Opinions on the 250-3000 Savage for deer

[Alex Johnson]

I'm considering the purchase of a Savage 99 in 250-3000, I've heard that this was at one time quite a popular number on deer, though I've never shot a deer with anything under 30 caliber. does anyone have some background information on this cartridge?

 

[Art Eatman]

Excellent deer cartridge. They had to drop back to an 87-grain bullet, IIRC, to get the 3,000 ft/sec, but with 100- or 117-grain bullets it works quite well. Learn the limitations as to trajectory and potency "out yonder"; don't be overly optimistic about big deer at long range and you'd do just fine.

Shoots flatter than a .30-30, and probably about the same energy at 200 or so yards. (Don't have my loading data books handy...)

Art

 

[radom]

Art hit that right on the head. With the 87 grain its real poor on deer but does well on black bear if you can get a head shot. With a 117 loaded down a hair its deadly on deer or elk even. The 87 grain load is about the most shocking failure of a load I have ever seen in action. My brother hit a deer under the right eye and the slug went out under the left ear on a 3 point and it took 3 more rounds tru the chest to put it down at about 50 yds. And it does shoot pretty flat for a old pre WW-1 round too.

 

[WIL TERRY]

THE 250-3000 IS A MOST EXCELLENT DEER KILLER WITH

THE 100GR BULLETS.
My Savage 99 rifle will do 3000fps with 100gr bullets pushed by H414 powder easy as you please. Put one of 'em in the right place and set back a second and check your knife, 'cause yore gonna be in the venison bidness real soon now.

 

[Elkslayer]

Excellent deer cartridge if you keep the distance to less than say, 250-300 yards.

Just remember, the animals haven't gotten tougher hides or become harder to kill since the 250-3000 Savage was popular, just the hunters desire to shoot at longer distances and not to try to be better "hunters" and get within range of the animals for close-in shots.

This is my daughters main deer and antelope rifle and it works just fine with heavier bullets. (The 87 gr bullets work great on varmints!)

 

[ACP230]

My favorite deer rifle is a Ruger 77RL in .250-3000. I have had a couple of deer go 40-100 yards after being shot with it but most fell on the spot. Shots were from 30-200 yards. The 77 was very accurate too. Factory Remington 100 grain Core-Lokt loads were more accurate than my handloads with the same bullet, but both worked well on deer.

I have been looking for a deal on a Savage 99 in .250 but prices I've seen have been high. I'd love to have one to go with my Ruger.

 

[Mannlicher]

my Ruger M77RSI is in .250/3000 Ackley Improved. A fine whitetail rifle. Handy, quick to shoulder, and deadly. I also like the 100 grain over 3200fps.

Larry Koller, in his classic Shots at Whitetails. speaks well for the Savage round.

 

[Clemson]

The 250 Savage is

A better cartridge than the .243 for deer. It is pretty much inditinguishable from the .257 Roberts in field performance, though the Roberts is usually chambered in more accurate rifles.

 

[john kilgore]

I'm suprised at the number of people who write off the .250 Sav. with the lighter bullets on deer. I too once believed until I started hunting deer with a .257 Robt. After killing upwards of 50 whitetails and one mule deer, with bullets from 75gr to 120gr. I can tell you that the .250 will kill deer at least as well and usually better than the .243 with similar weight bullets. I've seen and have experienced bullet failure to expand with the .243 and bullets of 100gr. at ranges of 300yds and greater. Never with the .25's.

However, I have seen the .25/06 w/87gr. Rem PowrLokt bullet (factory load) wound a deer with a neck shot. It played dead for 30min. and then miraculously revived while truck it was in was parked in parking lot of County Court house. A .40 S&W sealed the deal though; -And an embarrased claim to StateFarm for the bullet hole in the bead of the truck! The bullet (.25) had hit the neck behind the skull and left a substantial flesh wound, but little blood and had only "knocked" the deer unconcious having missed the spine.
Make sure they aren't still breathing before you put 'em on the truck!

One night I was doing some permit control work on an airport and the person I was assisting was using a .243 w/Rem 80gr SP fact. loads (uncle of above .25/06 hunter), I was using the .257 w/ 75gr HornadyHP handload at chronographed 3520fps. The only difference was the .257 had a more pronounced "slap" when it hit at ranges over 100yds over the .243. All 11 deer we shot that night at ranges of 70 to 413yds (measured) died instantly. (Most were shoulder spine shots except one head shot), NONE of the 11 had bullets in them as all had completely passed through- they were cleaned and dressed at County Jail- made quite an impression on the prisoners !!!
The 250 Savage's I've shot were all accurate rifles including the Savage '99 that would shoot 1.5"/3-shots @100yds all day long with either 87,100 or 117gr bullets. A T/C contender w/14" bbl was another aquaintances favorite deer "gun", he likes the 85gr Nosler BT. I used the 85gr BT on a 200lb muley in Montana in '93 as I only took one ammo, shot other 96 of 100rds I took on prarie dogs- 3shots were used to verify zero. Bullet completely penetrated shoulder-spine @ measured 370yds (440 paces).

Trajectory of .250 Sav. is similar to .30/06 which is plenty flat. Power is not significantly below .257 Robt. or .25/06; and kills just as well as you can shoot it.
Get it and shoot it !!!
Don't worry if it'll kill deer, it will! And with all available weights of ammo.