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ever before. The same can be said for the powders used by modern reload- ers. Thanks to advances in science and chemical engineering we now have powders that are practically immune to temperature change and are almost caliber specific. Shooters and reloaders now have literally thousands of options to choose from when developing a load, and old cartridges like the 250 Savage become new again, performing like never before. When comparing my 250 Savage
to a 243 Winchester, I was surprised to find just how well it performed. The little 250 actually outgunned and outclassed the 243 Winchester in ev- ery category, and it did it using less powder. I was able to achieve speeds in excess of 3,300 fps using an 85-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip and more than 3,000 fps using a 100-grain Sierra MatchKing. What a fantastic little cartridge! I don’t know why the 243 Winchester was ever invented when this little sweetheart of a cartridge already was around. It can do anything the 243 can do and then some. In fact, the only advantage I can see with the 243 is the slight edge in ballistic coefficient because of its sleeker and longer design. The 250-3000 is not only an amaz-
ing cartridge, but one of the most effi- cient ever designed. The 243 Winchester
has a case capacity of 55.6 grains of H20 and the 250 Savage holds 47.4 grains of
H20. That’s an 8.2 grain difference in case capacity, and yet the 250 Savage outperforms the 243 Winchester hand- ily – especially with the lighter weight bullets. As you can see from the ballis- tics charts, I was able to achieve amaz- ing numbers with this little cartridge. Somewhere in Time
With all the advantages of a more
efficient case design, higher velocities, mild report, and light recoil, it’s diffi- cult to believe interest in the 250-3000 Savage has ever declined. The main contributor to its decline is the car- tridge’s age. The 250-3000 was first de- veloped by Charles Newton in 1915 and was used back then to hunt just about
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everything with great success. Since that time there have been many new cartridges introduced over the years, namely the 243 Winchester in 1955. Like most cartridges based on popular military cartridges, the 243 (a necked- down 308) took off like wildfire. The next contributing factor, and probably the most important, is shooter inexperi- ence. Most shooters today have never even heard of the 250-3000 Savage, let alone all of the great things it is capable of. The shooters who have heard of it simply write it off as one of those old, out-of-date cartridges and never give it a second thought. The little 250-3000, however, is not
dead and certainly not forgotten. There is a small yet loyal following to this cartridge (which I am happy to be a part of) and with the writing of this article I am hoping to increase the ranks.
The 250-3000 Savage. No other
cartridge in history has ever had such a cool name. You know when you hear it that it’s something special. Sweet, sexy, and sleek are a few of the words I like to use when describing it as well. In a world where muzzle brakes and large caliber rifles reign, it’s nice to know that the 250-3000 Savage is still here and do- ing what it was meant to do: Pleasing shooters around the world with its mild recoil and under-rated performance. Those of us who own one, or have even shot one, know what I am talking about. For those of you who haven’t … what are you waiting for? Next time you are in the market for an excellent deer and coyote rifle, remember the little old quarter bore that could, the 250-3000 Savage.
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