150gr vs 180gr

[RevGeo]

Howdy, I'm new here, name of George (I sorta introduced myself over to the new-guy page.) Anyways, I recently bought a Mod 99 .300 Sav. made in 1937 (serial #362xxx) with the original - I assume - Marble rear buckhorn sight and blade in a ramp front site. Its never known a sling..all in all a pretty cool rifle.
Okay, first of all I'm a reloader and the son of a reloader - bullet caster - wildcatter (30-40 Krag AI anyone? I inherited one.)
This is my first time reloading for .300 Sav. Where I hunt, in far north Idaho for whitetail, elk, bear and (if I ever get drawn for a tag) moose 150 yards is a long shot. When I bought the rifle the guy threw in two boxes of 150gr Rem. SilverTip factory ammo. I used that to sight in and shoot a little to get to know the gun. Still got half a box left.

I'm thinking that for my purposes 180gr Hornady round-nose Interlock bullets might be a good choice for this rifle. I'm still waiting on the dies from Midway, so I have some time to ponder what I'm gonna load up. I found a couple of good loads with IMR 3031 and H380. Somewhere around 2350 to almost 2400 fps.
I've always heard that 150gr bullets and the .300 Sav. go together like biscuits and gravy and honestly, with the vast improvement in bullet technology since I first started reloading almost 50 years ago, I'm wondering if a modern 150gr premium hunting bullet would do the job as well as your run of the mill (albeit cool) 180 gr.
Pretty geeky, huh? Oh well...
Anybody have thoughts as to 150 gr vs 180gr bullets in the .300 Sav. ? Anyone? Buehler? Anyone??

[bythebook]

I like your thinking process, for me for any 30 cal. a 165 gr. Sierra HPGK will do the job if bullet placement is accurate.

[noisewaterphd]

What is the twist rate in that 99 barrel?

I generally prefer heavier bullets, but that 99 will be limited in OAL by the short action mag, and the twist might be slow enough that you are far better off sticking with lighter bullets.

If you've got a fast enough twist, and enough case capacity at mag length to launch the 180's, then by all means, shoot the 180's.

I have a small collection of Savage 99's, starting with the .284 that was my first centerfire rifle. I haven't managed to find me a good .300 Sav yet, jealous...

[GaCop]

You can't go wrong using a 165 grain spitzer by Sierra, Hornady or Nosler. I used a 165 grain Hornady Spitzer soft point when I got my bear in Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico and it anchored the bear one shot. For moose and possibly elk, I would suggest the 180 grain bullet. I see no need to use a round nose bullet except for heavy brush. The round nose bullet sheds velocity rapidly and is only good for close in shots out to about 100 yards.

[RevGeo]

I've had pretty good luck with RN bullets out to 200-250 yards. I like the idea of 165gr premiums. I've also thought of using 170gr 30-30 bullets since I load for my son's Marlin 336 (he is so jealous since I got my 99, hee hee...) Like I said, 150 yards is a long shot around here and the woods are mighty thick. Been shooting my 30-40AI with 180gr RN over 49 gr of H380 (don't try that in a regular Krag, it's pretty much an '06 load but works great in the Ackley Improved 30-40) for the last 4-5 years and it knocks the stuffing out of deer and elk.
I do believe I'll try the 165s since I can use loading data for 180gr slugs with no problem. I have no idea what the twist rate is in the old 99, but I imagine it would stabilize 150 through 180gr stuff out to around 150 yards or so. Just have to load some and see. Geez, what a bummer, huh? Man I love being retired...thanks for the input, guys.