Cartridge identification

A

Andy Cross

New member
Returning from the range last weekend I found a centre fire case in the car park. It looked unusual so I took it home for further examination. The head stamp was norma 250/3000. But it had been neck expanded to .30cal The shoulder was shorter but the shoulder angle seemed to be left unchanged. So what is it called ?
and what shooting disipline is likely to use a wildcat like this ?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Andy.
 
Yup John you are spot on, my father-in-law had 60 or so Savage 300 rounds made from various 250-3000 cases, all from a guy in Vermont, name on the boxes is Farnsworth Ammo Co., Vergennes, VT. He helps out the ones that need the "odd" cartridges, and also produces standard loads.
 
Thanks for that

Thanks for the link to click on. I believe that the cartridge I found is indeed this version. Oddly enough I couldn't find any info from people in long range BR, small bore or full bore where it was being used. Usually it's the target shooters who tinker with this sort of thing rather than varmint shooters.
Andy.
 
Taildrag15X said:
a guy in Vermont, name on the boxes is Farnsworth Ammo Co., Vergennes, VT. He helps out the ones that need the "odd" cartridges, and also produces standard loads.
Click to expand...

That would be Ira Farnsworth shown here in 2003 scoring a match with my wife Carol

ira.jpg
 
Andy,

I suspect that you're setting your sights too high. It's not a wildcatter's cartridge, it's old time bread and butter stuff.

The .300 savage was a standard calibre in their Model 99 lever gun along with the 250/3000 up until the .308 Winchester came along, & even then it took quite a time before it was discontinued. I recall that their bolt guns were chambered for it as well. It competed well with the 30/30 because it was chambered for firearms with rotary or box magazines & could be loaded with way more efficient projectiles than the blunt points offered in the Winchester 98.

I suspect that necking the .250 cases up to .30 only happens these days because the ammo manufacturers don't see a viable market for it any more for the original calibre.

John
 
I've got both a .250 and .300, and Winchester produces cases for both from time to time. You have to see it when it comes out because the cases don't sit around for long. A few years ago I bought a couple hundred of each, which ought to be a lifetime supply for me. I can't seen that it'd be much of an advantage to form .250 cases into .300's unless the .300's were just not available, since they're both about as scarce as hen's teeth. New factory ammo will make a guy's eyes water too, although it's usually stocked in a well stocked gun store, at least around here.

Too bad the .250 and .300 are now semi-obsolete because for all practical purposes they'll do what the rounds that replaced them, 243 and .308 Win, will.
 
Dick Grosbier said:
That would be Ira Farnsworth shown here in 2003 scoring a match with my wife Carol

ira.jpg
Click to expand...

I know this is an old thread, but this is relevant.

Ira is my father. Still alive and kicking, no longer shooting.

Good news is, I own the business, and my girlfriend and I both are shooters.
 
Andy Cross said:
Returning from the range last weekend I found a centre fire case in the car park. It looked unusual so I took it home for further examination. The head stamp was norma 250/3000. But it had been neck expanded to .30cal The shoulder was shorter but the shoulder angle seemed to be left unchanged. So what is it called ?
and what shooting disipline is likely to use a wildcat like this ?
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Andy.
Click to expand...

I'm reasonably sure these guys are prolly correct in their assessment but there is another possibility....... many 30 caliber score rounds are formed from 250-3000 or 300 Savage cases instead of the more common 308Win case..
 
Might even be 30 IHMSA. We do have the dies to make them, and reamers to chamber them. Even got at least one 30 IHMSA rifle.
 
No, No, No...Maybe.

You need to get R.G. Robinett to give you the history. But short course...In the States, at least, many of the original 30X47 and 30X44 rifles for Hunter Class benchrest were made off the .300 Savage, or the .250 Savage, if the .300 was scarce. They are a bit smaller at the base. I have a 30x44 smithed by Felix Jarrett that depends on the .300 Savage case, a .308 is just a bit too big at the base.

Now that explanation may not work for Oz, I dunno if they ever had much Hunter class benchrest.

FWIW

Edit:

Thinking on it, Mike Walker made up a numer of chamberings based on the Savage case -- like the International. Maybe there was a .30 in there somewhere, too. Moreover, I think he (via Remington) proposed that for the Military, when they were going to move off the '06. But of course, the (now) .308 Winchester was selected...



Get out your books or maybe it's in Wikipedia, I'm not *that* interested.
 
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Well, my experience with brass made for the 308 is almost all of the American made stuff was flat out garbage.

Used to make my 308 match brass from Norma 7.7 Jap.

Used to make 30 IHMSA from 300 Savage, which was much better brass, even American stuff wasn't bad.
 
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