.303 Savage

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.303 Savage
.303 Savage with .308 Win and .30-30 WCF.JPG
Round-nosed .303 Savage (center) with .308 Winchester (left) and .30-30 Winchester (right)
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
Designer Savage Arms
Manufacturer Savage Arms
Produced1895
Specifications
Case typeRimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter.308 in (7.8 mm)
Neck diameter.333 in (8.5 mm)
Shoulder diameter.413 in (10.5 mm)
Base diameter.442 in (11.2 mm)
Rim diameter .505 in (12.8 mm)
Rim thickness .063 in (1.6 mm)
Case length2.015 in (51.2 mm)
Overall length2.520 in (64.0 mm)
Primer typeLarge rifle
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/typeVelocityEnergy
170 gr (11 g) SP2,090 ft/s (640 m/s)1,649 ft⋅lbf (2,236 J)
Source: .303 Savage reload data at Hodgdon

The .303 Savage is a rimmed, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by the Savage Arms Company in 1894, which was designed as a short (as short as the .30-30 Winchester) action cartridge for their Savage Model 99 hammerless lever-action rifle. The cartridge was designed for smokeless powder at a time when black-powder cartridges were still popular. The .303 Savage using heavier 190 grain bullets had a reputation of being better on heavy game than the .30-30 Win, but it was considered a marginal difference. [1] Although with modern loads, the .303 Savage is considered on par with the .30-30 Winchester in performance, with only slightly less muzzle velocity, for example when using a Remington 150 grain JSP the .303 has a muzzle velocity of 2,155 ft/s, while the .30-30 with the same bullet is 2,390 ft/s. [2] [3] The .303 Savage remained popular through the 1930s. [4] Savage produced a half dozen loads for it. With its 190-grain loading, it was used on such animals as deer and moose.

Contents

Despite the similar names, the .303 Savage and the .303 British cartridge are not interchangeable due to differences in case dimensions and bullet diameter. [5] Despite its name, the .303 Savage uses a .308 in (7.8 mm) diameter bullet, while the .303 British uses a slightly larger .312 in (7.92 mm) bullet and gets its name from having a land diameter of .303 in (7.70 mm). Additionally, the .303 British has a longer case length of 2.222 in (56.44 mm) and a much longer overall cartridge length of 3.075 in (78.11 mm), with a shallower shoulder angle of 17°. [6] While the .303 Savage has a case length of 2.015 in (51.2 mm), an overall cartridge length of 2.520 in (64.0 mm), and a much sharper shoulder angle of 32°. [7] As such, a .303 British wouldn't fit inside a .303 Savage chamber and have the bolt be able to close, and if it were to somehow be fired the larger .312 in diameter bullet of the .303 British could become lodged in the smaller .308 inch barrel of the .303 Savage, potentially causing a catastrophic failure.

History

Savage Arms created the .303 Savage as part of an unsuccessful attempt at creating a cartridge for the military. Although the cartridge was never popular with the military, it did become a popular round for civilian hunters. Initially designed round-nosed but becoming a pointed-tip rimmed cartridge in early 1900s, it worked well in the Model 99 rifles that Savage produced because of their rotary magazine. It wasn't as successful in other lever-action rifles because only the round-nose loading were safe to use with their tubular magazines. However, the pointed-tip bullets gave it a ballistic advantage over other traditional lever-action cartridges such as the .30-30 Winchester. [8]

Reloading

The .303 Savage has a small, but loyal fraternity of shooters who reload this cartridge. While major ammunition manufacturers have long since halted production of ammo, dedicated followers can procure loaded ammunition and brass cases through smaller enterprises. The brass cases can be formed from .30-30 Winchester, .32 Winchester Special, and .38-55 Winchester casings, if no correct brass is available. [9] Great care must be taken as the Winchester brass is about .020 in (0.51 mm) smaller at the base and case failure is possible. It is safer to obtain correct .303 Savage brass, which shows up occasionally in runs from Norma or Prvi Partizan.

Loads respond well to traditional loads in the same range as the .30-30 or .30 Remington. However, the slightly larger case volume, and stronger rifle action allow for loads that improve significantly over standard loads for the .30-30. [2] It is quite possible to put 190 grain flat points at 1,905 fps as well as 160 grain FTX bullets at 2060 fps, even from 20 in (510 mm) featherweight barrels.

See also

References

  1. ↑ O'Connor, Jack (14 September 2025). "Jack O'Connor's Opinion of the Old .30-30 Winchester". Outdoor Life. No. April 1953. © Recurrent. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 Pearce, Lane (6 April 2021). ".303 Savage Load Data and Handloading Tips". Shooting Times. No. Reloading. © Outdoor Sportsman Group. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  3. ↑ "Ballistics Chart: Remington Core-Lokt 30-30 Win 150 grain JSP". Ammo.com. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  4. ↑ The .303 Savage by Chuck Hawks (subscription required)
  5. ↑ Bodinson, Holt (2000). "Farewell to the Savage 1899". Guns . 28 (1).
  6. ↑ Massaro, Philip (4 October 2023). "Behind the Bullet: .303 British". American Hunter . National Rifle Association of America. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  7. ↑ ".303 Savage Load Data". XXL Reloading. © Capra GmbH. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  8. ↑ Barnes, Frank C. (5 October 2012). Cartridges of the World: A Complete Illustrated Reference for More Than 1,500 Cartridges. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 122. ISBN   978-1-4402-3059-2.
  9. ↑ Chevalier, Bill (11 June 2008). Abc's Of Reloading: The Definitive Guide For Novice To Expert. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 216. ISBN   978-0-89689-609-3.
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