An old friend gave me his old Savage. I got dies a nd cases and took it to the range last week and it shoots terrible. I mounted a trusted scope and went to the 25 yd range to get it close since I couldn't boresight it. It grouped 2" at 25 yd!

It's been carried a bunch but not shot much and tyhe barrel looks great to my old eyes. The crown checks out OK but re-crowning is my next step.

I habve three Ruger single sghots, and they shoot much better with the forearm totally floating; not touching anything but the hanger. On the 99 there is no hanger so the forearm rides right on the barrel.

Does anyone have any opinions on how to bed the barrel? I'm good with epoxy; should I bed the whole forearm? Just bed it from the fastener bolt back, and float it fwd of that?

I used the 87 Grain Speer, which is supposed to work with the 14" twist.

Thanks for any and all advice.

I haven't had much luck with Speer bullets. Some shoot just good and others shoot terrible in various calibers. I read years ago about putting an "O" ring around the fore stock screw for better accuracy. I did it to my M99F and it worked pretty good. About a 1/4" "O" ring.
Worth a try and cheap!

Hip

Try this on for size. I reload for my neighbor who has an early model 99 in 250-3000. It won'r print with anything but the lowest weight 25 cal. bullet. I usually use Sierras + all my data is at he loading room + I am at home. If you have a Sierra manual look it up + try the lesser weight of bullet. I know that this worked for my neighbor as his results were the same as yours but drastically improved by that simple solution. He was even contemplating rebarreling the rifle (which would have been a sin) but after the lighter weight, problem solved. Hope this works for you. Best, Randy

The 14" twist on early '99s makes them tough to get shooting well with most any current production bullet. You might try the 70 grain Sierra, though even that one with its plastic tip is pretty long at .870". If you are intending to use that '99 for deer size game rather than targets, varmints or plinking, there really isn't a good bullet out there for a 14" twist 250 Savage.

Interesting- I guess the O ring essentially floats the forearm except at the receiver end. I('ll try it.

I have a 243 that shoots the 100 gr Speer better than anything else. I've shot several javelina with them; pretty tough bullets; usually whistle right thru and the pig runs 50 feet or so where a ballistic tip invariably drops them in their tracks.

Looks like the 70 gr Sierra is a varmint bullet and I don't think I'd shoot a pig with it. I just want to shoot a pig with the rifle, in my friend's honor, then mostly put it away except for a possible coyote now and then. I'm sure the Sierra would be fine for coyotes if it shoots well.

Thanks for the help, guys, I'll try the O ring and if that doesn't work, recrowning, and maybe bedding the forearm. If all else fails, I could have it rebored and make a 6.5/250 Sav out of it. not sure it would feed with a Creedmore. I hate having a gun that doesn't shoot.

A friend had one , he shot 87 g hornady if I remember correctly.

I had one that shot Remington factory 100 gr loads very well. It would not shoot Winchester loads less than minute of a pie plate.

No Remington bullets on any of my usual sources, and it's below my pay grade to use factory loads for hunting, but I'll watch for some. I assume you mean Core-Locks.

I see that Hornady makes some 117 round nose bullets, meant for the 25-35. A long shot but I'll try them.

Thanks.

Jerry, I had an older 99 with the 1:14. It would not shoot anything beyond 100 grains, and less if the bullet was a boattail. I doubt those 117s will come anywhere close to stabilizing unless at extremely low speed.

Bill, probably so but possible; I understand that it's the length that matters(!). I might buy a box if and when they are available. If they don't work I could always use them to chase coyotes with my Roberts.

quote:

Originally posted by cowboy77845:
I had one that shot Remington factory 100 gr loads very well.

Same with mine. Sub-MOA with factory Rem 100gr CoreLoks. This is the only rifle I have not been able to improve with handloads. In order to come close to the Rem factory ammo, I have to use Rem 100gr CoreLok bullets. Everything else I've tried opens up grouping.
Don't even mess with the 117/120gr bullets. 3" is as good as I've ever seen with the heavier bullets.
Not sure why the OP's rifle doesn't like the 87gr bullets. Mine handles everything from 75gr-100gr and keeps it under 1.5" with the right powder. 60 grainers "pattern" like the 117/120gr, regardless of bullet maker.

I have several mod 99s in 250-3000, they all shoot under and inch including my 1920 take down. The 250 is inherently accurate IMO..they all seem to shoot exceptionly well...

Check your bore and perhaps clean it..Give the 90 Gr. Sierra HP a try, it seems to shoot well in any 99..If not then Id give that barrel a closer look it just may be shot out...

Use CFE223 or WW760 (H414 the same as 760) std rifle powder and cut 2 grs back from book max for a 99..It the lever moves when you shoot it cut back one more gr..and while you at it have the headspace checked..

As to glass bedding, yes the 99 usually responds to that, glass the forend tight and level witht he bore center the file the wood to entrance to the action with a cut in the bottom and with a hair of releaf...Barely scrap some releaf on the wood and run a thin bead of glass on the butt stock to the action all the way around and just snug it down. It usually makes a sick gun shoot..another approach and last resort is a re-barrel or rebore, and Im told relineing works, but don't know that, it does keep the original barrel and markings and I suppose thats a plus...Ive worked on many 99s and they respond well to tender love and kisses...

The 1x14 twist is somewhat misunderstood in that in in many cases prefer light bullets but give the 117 gr. Hornaday RN a try, its ojive is short and it shoots very well in my 250s, but the 100 gr. balistic tips scatter, so the only way to make these determination is at the bench rest..It the 117 dont work I'll buy them from you, and they may not, who knows..The sierra 90 and the 117 rn sure do kill well..The 117 is designed for the 25-35, but I use it in the 250 for cow elk without complaint..

I had a very nice 1927 vintage 99. Accuracy with 100 gr. Remington cartridges was beyond horrible. In my experience the 14" twist does not give you much wiggle room.

Did you try shooting different bullets and powder combinations? or make your decision on one bullet and one load...??

Hello Jerry: Had a problem similar to yours with my 250 Carbine 14" twist. What eventually worked well for me was 80gr Barnes TTSX. It's 1 1/2" @ 100 with a 4X scope and has taken several small-to-medium deer.

Fun gun to carry and shoot..

Dave Manson

I'll try them, Dave, thanks. I just had the gun re- crowned and mopunted another scope; an old faithful.

Shot my 87 gr Speers getting zerod in, then shot a group of 5 rds of old Sierra 100 grainers, just because i had some. They went endo! I'll try again next week and also try to get some TTSX's.

*You really need to give the Sierra 90 gr. HP a try, its worked in every 1x14 or 1x10 twists that Ive used it in...Ive never seen a 250 that with a little twinking wouldn't shoot in the 1" group give or take a quarter//

Shoot it without forearm to see if its a forearm issue rest on the bottom of the recv, not the barrel. Most will shoot the Speer 87 gr well. IMR 3031 shoots well in 3 of my 99 250 Savages. Cases will stretch in the 99 in 250 most have large chambers, resize case to fit the chamber, even then case life not long in my experience stick to mid range loads.

I've got the 80 gr Barnes loaded, but both Midway and Brownells are out of the 90 grain Sierras. I go to the range on Wednesdays but it's already raining so maybe next week. Story of my life.

Decades ago I used some of the Sierras in my 25--06 to shoot at coyotes. The have a big open tip but I remember that they are tougher than they look.

I'll persist, and next time at the range I'll remove the forearm for kicks.

Thnks for all the advice.

If you remove the forearm be sure to rest the action on the bag and see what happens then rest the barrel on the bag and commpare, if there is no difference, its time to glass bed fore and aft. I just can't imagen a 99 250-3000 that can't be fixed ..just fixed too many of them..

I agree, those that weren't already POI were easily put so.

A friend of mine asked if I could help him weld up a hay rake out in one of the fields. When we were done, he noticed a coyote about 100 yards away watching us over a wind row. He grabbed his father in law's open sight 250-3000 from the pickup and put one right between the coyote's eyes. He ejected the case, caught it mid air and said "That's how you do it!"

Pretty sure it was a 100 grain Winchester softpoint from a very old box of ammo.

Guessing it was minute of coyote head accuracy. No exit. Head, neck, though the body towards the tail. Picked it up and it just sloshed around.

Ive killed a load of deer with the old 100 gr. WW silver tips and a couple of elk as a matter of fact, back in the day when reloaders looked upon as maniacs and pursuers of black magic..shortly thereafter I became one, and nothing has changed!

I would be glad to better describe in an email to anyone who wants a detailed method of glass bedding a 99, thats worked for me 100% so far...

Jerry,
I would give these a try without the plastic tips.

They will kill pigs or coyotes well.

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/257-70gr-esp-raptor

I really like the 85 gr. GS Customs 25 cal HVHP bullets in my 99S in both 1x10 and 1x14 and the kill like a lightning strike on deer,Pronghorn and coyotes so far, maybe try them on alfalfa patch cow elk next year..?? The 100 gr. silvertip worked on them some years ago..Hard part is cow elk in depredation hunts are a draw these days in Idaho and hard to draw.

KK Alaska.
If after your first firing that fireforms the case to the chamber, you then only neck size the case to the point it will still feed smoothly, your cases will last up to 10 or more reloads, give or take two or three, depending on the gun..at which point the cases will need an additional full length resizeing, and/or perhaps annealing...If you anneal every reload a case will last forever its been said, I dunno about that but it makes since I think!!.