Bullets for .303 Savage?

[MbMinx]

I have a nice .303 Savage rifle and a set of Lee reloading dies.
My father-in-law is an avid reloader, and he's willing to teach me how to reload ammunition for it if I buy all the supplies.

Brass is a pain, but I have found some online resources for that.
Does a .303 savage require any special type of bullet?

As expensive as this is, I don't see myself shooting it often...but it's so pretty...

 

[straight-shooter]

Sierra .303 Caliber Rifle Bullets, Reloading Components, Reloading, Shooting : Cabela's

 

[MbMinx]

Awesome. Thank you.
So much to learn...

 

[UncleNorby]

I have read that 303 bores can vary quite a bit. May be a god idea to slug it so you know which bullets will shoot best.

 

[MbMinx]

How do I "slug" a barrel?

 

[Broom_jm]

OK, I have heard that 303 "BRITISH" bores can vary quite a bit, but the 303 Savage is likely to be much more consistent.

The link to Cabela's 303 bullets shown above is NOT correct for the 303 Savage. It does not have the ~.311" bore diameter of the 303 British and there is no reason whatsoever to use anything but standard .308" diameter bullets in it. For all intents and purposes, the 303 SAVAGE is like a 30/30 Winchester.

Make sure you know what cartridge you are loading for and that it is, in fact, the 303 Savage cartridge...not a Savage rifle, chambered for the 303 British cartridge. Once you have confirmed that, you'll know what dies and bullets to buy. If the barrel is stamped "303 Savage", ignore the link above and choose .308" bullets.

.303 Savage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You should seriously consider shooting cast lead bullets from your 303 Savage, particularly if the bore has seen better days.

 

[MbMinx]

It's an actual stamped 303 Savage. It's given my Dad and I fits over the years finding ammunition for it. That's why I gave him the reloading dies one Christmas - if you can't buy it, make it! Now it's mine...

So .308 winchester bullets are better? That's nice to know - thank you for the information.

Did you know some people don't believe there is such a thing as a 303 Savage cartridge?

 

[Broom_jm]

It's an actual stamped 303 Savage. It's given my Dad and I fits over the years finding ammunition for it. That's why I gave him the reloading dies one Christmas - if you can't buy it, make it! Now it's mine...

So .308 winchester bullets are better? That's nice to know - thank you for the information.

Did you know some people don't believe there is such a thing as a 303 Savage cartridge?

There are still people who don't believe we ever landed on the moon. They watch documentaries about it from TV's that are fed by SATELLITE signals.

The 303 Savage is basically another 30 caliber chambering it doesn't use "308 winchester" bullets...it just uses bullets with a diameter of .308". That's the same diameter a 308 Win uses, but bullets are caliber specific usually, not cartridge specific.

If anything, you would probably want to use 30 caliber bullets intended for use in the 30/30 Winchester. In fact, one excellent choice would be the 160gr Flex-Tip bullets from Hornady.

Is the rifle a bolt-action, lever-action or maybe a break open?

 

[MbMinx]

It's a bolt-action.
30 Caliber bullets. That sounds right.

Thanks for your help.
My father-in-law is very excited to have something "new" to reload. I'm looking forward to learning a new skill. This could be fun!

 

[Broom_jm]

It's a bolt-action.
30 Caliber bullets. That sounds right.

Thanks for your help.
My father-in-law is very excited to have something "new" to reload. I'm looking forward to learning a new skill. This could be fun!

There are 4 primary reasons folks get into reloading, according to Larry Potterfield of Midway USA. One of those is, "they just don't make it anymore", or if they do, it costs an arm and a leg. That leads to another reason, which is saving money. You can also make better ammo than you can buy, in many cases, and then there's the simple satisfaction of doing something yourself.

I reload for all 4 reasons, I guess. I'm betting your FIL is the same way and it will be great getting that old 303 Savage back into action!

 

[Iroquois]

Any good reloading manual should give reloading specs on this cartridge. My old copy of Cartridges
Of the world states "current SAAMI specifications call for a bullet of 0.311." 308 bullets probably
won't hurt but might not give best accuracy. Slugging the barrel is a good idea after all. If you don't
know how you might find a gunsmith who can... don't use the bigger bullet till you're sure.

 

[Broom_jm]

Any good reloading manual should give reloading specs on this cartridge. My old copy of Cartridges
Of the world states "current SAAMI specifications call for a bullet of 0.311." 308 bullets probably
won't hurt but might not give best accuracy. Slugging the barrel is a good idea after all. If you don't
know how you might find a gunsmith who can... don't use the bigger bullet till you're sure.

I'm not sure what you consider a "good reloading manual", but I've got more than half a dozen and none of them have loads for this old, obscure cartridge. Even my oldest manuals, from the early 80's, have nothing on the 303 SAVAGE.

COTW does state that some military cases/bullets were measured, with varying results. The commercially-produced rifles, such as the one the OP is loading for, were always .308", or very close to it. The same COTW article states this round was developed for potential military use, which might explain why those rifles had a more liberal groove diameter; it would have been an advantage in that era to be able to load with the larger bullets commonly in use.

 

[Iroquois]

COTW lists two loads and gives credit to Lyman...I'd start there. I seem to remember seeing loads
in Dad's old manuals, which were lost in a fire in '97. Haven't looked since and I'm usually at work
when I'm on here..my COTW has a print date of '97 so I must have bought it right after the fire.
The. 303 Savage is listed under "current rifle cartridges "
I still recommend slugging the barrel, as there are lots of cheap. 310 bullets
out there....

 

[Skip]

.303 Savage

Bullet size: .308"


303 British

Bullet size: .312"

It looks like any good .308" bullet will work just fine. Here is what I would do: I would get some surplus 150gr ish bullets and a box of Nosler 165gr Ballistic Tips and load them up to near the same velocity. There is a TON of data around for each cartridge, tons of it. If you can hold 1-2" @ 100 yards, you will be doing good. No need to do anything special, such as slugging the barrel, YET!

If your groups are larger than that, then I would go to the trouble or, get some .310" some .311" and some .312" bullets and give them a try and see if the groups size goes down. Just remember, if you use the bigger bullets, you will have to have a different size pin for your resizing die.

I have both sizes for my 7.62X54R as I wanted to shoot both types and sizes of bullets in it. Hope this helps.

 

[Skip]

Here is a suggested article to read. I have not but, this magazine always has good information:
Handloader Issue 142 "Loading the Old Ones" by Ken Waters

 

[Broom_jm]

If you'd like some excellent advice about using appropriately sized cast bullets from your 303 Savage, which may be just the thing to make an old gun shoot well again, stop in over at Shooters Forum. There are guys there who will gladly help you with detailed instructions on everything from lapping a rough bore to loads that will get you up and running.

If you're sticking with jacketed bullets, forget all this slugging the bore nonsense. Shoot some .308" bullets, of various weights, and you will almost certainly find one that groups well enough for hunting or just fun shooting.

 

[Iroquois]

Found it! Lee's reloading manual next to 7.62 x 39. Lyman's Cast bullet hand book has load information.
You would need to find / make some gas check style bullets(
and gas checks. You might be surprised
How close these are to factory specs. If you do get a wild hair to slug your barrel look in up
on line. You-tube has lots of videos on it. Kits are available. Good luck!

 

[MbMinx]

Wow! great information - thank you all so much!

 

[IndyS3]

If you ever start reloading, there are some of us that might want to purchase rounds...

 

[customammosupply]

If you ever start reloading, there are some of us that might want to purchase rounds...

Check out Custom Ammo Supply on Facebook and send a PM. Website is under construction but 303 Savage components are in stock and can be produced. Email at customammo14@gmail.com with requested bullet size and type and I'll send an invoice prior to finalizing and producing.