The .300 Savage was once a popular deer hunting caliber. Though it is still as effective today as it was in the past, the .300 Savage’s popularity has waned greatly. The .300 Savage was one of a number of cartridges developed by Savage and used in its lever action Model 99. The Savage Model 99 chambered for the .300 Savage may well have been the greatest deer hunting rifle of all time. Combining fast handling and quick pointing of the Model 99 with the .300 Savage (which is far superior ballistically to the 30-30 Winchester) the Savage Model 99 was a deer rifle with few true competitors. Though the gun and cartridge was a better long range rifle, Winchester’s Model 94 coupled with the smaller, yet efficient, 30-30 Winchester cartridge and the Marlin 336 squeezed the Model 99 into history.
Though no longer manufactured there are numerous Savage Model 99’s around chambered for the .300 Savage and finding one should not be too difficult. The .300 Savage was also a popular caliber in other rifles over the years and these can still be found as well. A quick internet search turned up a .300 Savage in a Remington Model 700 and a Model 760 pump which would be an interesting rifle as well. Ammunition for the .300 Savage is produced by a number of manufacturers including Remington, Federal, and Winchester. Reloading components are common as well and offered by all the big names including Lee Precision, RCBS, Hornady, Redding, etc. The .300 Savage uses a standard .308 bullet so a handloader has tons of bullets to work with when working up loads.
The .300 Savage in factory loaded ammunition is most commonly loaded in either 150 grain or 180 grain bullets. Remington loads both of these offerings, with the 150 grain bullet being ballistically superior and probably the better choice for most hunting purposes. Perhaps for larger game animals than deer at close range the 180 grain could be a better choice. Also, some rifles might shoot the 180 grain bullet more accurately than the 150 grain. Other than these two reasons, the 150 grain is the way to go. Remington loads their pointed Core-Lokt 150 grain in the .300 Savage and this produces just over 2600 feet per second and 2300 foot pounds of energy. The .300 Savage carries over 1000 foot pounds of energy well past 300 yards while showing a reasonable bullet drop.
Combining the ballistics able to effectively kill deer out past 300 yards with the handling of the Savage Model 99, the old cartridge in the great rifle might be the best deer hunting rifle ever made. If you have the chance to pick one up do so and you’ll be glad that you did.
