.300 Savage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A side-by-side size comparison between the .308 Winchester (left) and the .300 Savage (right) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Type | Rifle cartridge | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Designer | Savage Arms | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Manufacturer | Savage Arms | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Produced | 1920 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent case | .250 Savage | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Case type | Rimless, bottleneck | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Bullet diameter | .308 in (7.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Neck diameter | .339 in (8.6 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | .446 in (11.3 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Base diameter | .471 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rim diameter | .473 in (12.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Case length | 1.871 in (47.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Overall length | 2.60 in (66 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rifling twist | 1-10" | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Primer type | Large rifle | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Test barrel length: 24 Source(s): Midway USA (factory loads) Accurate Powder (hand loads) |
The .300 Savage cartridge is a rimless, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by the Savage Arms Company in 1920. It was designed to replace the less powerful .303 Savage in their popular Savage Model 99 hammerless lever-action rifle. Despite having a short case and a rather stumpy neck, the cartridge is capable of propelling a 150-grain (9.7 g) bullet at over 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) with an effective range of over 300 yd (270 m).
The original intent of its designers was to offer a cartridge that could approach the ballistics of the original version of the .30-06 Springfield, while at the same time using a smaller case that could be cycled through a short-action lever rifle. Although it fell somewhat short of its ballistic goals (by about 70 ft/s), its performance outclassed other contemporary .30 caliber lever-action cartridges including the .30-30 Winchester and .30 Remington. It soon became a popular deer and medium-sized game cartridge among North American hunters, and by mid-century nearly every major US firearms maker offered a .300 Savage chambering in at least one of its rifle models.
The .300 Savage distinguished itself further by serving as a peer to the .308 Winchester (7.62×51mm NATO) cartridge, a round that was developed for the U.S. armed forces in the 1950s and which is still in use today.
Despite its decline as a sporting round, the .300 Savage remains quite popular with handloaders who are able to use newer smokeless powders and more aerodynamic bullets to obtain optimum performance from it.
Pressure level for the .300 Savage is set by SAAMI at 46,000 CUP.