About Us

The Savage family eventually moved back to Jamaica where they purchased a coffee plantation, it was here that Savage and his son Arthur John began to pursue their inventive interests.
 
Among the Savage’s earliest successes, was the co design of the Savage Halpine Torpedo, adopted by the Brazilian Navy. The Savage’s were also involved in the design of the world’s first recoil-less rifle. However; it was not until the Savages moved to Utica New York that Arthur senior became convinced that there was room for improvement in the American firearm designs of the day. Having developed several prototype rifles from 1887 onward and with the assistance of financial backers, Arthur W Savage formed the Savage Repeating Arms company in 1894. 
 
In 1895, the Savage Repeating Arms company released a radical new rifle design. The model 1895 Savage lever action rifle featured a hammerless action and rotary magazine. Equally innovative was Savage’s cartridge for the Model 95 rifle, created out of a determination to use the new smokeless powder technology. The .303 Savage fired a 190 gr .311” bullet at 1900fps, having a similar case capacity and competing directly against Winchester’s .30 WCF (160 gr bullet at 1960fps) released only months earlier.  With its heavy bullet the .303 Savage gained a reputation for being a reliable killer of many species of North American game. Further modifications to the Savage rifle resulted in the model 1899. This rifle was soon re-branded as simply the model 99 and the design gained an immense following.
 
Although .303 Savage ammunition was originally loaded with .311” bullets (groove .311”/ land .303”), bore diameters of the original model 95 and 99 rifles were typically .308”. Some rifle historians state that it was Savage’s intention to use an oversized projectile to generate pressure and velocity. Other sources state that bores of the first model 95’s were .311” in diameter but with the popularity of the .30 caliber growing, both bore and ammunition dimensions were changed to .308. Whatever the case, .303 Savage ammunition was later changed to the more common .308” bullet diameter with powder charges increased accordingly. Ammunition for the .303 Savage was made by Dominion, Peters and Remington UMC.
 
The .303 Savage remained popular until the Second World War and for a time ammunition was available in several different weights. After the war, popularity of the .303 gradually declined, eventually resulting in the discontinuation of .303 Savage ammunition. Today, apart from custom made components, factory ammunition for the .303 is obsolete making this cartridge purely a hand loading (and custom case forming) proposition. Cases can be formed using .220 Swift or 30/40 Krag brass, the Krag having a more suitable rim. It is also possible to use .307 Winchester brass, the two cases being very similar in rim diameter, head diameter and length. Powder charges can be developed from .30-30 load data.
 
In 1905 Savage offered the model 99 rifle in Winchesters .25-35, .30-30, .32-40 and .38-55 calibers. In 1912, Savage adopted the Charles Newton designed .22  Hi power, a cartridge which utilized high velocity as a means to increase killing power. Contracted to design another cartridge for Savage, Newton’s next design was the .250-3000 Savage, introduced in 1915. The last of the Savage cartridges owes its creation to Savage himself. By this time the First World War was over and American hunters had become well aware (and fond of) the effectiveness of the .30-06. To this end, Savage set about designing a compact .30 caliber cartridge for the model 99 rifle that would give .30-06 like performance. The .300 Savage was released in 1920, firing a 150 gr bullet at 2630fps, 70fps shy of the then current .30-06 150 gr loading at 2700fps, an incredible achievement. 
 
The .300 Savage gained immense popularity throughout the U.S as well as receiving an excellent reputation in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The Savage 99 rifle and .300 Savage cartridge were perfectly matched, making for a powerful yet portable combination. The M99 was highly prized as a scabbard gun, its profile being slim enough to be strapped under a saddle fender, neither tying up the horse or destroying rider leg contact while the cartridge had the power and reach to tackle large bodied medium game out to generous ranges.
 
The two common factory loads for the .300 savage featured either a 150 grain bullet at 2630fps, or a 180 grain bullet at 2350fps. These velocities were (and still are) obtained from 24” test barrels. 22” barreled sporters produced around 2600fps with the 150 grain bullet and 2300fps with the 180 grain bullet. Companies such as Western (later becoming Winchester) offered several options which later included the PowerPoint type expanding projectile as well as the highly frangible SilverTip. The various 180 grain ammunition was, as can be expected, popular with Elk hunters.
 
Although the early M99 rifles did not feature scope mount fittings, the solid receiver and side ejection allowed early rifles to be drilled and tapped for scope use. The M99 was eventually manufactured ready for scope use which increased the usable range of the M99 exponentially. Scoped rifles could also occasionally be found in the scabbards of horseback hunters/ranchers. That said,  many farmers/ranchers never gained a great deal of faith in scopes, having had breakages and wandering zero’s as a result of the rigors of horseback work which did not suit the delicate nature of early optics.
 
In 1944 the US military used the .300 Savage as a base for assault cartridge research and design, eventually resulting in the  T-65 cartridge which we know today as the .308 Winchester (1952) and the 7.62 NATO (1954). Major differences between the .300 Savage and .308Win are the shorter neck and overall length of the .300 Savage which was designed for the 99’s limited magazine length. SAAMI maximum average pressure rating for the .308 Winchester are 62,000psi as opposed to 47,000psi for the Savage due to considerations of earlier M99 action metallurgy. 
 
As always, adoption and standardization of a military cartridge ensures the availability of inexpensive surplus ammunition to prospective consumers. Increased sales of .308 Winchester caliber rifles halted the growth and continued popularity of the .300 Savage cartridge. Savage was forced to adopt the .308 Winchester as a chambering for the M99 in 1955. Savage also adopted the .243 Winchester and these cartridges ultimately superseded Savage’s own .300 and .250 Savage loadings. 
 
Presently, the Model 99 rifle is no longer in production. Many thousands of Savage M99 rifles are still in circulation, enjoyed by collectors and hunters alike. Factory .300 Savage ammunition is still available however it is becoming rare. Just a few years ago, Olin, Federal and Remington each offered loads however now (2010), only Remington produce factory ammunition for the .300. Considering the classic appeal of the M99, this will hopefully continue.