medium torque to let it settle in with the barrel, then after it sets up go ahead and snug it down.

Ive got a 300 Savage in a Remington 700 classic that shoots sub moa. There's nothing wrong with the cartridge accuracy wise, its nearly identical to a 308.

I agree with Wstrhuntr I have a ruger in a 300 mag it was shooting fine.then all of a sudden it wasn't. I found out the screw in the forearm was touching the barrel, you could see some ware on the barrel, I fixed the problem now it shoots like it use too.

99's tend to be dependent on how well the buttstock screw is tightened -

Yes. You can think of your buttstock attachment as the recoil lug. Bill.

Buttstock is critical, when I glass a 99 I run a bead all the way around the butt stock with a match then tighten the stock bolt firmly. same with the forend junction wood to metal and a tight barrel channel, sems to work on any 99.

So you glass bed the full forearm barrel channel?

Well I have tried several powders and 150 gr bullets. If I rest the receiver of the gun on my forward support it shoots reasonable groups. If I place the forearm on the forward rest it refuses to group at all. This is discouraging. Never had this problem with guns with one piece stocks.

Guys,

This is all very interesting. I have first hand experience with only one 99 in 300 Savage. It shoots MOA or better with Remington factory 150's and Hornady 150 handloads. I killed a black springbuck at 310 yards with it. Very mild to shoot and seems to kill as well as most anything else.

Mark

Take off the forearm then use some inletting black or soot from a candle on the barrel. Make sure the channel is clean then put it back on the rifle and see where the wood is contacting the barrel at. You either want contact at the screw and the rear of the forend only, or even contact the full length. The last thing you want is for it to make contact at places other than at the screw and a space where the screw is.
The basic idea is to lower the high spots and raise the low spots until you have a perfect fit.

When it comes to the 99 and the 300 Savage there is more than one way to skin a cat, The 300 Savage itself is as accurate as any cartridge in a bolt gun it seems, My posts and the OP,s are intended for the combination of 99 and the 300 together as I see it. As to bedding any rifle it can decide to shoot bedded tight, 3 point or free floated,the gun determines that and the barrel must be in agreement.

Ive glass bedded maybe 100 or more 99 AND most preferred tight in the butt and tang. tight in the fore end demanding a fitted fore end juncture of wood to metal.

I've inletted a few 99s in wood the same way keeping in mind that if it didn't shoot I had enough wood left to inlet the other two options 3 p0int or free float in that in that order as you can take wood out but you cant put it back.

A custom 99 is a beautiful option for a custom rifle..

Interesting. Had a 99 in .300 that was very inconsistent as well, unlike the .250-3000s, as Ray mentioned.

Well, took a good hard look at the forearm to barrel fit. I first tried sanding and scraping to improve the fit. Did not work very well, it appears that someone coated the barrel grove with very thick, black varnish or something like that. I first thought epoxy but it just did not look right. I had to resort to paint remover to get it out. The exterior of the forearm was oiled with no trace of the stuff. Did some fitting by sanding and scraping and it has helped a lot. Forearm now stays tight. Gun now shoots reasonably well, not great but much improved. I think I can try some loads for accuracy with reasonable results.

This is just "blue sky" thinking, but here goes. What if you drilled a pocket near the aft inside end of the forend to accept a heavy spring and plunger? Then, open up the mortise surrounding the forend screw to accept another spring such that it is captured between the barrel lug and the forend. That way, when you screw on the forend, the whole affair isolates the forend from the hand or a shooting bag and acts as a constant tension dampener. It might provide more consistent barrel vibration and hopefully better accuracy. If it works, you could make a ball detent arrangement for the forend screw so you could fine tune it.

Also, make sure the forearm doesn't make contact with the receiver, the same precaution one takes with a single shot rifle. It can be achieved in a way that that doesn't generate an unsightly gap.

What model 99 is it? Scoped, and if so are you sure the bases/mounts are tight and the scope itself isn't acting up?

To categorically state that .300 Savage and .250-3000 aren't accurate in 99's is pure hogwash. I've owned a bunch of both and always experienced 1.5MOA with aperture sights and MOA (or darned close) with scope sights. When one doesn't shoot the first thing to look at is the fore arm, like you're doing. The butt screw only needs to be snug - anything more and it's likely to generate the infamous 99 tang crack.

My all time go-to accuracy load for the .300 has been 38 gr. 4064/150 Sierra spitzer. In fact it's been my go-to hunting load too - deer die just as dead and brass lasts longer with that admittedly mild load.

It is a model 99EG with marbles tang sight. I seem to have stabilized everything and the gun is now shooting groups instead of patterns. I am doing load checks to see if I can get an accurate load. Just like everyone else I am having a hard time with reloading components and have to work with what is available.

You might try a different load.

I have owned a couple 300 Savages and both of mine loved the 180’s.

Might be worth a try.

Found one good load of 38.0gr. of IMR3031 and 150gr. Hornady Interlok with RP 300 savage case. Best group 1.25" 3 shots at 100 yards. More normal group 1.75". Funny how the forearm channel could make such a difference.

I have killed dozens of deer with that kind of accuracy.

You have about what Ive come to expect with any 99 and 1.25 at 100 yds is in the real world, not internet ca-ca!

The 99 has historically been my favorite gun, but I wouldn't have ever owned one except for the horse
Dont ask?