.303 Savage
| .303 Savage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Round-nosed .303 Savage (center) with .308 Winchester (left) and .30-30 Winchester (right) | ||||||||
| Type | Rifle | |||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||
| Production history | ||||||||
| Designer | Savage Arms | |||||||
| Manufacturer | Savage Arms | |||||||
| Produced | 1895 | |||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, bottleneck | |||||||
| Bullet diameter | .308 in (7.8 mm) | |||||||
| Neck diameter | .333 in (8.5 mm) | |||||||
| Shoulder diameter | .413 in (10.5 mm) | |||||||
| Base diameter | .442 in (11.2 mm) | |||||||
| Rim diameter | .505 in (12.8 mm) | |||||||
| Rim thickness | .063 in (1.6 mm) | |||||||
| Case length | 2.015 in (51.2 mm) | |||||||
| Overall length | 2.520 in (64.0 mm) | |||||||
| Primer type | Large rifle | |||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||
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| Source: .303 Savage reload data at Hodgdon | ||||||||
The .303 Savage is a rimmed, .30 caliber rifle cartridge developed by the Savage Arms Company in 1894, which was designed as a short (as short as the .30-30 Winchester) action cartridge for their Savage Model 99 hammerless lever-action rifle. The cartridge was designed for smokeless powder at a time when black-powder cartridges were still popular. The .303 Savage using heavier 190 grain bullets had a reputation of being better on heavy game than the .30-30 Win, but it was considered a marginal difference.
Savage produced a half dozen loads for it. With its 190-grain loading, it was used on such animals as deer and moose.
Despite the similar names, the .303 Savage and the .303 British cartridge are not interchangeable due to differences in case dimensions and bullet diameter. Despite its name, the .303 Savage uses a .308 in (7.8 mm) diameter bullet, while the .303 British uses a slightly larger .312 in (7.92 mm) bullet and gets its name from having a land diameter of .303 in (7.70 mm). Additionally, the .303 British has a longer case length of 2.222 in (56.44 mm) and a much longer overall cartridge length of 3.075 in (78.11 mm), with a shallower shoulder angle of 17°. While the .303 Savage has a case length of 2.015 in (51.2 mm), an overall cartridge length of 2.520 in (64.0 mm), and a much sharper shoulder angle of 32°. As such, a .303 British wouldn't fit inside a .303 Savage chamber and have the bolt be able to close, and if it were to somehow be fired the larger .312 in diameter bullet of the .303 British could become lodged in the smaller .308 inch barrel of the .303 Savage, potentially causing a catastrophic failure.