• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

wildcat .307 X 300 Savage

I recently bought a TC Contender with a .307x 300 Savage barrel. I can’t seem to find any info on this caliber. Does anybody have and info or reloading dat for this caliber?
 
Try this. Is the barrel chambered for a rimmed cartridge ??
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2025-09-04 at 07-47-03 307 Savage - Search.png
    Screenshot 2025-09-04 at 07-47-03 307 Savage - Search.png
    261.6 KB · Views: 40
Did they take a .307 case and reform it with the Savage die? Making a rimmed .300 Savage? In either case I'd think both those cartridges operate above what a Contender is rated for, but IDK for sure.
 
I always wondered about some of the early TC frame and barrel
limits when i was running the Super 14's.......I did just locate this.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot 2025-09-04 at 11-22-19 How much pressure can a contender barrel be rated for - Search.png
    Screenshot 2025-09-04 at 11-22-19 How much pressure can a contender barrel be rated for - Search.png
    37.4 KB · Views: 39
Thanks for all the thoughts and information. To answer a couple questions here’s what I’ve found today looking over this barrel. It originally was a 30 Herrett barrel now inscribed with 307/300.The set of dies that came with it are 300 Savage with a 30 Herrett trim die. It is a rimed cased shell and a 30-30 casing will drop right in, but the chamber is a lot larger than the 30-30 casing dia. wise. The rim of the 30-30 fits perfect in the barrel. So it seems the casing has to be larger in dia. than the 30-30.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts and information. To answer a couple questions here’s what I’ve found today looking over this barrel. It originally was a 30 Herrett barrel now inscribed with 307/300.The set of dies that came with it are 300 Savage with a 30 Herrett trim die. It is a rimed cased shell and a 30-30 casing will drop right in, but the chamber is a lot larger than the 30-30 casing dia. wise. The rim of the 30-30 fits perfect in the barrel. So it seems the casing has to be larger in dia. than the 30-30.
Then it probably is the 307/300 Winchester cartridge. Look up the
reamer print and do a chamber casting to compare if you can't locate
the smith that did the work.....
 
Bullberry used to make custom Contender barrels chambered for the .300 Savage. They didn't offer them in .308 Winchester as they deemed that chambering to be unsafe for the frame.
 
Last edited:
If it is a 307 Win reformed to 300 Savage a standard 300 Savage should work with possibly an extractor change needed.
I would check the case capacity vs a factory 300 Savage and if similar use those loads.

Many people with bolt guns load +P in 300 S trying to make it a 308.
Don’t do that with a Contender.
It would be bad.
 
And if a rim is absolutely necessary, you can trim .444 Marlin cases and size them.
Or the other way around. Annealing will help.
 
Last edited:
looked up case capacities, the 300 is less by shorting, reducing shoulder diameter and by case wall thickness of the 307 brass, on the cautious side I would start at or just below 300 Savage starting loads, may need to use the 30 Herrett die to start reducing the 307 case don't run it all the way. the 300 shoulder is going to be to sharp an angle ?, I do not have 300 savage dies or brass or I would try it
 
I recently bought a TC Contender with a .307x 300 Savage barrel. I can’t seem to find any info on this caliber. Does anybody have and info or reloading dat for this caliber?
Alright fellas, lets try this again.......First off, the chamber needs verified.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, do a chamber cast. My second post
had my first look, and what Winchester did was to create a rimmed
cartridge to work in a typical Winchester action, and designed to mimic
the 300 Savage. The 307 Winchester is a SAMMI cartridge and not a
wildcat unless the smith had a special reamer made of his own design.
Either way, Hodgdon has listed loading for the 307 Winchester. Prints
are available. Winchester currently only offers one loading and that's
the 180 gr Power Point.
 
As I recall there were a bunch of wildcats based on the 300 Savage. They were called the IHMSA line of cartridges used in silhouette shooting and I’m pretty sure lots of people were using Contenders at the time. The 300 Savage has a lower peak pressure so I guess the contender frame could handle it. If the OP’s chamber is indeed a rimmed 300 Savage then it’s possible that careful loading with published 300 Savage might be safe. Until a chamber cast is done, this discussion is almost meaningless.
 
Last edited:

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
166,816
Messages
2,223,510
Members
79,917
Latest member
Joe The Licensed Plumber
Back
Top