albertashooter Posted April 13, 2007 Report Share Posted April 13, 2007 I have a buddy who picked up a 303 savage and is now considering optoins for brass.There are some suppliers advertising but so far are out of stock.Any hints onobtaining brass or how to form it from another case would be appreciated. I am slightly jealous. When I was a young and foolish lad I did not find the 99s very appealing but now I think they are pretty cool kind of like old mausers. I especially like the older models.Amazing the perspective that a few years brings.( maybe more than a few) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted April 14, 2007 Report Share Posted April 14, 2007 The closest I see is 220 Swift brass (.303 Sav - .442, 220 Swift - .445). The rim is smaller though (.473 vs .505). As long as the extractor on the Savage 99 can grab a Swift case, it might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted April 15, 2007 Report Share Posted April 15, 2007 I'm digging this out of the old grey matter but I believe the 250/300 Savage cartridges traces their roots to 7X57. The .473 rim is used on the 30/06, 308, 270, 8X57 and numerous others. I bet it can easily be formed from trimmed 7X57 but with a little patience 308 (not military 7.62) or 06 should also work. Without opening the 308/7.62 is or isn't the same can of worms, chances are good cheap surplus 7.62 will work but the thicker brass might test one's patience at the loading bench. The military 7.62 might also be a bit rough on 99's push type extractor. Bear in mind, replacement parts availability on older Savage/Stevens guns are strictly in the used or the costly custom fabricated route once Numrich's stock is depleted. You might get by doing the same as was done prior to the 80's when alot of unloaded brass was not sold by the manufactures. Buy some loaded ammo and save the brass. Eventually the unloaded brass will be for sale but once the biggies make a run it might not be available again for few to several years. Get it on your Midway's wanted list if it is not in stock, be notified when its available then buy as much as you can afford. If he is an extreme cheapskate (like me!!) it would be a good idea to anneal the re-formed brass' shoulder. If he wants to do enough to get by untill the brass is available, shoot it a couple times, toss it and skip the pain in the ass annealing process. Once-fired brass is likely available on Ebay/Gun Broker etc. but if its not readily available through normal channels, competitive bidding will make it costly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cold shot Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Question, is 303 savage anything like 303 enfield or 303 springfield? i don't know the diff if there is. if they're the same, midway has 303 british brass from rem. Just a thought and my .03 worth. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 My apologies!! I wasn't paying attention, my post was regarding 300 not the 303 Savage. Strait shooter, I don't believe there is or was a 303 Springfield. Possibly you confused it with 30/03. The ought three is the parent cartridge to the 30/06 and not a rimmed cartridge like the 303 Brit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 Here is an interesting Ebay auction in regards to 303 Savage brass. The seller is auctioning 30/40 Krag bass altered to 303 Savage. I don't have any first hand knowledge reforming a rimmed cartridge but if the Ebay seller is not pulling anybody's leg. It might be possible to form it from 30/40. http://cgi.ebay.com/303-Savage-Brass_W0QQi...1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun nutty Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 30/40 brass has a base of .457 and rim diameter of .545 (http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd3040krag.jpg) 303 Savage brass has a base of .442 and a rim diameter of .505 (http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd303savage.jpg) 220 Swft brass has a base of .445 and a rim diameter of .473 (http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd220swift.jpg) As stated, if the 99 Savage will grab the rim of a 220 Swift case, then you're set. The base diameter should be close enough to allow chambering; the rim is under size, but still a rimmed case. Re-forming 30/40 brass to .303 Savage brass would involve machining/shaving ~ .015 off the base of the case and reducing the rim diameter by .040. If extraction won't work with a Swft case, then e-bay might be a better deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzRednek Posted April 16, 2007 Report Share Posted April 16, 2007 RCBS's custom shop did and I assume still does, make reforming tools to reduce the size of a rim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertashooter Posted April 19, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Thanks for all the help. I appreciate the responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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