Is the .300 Savage heading towards oblivion?

[mannyrock]

 Dear Guys,
 
    I think that over the 100 year life span, Savage made about 800,000 of their model 99s in .300 Savage.  Lots of companies also sold bolt actions in this caliber.
 
   And yet, most of the small gunshops I go into don't carry it anymore.  And, I note that the big box stores are hit and miss as well.   And when they do have it, they only carry it in one bullet weight, being 150 grain or 180 grain, never both.
 
     At about $32.00 a box, it seems to be rapidly drifting into the area of foregotten cartridges of the early 20th century, much like the .30-40 Krag.   Sure, there will be people who handload it, but I'm talking about readily available factory ammo.
 
   It seems as if the only ammo that you can actually count on finding everywhere are the "run of the mill six" in green box corelokt:    .30-30, .243, .270, .308, .30-06, and .300 Win Mag.  (and sometimes maybe .25-06 or 7 Mag)
 
   What do you guys think?  Is the .300 Savage now a losing proposition insofar as factory ammo in the future?
 
Mannyrock

[Ranger99]

only if some "expert" gun writer
says so in a popular national
gun magazine.


i have some older magazines with
articles declaring how the 30/30 is
obsolete and will soon no longer
be offered, same for 45/70,
250 savage, 22 hornet, etc.


if one is getting the use of a gun
and boxes of gratis ammo delivered
to your door by the brown truck
santa claus, i would guess that i
might be inclined to pen an article
or two about how obsolete all that
older less expensive stuff is, and how
the readers need to doo-wah-diddy on
down to the store and pick up a new
remingchester .328 superultralazermag
and the requisite ammo and accessories.

[336SC]

The .300 Savage in all it's various rifles was kinda a regional thing.  Just as was the .32 Win Special.  Here where I live, both were extremely popular rifle chamberings.  All the gun shops in my area have ammo for both.  It's also hard to visit one of local shops that does not have several used rifles in both .300 Savage and .32 Win Special.  I handload so ammo for both is not an issue but I understand where you are coming from.  I also see ammo for both in the larger mail order houses.  Hornady has brought out FTX ammo is the .32 Special and also some sort of new ammo for the .300 Savage which I believe is loaded with their Superformance powder.  Hornady also offers reloading bullets especially designed for the .300 Savage.   I have four rifles for the .300 Savage and four for the .32 Win Special.
336SC

[Wyo. Coyote Hunter]

  The .300 Sav. is certainly not a popular here as it once was..I know there are plenty of rifles chambered for it in this valley, but I seldom see them in the field..I just sold a friend a beautiful model 99 in that caliber..I liked the caliber and killed antelope and deer with it, but the 99 simply did not have the feel of a good bolt action..so I sold it..Since I have shot a bolt action for over 50 years, it is no reflection on the 99..I did like the caliber..and I may have a 7mm-08 rebarreled to .300 Sava. for my use..I see ammo for it in other areas that I hunt..BUT I seldom see rifles in the field..Maybe they are going into collections!!..When I was a kid, my cousins, the older ones, all shot model 99 's in .300 Sav., but now it seems like few of them have that caliber in use..They did buy a bunch of 99's in .284 when that caliber hit the market..I would guess the ammo might be harder to find, and a tad more expensive, but I would guess it will be with us for a long time..

[mannyrock]

 
     I agree that it may be a regional thing.  I have lived in most of the States of the South during my 58 years, and I don't think I have ever seen one brought to a deer hunt.  Not many at shows either, except the standard old collector guy with 20 of them on one table.
 
    It appears as if they were very popular in Pennsylvania, New York, and the New England States, as well as the Rocky Mountain States of the West.   I just don't see that popularity hanging on .
 
 
 

[JPShelton]

Yes, it is headed toward oblivion.  I doubt it will be missed by many when it gets there. 
When it does get there, it will be in fine company.  It will join the ranks of other fine rounds that have had their day in the sun and have fallen from favor -rounds that used to be commonplace gunshop staples, like the 6.5 mm Mannlicher Schoenauer and the .250 Savage and a whole host of others that were deemed useful in their day and were once the subject of praise but are largely ignored today.
JP
 

[Siskiyou]

 I have been preparing for the death of the .300 Savage for over 30-years.  It has been said that five or six calibers are easily found or was until recent events.  The 300 Savage is far done the food chain.  There was a period of time in the 1980’s that I thought it was a goner.  I started cranking out 300 Savage cases from .308 Winchester and 7.62 NATO cases. 
Then my friend Gun Runner gave me a bunch of fired cases, my brother gave me some, and another friend gave me a few.  Remington made a run of 300 Savage ammo under the Peter’s label, and I picked up a few boxes.  IMO the 300 Savage does not require special bullets.  My favorite bullets for loading are the 150-grain Hornady at about 2800 fps, the 165-grain Nosler Partition, 165-grain Hornady Spiral Point, and the 165-grain Pointed Remington C-L. 
I killed a big 4X4 Mule deer buck with it a few years ago.  I used the 165-grain partition him.  One shot and that was it. 
I have settled on IMR4064 because it performed real well in my rifle.  IMR4320 was just okay because I had to back off my charged a little early.  By accident I found that AA2015BR with 150-grain bullet to be very accurate.  I have not run any of those loads of the Chrony.  By brother bought a M760 in very condition chambered for 300 Savage.  He had given me the AA2015 and when I offered some back to him when he obtained the M760 he passed.  He had  more.  He loves AA2015 in the 300 Savage pushing 150-grain bullets.  He killed his first bucks with a Savage M99 with a 20-inch carbine barrel starting when he was 12-years old. You would have thought that he entered his second childhood when bought that 300 Savage.

I almost made a foolish mistake and re-barreled it to 308 Winchester.  The 308 has an advantage Handloading when the 200-grain bullets are loaded.  But I have no need for 200-grain loads.
Currently the biggest threat to the 300 Savage is the shortage of .308 diameter bullets and primers.
Politics is the biggest foe.

[Savage .250]

Could be hard to loacte in some areas of the country. Could be.  My local Bass Pro and Gander Mountain carry it. Can walk in at any time a buy a box. Prices are what they are.  If there to high, re-load.   
   Certainly not an "every day cartridge but still available. Plus,most gunstores will order it for you as well.
     
  There is a whole range of "older" cal`s that come under the heading,hard to find. I`ve aslo found "hard to find ammo" at the local gunshows.  Price wise, you have to pay to play. 

[Siskiyou]

 I have to go back a little in time because the current situation has the ammunition market upside down.  When the brother bought the M760 he received an old box of Remington ammunition. It was so old the cases had turned black.  I should note the rifle was in excellent condition and showed little use.
He went into a shop on the way home and paid $29.00 each for two boxes.  In a day or two he went to a small shop about a mile from his home and bought two boxes for $22.00+tx.
We discussed it, but I am not sure if he has resized .308 cases to .300 Savage.  He is set up to do it.
I have to agree with Savage .25
[font=]“Could be hard to loacte in some areas of the country. Could be. My local Bass Pro and Gander Mountain carry it. Can walk in at any time a buy a box. Prices are what they are. If there to high, re-load.”[/font]

[spruce]

To paraphrase:  "Reports of it's death have been greatly exaggerated"!
 
Before the introduction of the .308 Win the .300 Savage was hugely popular.  Back when levers and pumps ruled the eastern and northern whitetail woods the .300 was the only .30 cal round available in the Savage 99's and Rem 141's (and Rem model 81's) that could even come close to the performance of the .30-06.  As soon as the .308 became available in the Sav 99, Rem 760 and 742 sales of new .300 Savages fell off dramatically.
 
There are still many thousands of .300 Sav rifles floating around out there.  Other than the ones owned by a relatively few hard-core fans most of them don't get shot much.  Most of the original owners have passed on and the current owners are sons, grandsons, etc that mostly keep the rifles in the safe as an heirloom, maybe shot once in a while at most.
 
I still see ammo for it on the shelves at most of the LGS, and I'd bet that's the case in most gun stores located in the northern and eastern "woods whitetail states".   I think occasional runs of ammo will continue to be produced for a good while, but if I owned one I'd probably stock up on brass just to be safe.

[Siskiyou]

" and Rem 141's "
I do not recall the 141 ever being chambered for the .300 Savage round.  We did have a Savage 99, a Remington 722, and a Remington Model 81 in the house chambered for the 300 Savage.  The .308 Winchester killed new .300 Savage sales and Savage length their action to handle the .308 round.
The .308 Winchester was what the .300 Savage was to the .303 Savage round, the poison pill.
 

[spruce]

Siskiyou - You're right, the 141 wasn't chambered for it!  My bad.

[Siskiyou]

Spruce you may have been thinking of the Model 760.  .300 Savage was one of the early chambering in it.  Brother bought a used one with a scope a few years ago.  It was is almost new condition and a great shooter.

[spruce]

Not sure if I was thinking, or just in my normal state of confusion!

[336SC]

I've got the .300 Savage in a Savage Model EG.  My 99 was put together in 1956 but did not ship from the warehouse until 1962.  Probably due to the introduction of .308 Win and the increased popularity of bolt guns.  I also have a Remington 722 from 1949, a Remington 700 Classic from 2003, and a Remington 7600 limited run they made in 2006.  I shoot and hunt with all of them.  The 99 and the 722 are by far the most accurate.  My 99 will hang in there with any bolt gun I own.  I had it out of the gun safe this year to use for deer hunting and while checking the sighting, I had almost forgot how accurate it is and how mild mannered.  My 722 .300 Savage is the only rifle I own that I shot a trully 3 shot one hole group with.  I bought the 722 from a man who was dying of cancer.  He told me all the game he killed with it.  He shot Elk, Black Bear, Antelope, Whitetail Deer and the last animal he shot with it was a Couger in Utah.  He hunted all over the Western states and Mexico.  He resided as I do in Pennsylvania.  His last comment to me was that he was glad I ended up with it.  None of his kids wanted it.  There are few guns I trully cherish but that 722 and 99 are two of them.  I've killed deer with the 722 and the 99, and I can't tell any difference between the .300 Savage, .308 Win or 30-06 kills I've made.  Sorry for rambling one.
336SC

[Siskiyou]

Your are true collector of 300 Savage firearms.

[sharps4590]

I too agree that it was/is a regional cartridge.  I don't recall ever seeing one at a deer camp in Missouri but my camps have been restricted to the south central part of the state and that must be taken into consideration. 
 
However, it is a fine cartridge and fine cartridges have a way of defying their predicted demise.  Some have been mentioned.  In all honesty, who in their right mind would have seen or predicted the huge popularity of the 45-70 Govt. 140 years after its introduction?

[T.R.]

The 300 Savage was introduced in 1921 or 1922 depending upon the source.  At one time, all the popular gun writers recommened it for truly big game such as moose and the great bears.  Yet it slid from popularity when the .308 cartridge became a top seller.  Unfair but true.
 
Many local Pennsylvania hunters continue to take deer and bear each Fall with their hand-me-down 300 Savage rifles.
 
TR

[chefjeff]

Yes. Sold my 99 to a nostalgic fella.Each to his own.

[mcwoodduck]

Looking at the 300 Savage you have a special version of a 308Win.  Case is a little shorter and the same bullets are a little slower.
I think the 300 Savage is a great round and was chambered in some really good rifles like the Rem Model 81, the Savage 99 and a few bolt actions.
The reason I think it will slowly go away is the action is needed to chamber 300 Savage is the same action needed to chamber 308 Win.  The 308 win uses the same bullets, same primers and powers but can be loaded to 300 save levels and most 300 Sav rifles due to age may not take the 308 level loadings. 
If you were to buy a new rifle.  it will be your only rifle, would you pick a bolt action in 308 or 300 Savage?  Same length, same action, the same weight the only difference is the cartridge.  The 308 has the most  factory loading offered than almost any other and more than the 270 and the 243 put together and either of them has four times tripple the factory loadings for 300 Savage.
I think the 358 Win, and the 350 Remington are reasons the gun companies are no longer making 35 Rem rifles.  Same action a whole lot more speed for th same bullets. 

[tobster]

I think the .300 Savage was one of the original "short" cartridges but I think it's dying because most of the generation that  used it has passed on. You won't have any trouble finding ammo for it in a Northern Michigan sport shop because it was once the hot cartridge in the woods. The Savage 99 might have had some great features like a rotary magazine , loaded chamber indicator, and a neat little window that told you how many cartridges were left in the gun but I could never warm up to them. I once heard the .300 described as the weak sister to the .308 but I bet a deer hit right with one wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

[oneoldsap]

                 The .300 Savage is alive and well at my house ! We have two of them , both Remingtons . A custom 760 and a 722 . I use the 760 now and then , and one of my Grandsons has claimed the 722 ! I really like the cartridge , it's very effective on anything the .308 is suited for , with a little less recoil . I got lucky a couple of years ago and fell into a lifetime supply of brass , for me and the boys ! It's not a fussy cartridge to load , I prefer the Speer 150 RN . Boattails aren't a good fit for the little .300 , because of it's less than Cal. neck length  .

[Siskiyou]

 

 
 I almost made a foolish mistake and re-barreled it to 308 Winchester. The 308 has an advantage Handloading when the 200-grain bullets are loaded. But I have no need for 200-grain loads.
 
 

I happen to like my Remington 722 in 300 Savage and I chose the 722 over the Savage 99 and the Remington 81 with hand loading in mind. The Savage 99 carbine with the 20-inch barrel would have been a good choice but one of my objectives was maximum velocity at a safe level.
 My rifle has a 24-inch barrel that puts it on the PAR with the typical .308 Winchester with a 22-inch barrel. At the time America transitioned from the 300 Savage to its son the 308 Winchester barrel length was shrinking from the average of 24 to 22-inches in the post WWII era.
 
 Keeping the development history of the 308 Winchester in mind I think of it as the 300 Savage Improved with a longer neck. The objective was to length the neck to better retain bullets in automatic weapons. We must keep in mind that the 308/7.62 was developed by Winchester in conjunction with the U.S. Military for the M14/M14A rifles and the M60 Like many families on the American Diet Junior is a little taller than daddy. Like many manufactures who design items for the military Winchester was in the position of advantage to bring out the new cartridge and call it the .308 Winchester. If Savage or Remington had been in the same position it might have been the .308 SavRem.
The 7.62 NATO was design to meet the velocity of the G.I. 150-grain FMJ not the hotter 150-grain sporting loads of today.  The Ball Powder used to load the 7.62 NATO had not been developed when the .300 Savage was born.
 
 I think the .308 Winchester is a better cartridge then the .300 Savage with the benefit of experience and taxpayers dollars. Had my father offered me a .308 Winchester alongside the 300 Savage rifles I would have taken the .308 Winchester.
I have never been tempted to buy a rifle in .308 Winchester. If I had the dollars in my pocket and a .308 and a 30-06 were up for sale I would buy the 30-06 or a 270 Winchester.
As I recall Savage had Newton design the .300 Savage cartridge to fit his M99 lever action.  It looks like Newton developed the .300 Savage case from the 30-06 case.  The case has the same heavy construction and rim diameter as the 30-06 case sharing the rimless design. I point this out because the competition at the time of development had to be the 30-30 Winchester for the short action M94 Winchester rifle.  The 30-30 case is rimmed, with a lot of tapper.  The straighter .300 Savage case for a similar length holds more powder and handles the pressure generated by the increased powder.  The goal was to duplicate the 2700 fps 150-grain military load using the powders of the 1920’s.  If you have a current reloading manual open it up to the loads for the M1 Garand and you will not see same intensity loads for 30-06 sporting ammunition.
While having the manual open I checked loads for the 308 Service Rifle M1A/M14.  Loads are held to around 2600 fps and 2700 fps loads are shown as maximum.
 
I have used a number of powders in the 300 Savage case but only one has stuck with me as the Go-to powder.  Old fashion it maybe put it produces top velocities in the .300 Savage case.  I use the maximum load of 44.0 grains of IMR4064 with the 150-grain Hornady SP and 41.3 grains with the 165-grain Hornady SP.  I use the same charge for the Nosler 165-grain Partition and the 165-grain Remington C-L.  I do not recommend these loads for other rifles but they are without problems in my post-WWII Remington 722.  As a kid 150-grain loads killed a lot of deer for the family but when I started hunting deer an area where black bear were aggressive when a deer was down I wanted a load that offered deeper penetration.  At the time bear season and deer season did not open concurrently and fortunately I did not need to shoot a bear.  But there is nothing wrong with being prepared.
 
I would not recommend the .300 Savage for big bears but I must relate to the ta.e told by Ben East, Outdoor Life Books, Danger.  He writes about a Polar Bear hunt in Northern Canada in 1937.  He says that he and his partner carried 300 Savage rifles that they thought we adequate at the time.  Events made them change their minds.  East describes seeing his partner shooting and running.  Soon East spotted the bear running at him and he fired four of the five rounds in his rifle.  He writes, “I learn that my 180-grain softnose had cut across his back under the skin and fat, just too high to break the spine or put him down.”  East missed his fourth shot and with the bear almost on him he killed it with a shot to the brain.
I must point out that a 180-grain bullet from a 308 in the fat above the spine most likely would have resulted in a mad polar bear, not a dead one.

[mcwoodduck]

As far as the second half of your question.
I think 300 Savage will be loaed for a long time, Factories still load 30-40 Kraig, 44-40, and 30 Remington based on demand.
I think 300 Savage will be loaded for a long time to come based on the effectiveness of the round and the popularity of the guns that chamber it.
I would not look for the companies that are loading the 300 Savage to expand their lines.
I think 300 Savage would be a great round to trake into Mexico for coues deer.  Almost 308 and not a military ctg and can use all the same loading componets as a 308 or 30-06.

[Siskiyou]

I was shocked and very pleased with Hornady's announcement of a new .300 Savage load in the Superformance line.
 
http://www.hornady.com/store/300-Savage-150-gr-SST-Superformance/

[Siskiyou]

Yesterday I stopped at two locations that sell ammunition.  Shelves are bare of most ammo but one place had two boxes of Winchester 150-grain Power Points for $36 a  box.  Fifteen miles down the road a second place had four boxes of Winchester 150-grain for $29 a box.  Then they had five or six boxes of Federal 150-grain and 180-grain for $27  a box.

It has always been my assumption that .30 caliber bullets of the same weight and design (same part #) are loaded in the .300 Savage, .308 and 30-06.  What brought that thought up was years ago I had some WW Silvertips that had two cannelures per bullet.  Allowing the factory to crimp the bullet the correct location based on the cartridge it was loaded in.

A 180-grain bullet designed to hold up in the .300WM and perform in the .300 Savage has to meet a wide range of performance challenges. 
 

[Ron T.]

I quickly read through all the posts here and never saw anyone mention that the  .300 Savage cartridge is the "father" of the .308 Winchester.

When the U.S. Army was looking for a replacement for the .30/06 in 1953-1954, they tested and picked the .300 Savage.  But then, they began "playing" with the cartridge and increased the neck length, changed the .300's shoulder angle from 30º back to 20º for the .308 and, due to the longer neck, was able to make the cartridge body slightly longer while keeping the overall cartridge length almost the same.

The result was the 7.62x51 NATO cartridge which Winchester adopted and began loading under their own name (as is normal in the cartridge manufacturing business) as the ".308 Winchester" which has a sligthty larger case capacity than the .300 Savage.

However, a considerable amount of the higher muzzle velocity of the .308 vs. the .300 Savage comes from the higher pressure to which the .308 is loaded.  The maximum pressure recommended by the SAAMI for the .300 Savage is just 4600 C.U.P. compared to a maximum chamber pressure of almost 5300 C.U.P. for the .308 Winchester.  If the .300 Savage was loaded to the same pressure as the .308 Winchester cartridge, there would be little difference in the muzzle velocity out of the same length barrel.

As far as popularity goes, the .300 Savage, introduced by Arthur Savage in his Model 99 lever-action rifle in 1920 was the original short, fat cartridge designed by Newton to approximately the THEN muzzle velocity of the U.S. Army's .30/06 (a 150 grain bullet @ 2700 fps).  Newton used a cut down .30/06 cartridge case to almost achieve this same muzzle velocity in the Model 99 Savage sporting rifle.

I was able to duplicate the 2700 fps original muzzle velocity which  chronographed an average of 2707 fps muzzle velocity using a 150 grain bullet in front of 41.5 grains of some IMR4895 rifle powder made in 1995.   However, I found that each subsequently newer 1 lb. can of IMR4895 I purchased yielded an ever-lowering muzzle velocity out of my 1953 Model 99 Savage with a 24 inch barrel.  However, the factory loaded .300 Savage cartridges claimed to yield a muzzle velocity of 2635 fps which is still easily achieved by hand-loading.  Some loading manuals claim up to 2700 fps with a 150 grain bullet out of a .300 Savage, but I firmly believe that would be a real "stretch".  Besides, a 150 grain bullet out of a .300 Savage kills easily if the bullet is put into the game animal's vital parts.

The .300 Savage cartridge is still an excellent eastern deer hunting cartridge in it's 150 grain loading.  Recoil is noticeably less than the .308 Winchester round and if sighted in 2½ inches high at 100 yards, it has a point-blank range of 250 yards meaning the bullet doesn't rise or fall more than 3 inches above or below the line-of-sight.  This means, of course, that a hunter can hold "dead on" his target from the muzzle of his rifle out to 250 yards and not be concerned about "hold-over".

Any deer or elk struck by a bullet from a .300 Savage wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and a bullet from a .308 Winchester... but that argument will go on forever.  Shorten the range vey slightly... and the .300 Savage's bullet has the same ft/lbs of bullet energy as the same bullet out of a .308 Winchester.

That said... there is no doubt that when the .308 Winchester was introduced, it meant the "death" of the fine .300 Savage which reigned as "King" of the sporting .30 calibers (discounting the popularity of the .30/06) for over 30 years (1920-1955).

However, this "king" isn't dead... yet. 


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.

[336SC]

Ron T.,
Very nice post and mirrors my loading of the .300 Savage except for powder used in my tests.  The experimental cartridge which lead to the 7.62 x 51 Nato round was called the T-65.  The short neck of .300 Savage caused some problems when fired in fully automatic weapons.  Experimentors explained that there was some bullet movement in the case when fired fully automatic.  I found the discontinued Hercules Reloder 12 gave extremely fine results in the .300 Savage.  When Alliant announced that RL-12 was being discontinued, I bought 19lbs of it, all with the same lot #.  Just for giggles I tested RL-12 in my 722 to see how much velocity could be achieved with it and a 150gr WWPP.  Around 2850fps there was just a hint of sticky bolt lift.  I don't run my .300 Savage at that speed, it was just a test.  All my hunting load development is done in my Savage 99 as then I know all will be fine in my pump and bolt guns in .300 Savage.  My normal hunting loads launch a 150gr bullet at 2700fps and the standard cup and core bullets I use in the .300 Savage work perfectly on deer at that speed.  My .300 Savages all seem to like the .30 caliber 150gr WWPP bullet and it works splendidly on deer.  I not only stocked up on RL-12, but also purchased 900 brand new cases and over 3000 150gr WWPP.  My wife will be selling my stash at the big yard sale after I'm gone.  I couldn't shoot it all up if I shot every day!    The .358 Winchester is my favorite cartridge but the .300 Savage comes in a very close second!
336SC

[Frank46]

I have a bubba'd 99R in 300 savage. Mag doesn't work with more than two rounds, he ground off the feed ramp on the receiver and a few other insults. Suprisingly last time I had a scope on it accuracy was all that one could wish for. And would make an excellent cartridge for a 1891 mauser project. And just for the heck of it, I did make up some cases from some once fired Lapua brass. And they worked fine. I did find out that you did (at least in my case) it was needed to ream out the case neck due to the thicker brass. Frank

[Lloyd Smale]

well i for one will argue that its sure not a 308 or o6. If you use the metality that the 300sav is as powerful as a 308 then youd have to say the 308 is everything an 06 is and then if so the 06 is everything the 300mag is and if you use this logic youd have to say that the 300 sav is everything the 300 mag is. Ive never killed a single animal with the 300 sav but have killed MANY with the 308 and o6 and im here to tell you that at anytihng past 200 yards the o6 hammers deer harder and id bet a dime to a hundred bucks the 308 would show about exactly the same differnce when compared to the 300 sav. Dont know why guys feel they have to justify a round by saving that its as powerful as a larger round. Why not just say for the power it produces it kills well.
 
 As to it heading for ablivion, ive been around shooting and hunting for over 40 years and i cant ever remember it being even remotely close to being popular. Its not rare though either. Most hunting camps i frequent around here still have maybe one old timer that uses his old 99. But you arent going to see new ones made. the last attempt was rem in there classics and there still all over the place new in the box. America has shown over and over they dont have much of a use for a round at that power level. they manufactures sure have tried. We had the 307, 30 tc, 30rem (ar) and theyve about all fell flat on there face. I think alot of it comes from the fact you have two schools of though on deer guns One is the brush hunter that isnt going to shoot farther then a 100 yards and uses a marlin or win 3030, 35rem ect. The second group are guys who might hunt open fields and in those cases want something that shoots flat and accurately out to 300-350 yards. the 300 99 savages arent as handy, easy to carry or as light as a  94 and arent as accurate or flat shooting as a good bolt 308 or 06. the savage 99 has about died, the win 100 did die, and the only one left is the blr browning and it isnt flying off the shelves.
 
Is the 300 going to die totaly. I doubt it. I cant forsee anyone chamber a rifle for it again but theres enough out there in use that rem or win will do a run of ammo once in a while. At least for the near future. but if i owned one and wanted to insure i could shoot it and my grandkids could still enjoy it id be buying a whole bunch of it when i could or at least stock piling some brass.