ASK THE GUN EDITOR
Letters containing questions for answering by Nick Harvey must be accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. Mail your letters to: The Technical Editor, 3 Reef Street, Hill End, NSW 2850.
Loads For the Old .300 Savage
Q I'm seeking some reloading data for for a Savage 110 I bought recently in .300 Savage. I have a number of reloading manuals but all the data is for powders not generally available here. ADI lists only one load for 150gn projectiles (40gn of AR2206H for 2400fps), but I think the cartridge is capable of better performance than that. I have your Practical Reloading manuals (1st and 9th editions) but the .300 Savage is not among the calibres listed. The powders I have on hand are AR2208, AR2209, W-760, BM2 and RE-15. Happy to try any other powder I can get my hands on. I want to use 150gn projectiles. I've read that due to the cartridge’s short neck, it is best to use flat-base bullets.What’s your opinion?
– Andrew Walker
A The .300 Savage is not listed in my reloading manuals for a very good reason - it is obsolete. The Hornady 130gn and 44gn of AR2206H gets 2900fps; with 41gn of AR2206H the 150gn Hornady achieves 2600fps and 43gn of Re-15 gets 2700fps; The Hornady 165gn bullet and 41gn of AR2206H or 42.5gn of Re-15 generates 2500fps; the 180gn Hornady and 40gn of AR2206H or 40.5gn of Re-15 gets 2400fps. These are all maximum charges so work up from two grains below. I can see why having such a short neck dictates the use of flat-base bullets since the combined effect of the .300’s short neck and restricted cartridge overall length causes spitzer bullets heavier than 150gn to protrude too far below the
