300 savage vs 308

[gunner79]

I have always wondered why everyone seems to think the 308 is a superior cartridge to a 300 savage. Does anyone else have both rifles and not really notice a difference? With home loads they chrono about the same. +or- 100fps or so. I actually prefer my 99 in 300 savage to my 308. After the 308 design was patterned (stolen from) the 300 savage. I have killed just about every big game animal in the lower 48 with a 300 with no problem, so I wonder why so many people prefer the 308?

[Rick_W]

... so I wonder why so many people prefer the 308?
Ammo availability.

[stomp442]

Same reason they prefer the .243 over the .250-3000. Far as I am concerned the .250 is the better cartridge but I am the minority on that.

[Robinhood]

Hey stomp, I sure do like my 25 souper.

[psharon97]

About the same reason why people prefer the 300 winchester magnum over the 308 norma magnum. 300 winchester magnum is more available.

[gunner79]

I have never had a hard time finding 300 savage. I guess I am lucky to live in the same town as Buffalo Arms. I don't really have to worry about availability because they seem to carry everything I need. Is 300 savage really that hard to come by? If I buy loaded ammo I usually buy hornady, and there always seems to be plenty in stock even at the local gun shops. Now 22lr is a different story.

[Rick_W]

Is 300 savage really that hard to come by?
On the MS Gulf Coast, I personally can name only one dealer that at any time MAY have a couple of boxes of .300 Savage.

This particular dealer prides himself on carrying obscure ammo. He probably has at least one box of most cartridges.

Now, whether you would want to pay his asking prices is a different topic!

[sayak]

The .308 provides many more possibilities for bullets. More room for powder also.
I have no problem finding .300 Sav at at least two stores here in my little Alaska town.

[RevGeo]

I think that as far as deer, elk, moose and black bear are concerned, the difference is non-existent.

[Savagebrother]

All that you guys said is true, caliber and cartridge name over the years is all that has changed really. The gun manufacturers reinventing the wheel over and over again and again, it's what sells. The 300 sav was loaded first to 2700 FPS which at that time mirrored the venerable 30-06 with its 150 grain bullet in the shorter and faster action of the 99. If I load my own that's where my 99 likes it but it really likes hornady superformance 150 grain load so I can find it all over now too. You have to remember that all the big gun makers had guns in 300 savage, especially Remington. Then after 1955 it was slowly replaced by the .308 win. I like my 99 and the 300 sav thank you very much.
SB

[J.Baker]

As others have said it's a matter of ammo availability, but the real driving force has more to do with the selection available. How many different factory loads are available for the .308 Win? Probably close to 100 if not more. How many different factory loads are available for the .300 Savage? There's five - one from Remington, one from Winchester, one from Hornady and two from Federal. Worse yet is that all the manufacturers only do a seasonal run of each load every year so if you don't catch it when it's available you'll be stuck waiting for them to run it again the following year. DoubleTap and a few other outfits offering production grade reloads offer a few more options, but they're typically much more expensive and are only carried by local shops and a few of the larger online retailers.

[Savagebrother]

Yes unfortunately the lead or throat of the 300 savage is very short combine that with the short case neck and your limited to 150 grain and 180 grain bullets, anything heavier (longer) really gets down in the case. Even hornady makes a special 150 grain ST for the 300 savage.
Which shoots at 2775 FPS out of my 99 and at 100 it's shooting them into inch and a quarter, so this is my go to load.
SB

[dtk1952]

Same reason they prefer the .243 over the .250-3000. Far as I am concerned the .250 is the better cartridge but I am the minority on that. I wish that I still had mine. Traded for a Marlin .30-30 when I was 14. All the Know-It-All adults said that the .250 was no good for deer. Oh, I wish that I had paid more attention to Jack O'Connor.

[Maine-iac]

All I know is I like walking int deer camp with my 250 or 300 Savage vs. the .243 or .308...Starts conversation!