Gentlemen,

I just picked up a dandy Savage Model 99A in .250-3000 Savage. The only downside is the previous owner shortened the barrel to 18". I ran some R-P 100 gr. ammo over the chronograph, and averaged 2560 fps. This is about 300 fps less than published. Accuracy averaged 1.25 inch groups.

I am interested in picking up a replacement barrel. Any ideas where?

Thanks in advance.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

Factory ammo for the 250 is a bit annemic, I shoot almost 3000 with 100gns out of a 22", so I would think you could handload that lever to about 2700fps. At that rate it'll make a first hand deer rifle.

Based on my experience with Savage Arms, I think you should get in touch with them directly. Their customer service is second to none. If there is a way to correct the problem, they will handle it with little or no problems to you. Great people to deal with.

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Jay
"For God and Country"

Joel,
I would just hand load it and you might try some of the lighter 75 gr. X bullets and really pick up the velocity in that handy little gun...Also you can load it up to 2700 and it will do the job real well..I shot an 18" barrel 250 for years on deer and it killed like the hammer of thor with factory Win 100 gr. silvertips even at lower velocities...

Thats one heck of a caliber and much better on game than any 6mm despite the paper balistics. I have killed a number of elk with the same 100 gr. silvertip load back during my mispent cowboy youth. Try it you will like it I promise you.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the advice regarding my new .250-3000. I am really enjoying shooting it. It is a wonderful change of pace from shooting hot .45-70's or my new .416. I will just work up some handloads and keep shooting it. I think the women around here will like using it as well.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

7mm Rem Mag Page www.slatesafaris.com/7mm.htm

It is amazing how well some of our guns kill when one is forced to slow the bullets down..

I don't think we, as Americans, realize how well bullets will maintain their integrity when slowed down a couple of hundred fps or well they kill when they are not stressed to the limit...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Ray,

I agree about slowing bullets down. That is why my .303 British is such a killing machine. Of course, I contradict myself in my love for my pet 7mm Rem Mag. The first thing I grab though is usually the .303...

By the way, my new .250-3000 hardly looks like it has ever been used. It came with a brand new Bushnell Trophy 3-9x (still in box), 3 boxes of ammo, loading dies, a full box of hornady 100 gr. bullets, and was only $200. I think I did OK on the deal.

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

JR, I was feeling only a little bad until I saw your last post! Now it hurts all over! Next I suppose you're going to tell me it was advertised in the Register Guard for a few days, nobody bought it ---. I have a real soft spot for 99's, and my deceased father looked a lot of years for what you have now. I never seem to find nice and inexpensive on the same sales tag as "Savage Model 99". Enjoy that thing, okay?!?! Chuck

Chuck,

Actually it was in the Money Saver. I picked up a copy at Dari-Mart, and called as soon as I could. I too have a soft spot for model 99's, if only my wallet could support my habit.

Take Care,

Joel Slate
Slate & Associates, LLC
www.slatesafaris.com

JR, I too have a "soft-spot" for 99's and the 250 Savage. I had a Ruger M77 RSI -mannlicher stock- with an 18.5" barrel. I used 120 gr Speers to kill deer with. At those moderate velocities that little bugger really did the job. A friend took a big 5x5 elk on his ranch with the 100 gr. factory suff... anemic, yes! But it worked, though I don't think there's anything about the 250 to reccomend it for elk!

BA

JR--Damn, thats even worse--thats my shopping paper--Guess I didn't see that one. Did pick up a super buy on a muzzleloader in that paper a couple of years ago. Deals like these are few and far between. Glad you like it! ---Chuck---

I would try some other bullet first as that rifle must be cleaned from the muzzle. There are not many takedowns around.

With that extra $200 to $300 that you made on that deal you can afford a copy of "Shots at Whitetails" by Larry Koheller and hire Atkinson for a guide!

Since the 100 gr loads don't keyhole then I would look at a bullet in the Corelokt class and load it with 4895. Check the insides of the fired cases with a wire look for insipiant head separations. You can't tell when they are about to go from the outside.

Allow me to share my favorite Mod.99 Savage 250-3000 story with you...

My dad, an old cowboy and a barber most all of his life, depending on cow prices, shot a 25/35 Win...In my early years about the 40's and early 50's we used to haul a big trailer load of Mules to Colorado and hunt elk, then sell the Mules to the packers at the Chimney rock store when we came out of the Wilamanuche (SP?)

Well we came out in I believe 1952 or thereabouts and Dad got caught by a Game Warden with the 25/35 to his dismay and total embarrassment, it was against the law except if handloaded to a certain whatever..He was a very honest man and this whole thing mortified him..He had no idea and never was a really good shot and new little about guns. He oiled them with used crank case oil for pete sakes.

What he was is a good cowboy and tougher than nails and just waited until he rode up on an elk, however long it took and shot him at 25 to 50 yards and seldom got off his horse to do it..sometimes it took longer than I liked, especially when it snowed...

The Judge excused him and Dan promised to get a more powerfull rifle..Upon our return home he went into the local hardware and came out with a 250-3000 Sav. Mod. 99..

I mistakenly made a comment about it not being much better than a 25/35 and I was brought to attention big time and informed that this rifle was the biggest gun in the store and it didn't take a genious to see it had more numbers than any of the rest...cased closed

I had since enough to drop the subject...

I still get a smile when I think of that day. He was a rascal, he spilt more whisky than most men drank, and was the twin of Rooster cogburn, he called me Rooster all his life, he is gone now but I still have a 250-3000 Sav. M-99.

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com

Nice story Ray... there's nothing like a good Dad is there! Makes you think our 338 WIn Mags for the thick stuff are actually Elephant-Guns, eh?!

BA

I recall the ad's for the Savage 99 and the .250 showing a hunter holding the rifle in front of a huge bear. The big thing was the 3000 fps.

My dad brought home a 99 in .250 for me for a deer rifle. I guess I was about 12 and I was already shooting with the junior team. We went out to the clubs range and I shot the rifle prone at 50 yards. I guess that I did not do so well. It must have been the recoil. I really wanted that rifle but I did not get it. I remember that I was wearing just a tee shirt and those old 99's had a steel butt plate. So my dad bought me a M-722 in .222 Rem. I shot my first deer with that rifle and lost my last one with it the next year. My dad owned a tool and die shop and he was a top competative shooter but he did not know a lot about calibers. He shot a M-51 JC Higgins in 30/06. He made tooling for High Standard and thats how he got that one.

Many years later I bought myself a 99 in .358 Win.