300 Rem ultra mag

Something in the .300 Win Mag/.300 WSM class is going to be far easier to learn to shoot well, ammo will be much cheaper, and if you're like 99% of us you'll never be able to tell the difference on game.

There's nothing wrong with the ultramags, but if you don't know _why_ you need one, you definitely don't need one.

Edit to add: Chucky gives all the gory details here http://www.chuckhawks.com/300ultra_mag.htm, and compare to http://www.chuckhawks.com/300Win_Mag.htm
 
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This is one of the few times that I actually agree with "Legend in his own mind" Chuck Hawks. The .300 RUM is a good choice if you have to launch heavy .30 cal bullets in 200-240+ gr. range. Why you would have to instead of stepping up to a .338 or + is another story. The .300 Win Mag is all you may need if you want to go to 200 gr., the ammo is cheaper and is available everywhere and from several different manufacturers. The RUM has less choice, is more expensive and harder to find. The RUM is a beast, Remington has had to come up with different power levels (reduced loads) in order to keep the thing selling, as it is too much cartridge for the majority of shooters.
I have a Sendero chambered in .300 RUM and I like it a lot, I reload for it and it is still quite expensive.
 
300 Rum is like haveing 3 rifles if you do not reload.
Level 1= 30-06
Level 2= 300win M & 300wsm
Level 3= class of its owen.
DAN>>>:p
 
Add another "power" level ... the "Managed Recoil" Remington load for the 300 RUM in 150 gr. virtually duplicates the 308 Winchester 150 gr. load.

If you DON'T handload, this caliber may be attractive for those that are searching for an "all-around - one rifle to do everything" game gun - a
308 / 30-06 / 300 Win Mag / 300 Ultra Mag all in one package.
 
beretta boy said:
Add another "power" level ... the "Managed Recoil" Remington load for the 300 RUM in 150 gr. virtually duplicates the 308 Winchester 150 gr. load.

If you DON'T handload, this caliber may be attractive for those that are searching for an "all-around - one rifle to do everything" game gun - a
308 / 30-06 / 300 Win Mag / 300 Ultra Mag all in one package.
Click to expand...

Looks like I just picked up another rifle, 150gr in 308.:D DAN>>>
 
From the stand point of a hunting rifle, I tend to agree that if you need more than a .300 Winchester one should go bigger as opposed to faster. Quite frankly I think the next logical step is a .375, if you already own a .300 Winchester. If you had a .270 and wanted bigger the .338 would then be a fine choice. There is little that can be achieved with a .338 that could not be achieved with a .300 Winchester when loaded with the correct bullet, and many .338 shooter seem to choose 200-210 gr bullets rather than the 275-300 gr bullets which is where the .338 really shines.

The .300 Ultra is at it's best for the long range competitor. While ballistically close, the cost of .300 Ultra brass is less then the cost .30-378 Weatherby brass and is therefore more attractive. Barrel life will be slightly better with the Ultra if the shooting habits are equal with each rifle, although neither round would be easy on barrels. The Ultra does not have a belt, and this can be considered an advantage for feeding, although that is not an issue with a target rifle. I suspect that target rifles chambered for beltless cartridges tend to be more accurate than those chambered for belted cartridges, although if true the difference would probably be too small to be of practical use.

Any cartridge that burns 100+ grs of powder is going to produce enthusiastic recoil. This can of course be mitigated by the use of muzzle breaks and heavy weight rifles. Still, when you must consciously push recoil from your mind, it means that you are not concentrating on the mechanics of the shot. For this reason, light caliber rifles are easier to shoot accurately than equally accurate large rifles. Many competitors shun the .308 for this reason, opting for 6mm's and 6.5's. A .308 is very mild compared to the .300 Ultra.
 
I must be smoking crack....'cause shooting 200 gr. partitions, my 700LSS in 300 RUM is a pussycat as far as recoil goes. Sure, you feel it, but it's no worse than a .338 win, and down right mild compared to some of the "big bores" that guys shoot. I boght my rifle because where I used to hunt moose a 500+ yard shot was the norm (massive clear cuts), and blowing apart washer fluid jugs at 700 is always fun practice. Do you need it? Most probably dont, but IMO, if you are gonna pay the same for the rifle wether it's chambered in the winmag or the ultra, and you don't go through 100 rounds per range session (you wont, with either cartridge), why not grab the extra capability of the RUM?

The only advice I have is to stick with premium bullets for hunting (TSX, Partition, etc) because if you are geared up for 700 yard moose and one steps out at 50, you are going to want to have a bullet that stays together.
 
Under practical hunting conditions, the recoil produced by rifle can be pretty much ignored. On the target range however, when 100 rounds or more might be fired in a day, recoil can be a serious problem.

Why is a faster bullet more capable? I can shot sub MOA with a .308 at 1200 yards, yet my .375 is what I choose to kill game with. A high velocity .30 at 50 yards will turn 30 pounds of meat into mush, pretty much irrespective of the bullet chosen.
 
Why is a faster bullet more capable? Depends on what you are looking at when you use the term. I wouldn't even think about shooting a moose at 1200 yards with a .308, it just doesn't carry enough energy....and to compund that, in order to shoot your .308 at those ranges, your scope needs to be shimmed to such an extent that the optics are useless at 100 yards anyway. As far as your 375 goes, extend the ranges and that gun is a dog. Sure, up to 200 yards it's a better choice, but if you are only shooting 200 or less, you wouldn't really be looking at anything in the Ultras class anyway. In fact, if my hunting was limited to the 375's ranges, I would likely step up to something along the lines of the 450 marlin....at those ranges the marlin will do everything the 375 will do, only better ;)

So in a nutshell, the advantage of a faster bullet is trajectory and carried energy....hell, the 7mm RUM shoots flatter than a 22-250!

The other advantage of the RUM case is that it allows you to drive heavy for caliber bullets without sacrificing FPS.
 
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Wrong Way said:
Why is a faster bullet more capable? Depends on what you are looking at when you use the term. I wouldn't even think about shooting a moose at 1200 yards with a .308, it just doesn't carry enough energy....and to compund that, in order to shoot your .308 at those ranges, your scope needs to be shimmed to such an extent that the optics are useless at 100 yards anyway. As far as your 375 goes, extend the ranges and that gun is a dog. Sure, up to 200 yards it's a better choice, but if you are only shooting 200 or less, you wouldn't really be looking at anything in the Ultras class anyway. In fact, if my hunting was limited to the 375's ranges, I would likely step up to something along the lines of the 450 marlin....at those ranges the marlin will do everything the 375 will do, only better ;)

So in a nutshell, the advantage of a faster bullet is trajectory and carried energy....hell, the 7mm RUM shoots flatter than a 22-250!

The other advantage of the RUM case is that it allows you to drive heavy for caliber bullets without sacrificing FPS.
Click to expand...


Actually my .308 is zero at 100 with the elevation bottomed out, and I have 13 mills of adjustment due to the 34 mm tube. Add to that the 4 mill dots above the cross hair and I've got 18 mills. I don't use a 20 pound .308 for hunting, and when hunting big game I have a self imposed range limit, which under normal conditions at unwounded game is 300 yards. This I can handle with my .375 or my .30/06. I love long range shooting, and the low cost of .308 ammo means I can do a lot of it.

Other than practicing ranging game at long range, I'll admit that hunting at extended ranges doesn't particularly interest me. There is so much of the day that you can't shoot due to mirage, and other days you are out of luck because of gusty winds or because of rain, snow, or fog. I don't particularly like long rifles in the field, and for the Ultamag to have any advantage over a .300 Winchester you need at least a 28" barrel and 30" would be better. Less than that and you're burning 100 grs of powder to push a 180 gr bullet at 3000 fps just like a .300 Winchester. Then there's all the extra gear you have to pack around like laser range finders, wind meters, and a palm pilot to help you work out a firing solution. Unable to shoot at long range because of the weather, you take your Ultramag into a wooded area where you end up taking a 50 yard shot, a shot that you might not make because of the small field of view available in your long range scope. But if you do make that shot on a deer at 50 yards, that velocity that drops 2 seconds off the flight time of the bullet at 1000 yards will probably cost you 30 pounds of meat.
 
Boomer said:
Actually my .308 is zero at 100 with the elevation bottomed out, and I have 13 mills of adjustment due to the 34 mm tube. Add to that the 4 mill dots above the cross hair and I've got 18 mills. I don't use a 20 pound .308 for hunting, and when hunting big game I have a self imposed range limit, which under normal conditions at unwounded game is 300 yards. This I can handle with my .375 or my .30/06. I love long range shooting, and the low cost of .308 ammo means I can do a lot of it.

Other than practicing ranging game at long range, I'll admit that hunting at extended ranges doesn't particularly interest me. There is so much of the day that you can't shoot due to mirage, and other days you are out of luck because of gusty winds or because of rain, snow, or fog. I don't particularly like long rifles in the field, and for the Ultamag to have any advantage over a .300 Winchester you need at least a 28" barrel and 30" would be better. Less than that and you're burning 100 grs of powder to push a 180 gr bullet at 3000 fps just like a .300 Winchester. Then there's all the extra gear you have to pack around like laser range finders, wind meters, and a palm pilot to help you work out a firing solution. Unable to shoot at long range because of the weather, you take your Ultramag into a wooded area where you end up taking a 50 yard shot, a shot that you might not make because of the small field of view available in your long range scope. But if you do make that shot on a deer at 50 yards, that velocity that drops 2 seconds off the flight time of the bullet at 1000 yards will probably cost you 30 pounds of meat.
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LOL...I beg to differ, but hey, what do I know...I only HUNT with one.
FYI: My ultra wears a 2.5-10 X 40, and has shot large animals at close range....but c'mon, you are making NO sense. If the wind is cranking 60 knots and the wweather is ####ty, I hunt in the close stuff...but bring a better rifle for the conditions....Of course, I actually own more than one hunting rifle, so your mileaage may vary on that one

A 200-220 partition/TSX will not blow man sized holes through moose (yes, even at close range) , and in the real world, "30 lbs" of shoulder meat (hamburger) from a 1000+ lb animal is actually a pretty good ratio.
I don't know where the hell the "deer" argument came from....did you just slip that in there to reinforce your (non) argument?
Sure, a RUM will smash the hell out of a deer...but it's not a deer cartridge.....so what exactly is your point?
 
FWIW for most people, the .308/30-06 class of rilfe is all that's needed.

LET'S NOT TURN THIS INTO .308 VS 30-06.

For the non reloader you can buy factory ammo pretty near anywhere for these but not for the .300RUM.

For the reloaders, then if you have a .300RUM then you can tailor the load to suit the quarry. But remember that you will still be using more powder to get the equivalent loads of .308/30-06.
 
Now who's argument doesn't make sense. You go hunting anticipating good weather, the weather closes in, you are 10 miles from a vehicle or camp and you have a second rifle?

Why shouldn't you be able to shoot light game with that rifle? I have taken game as light as 100 pounds with full powered .375 loads, resulting in quick kills and little meat damage. The .375 is a better very big game cartridge due to it's greater bullet mass and it's lower velocity. Should I ever choose to, the .375 bullet (either a 260 AB or 300 gr TSX) will reach out to 500 yards with enough retained velocity (2000 fps) to ensure good bullet performance. Your comparison of the .375 to the .450 Marlin misses the mark by some, because when both are loaded with 350 gr bullets, there is a greater velocity gap between the .375 and the .450 than there is between the .300 Ultra and the .300 Winchester when both are loaded with bullets of the same weight.

If you are getting good service from your rifle I'm happy for you. You've invested a lot of money in that outfit and you are due a return on that investment. Your choice of scope is top rate on any big game rifle, and in fairness the .300 Ultra can be hand loaded to fit any North American hunting scenario.

If I was going to own such a rifle for hunting purposes I would find a good 250 gr .30 caliber bullet, similar to the 250 gr Barnes original. Such a bullet would perform in a similar fashion to the 380 gr bullets I load in my .375 Ultra carbine. The Woodleigh 240 gr .308 bullet is OK but because it is designed to be used at .30/06 velocities I think you would be inclined to overdrive it in the Ultra unless your barrel was short. Such a bullet could be loaded for short to medium range use, when the conditions for successful long range shooting deteriorate.

You asked what my point was, and my point is simply to illustrate that a bullet does not need to be explosive in order to kill game of any size in a humane manner. My point is to also illustrate that a good bullet should kill game in a humane manner without tissue loss due to the effects of hyper velocity impacts.
 
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And now it makes sense.

You had, until the last post, neglected to mention that your "375" is in fact, a .375 RUM :). Based on the posts previous I assumed you were using something in 375 winchester or eeven 375 ruger. (and based on those carts, my 450 comment was right-on ;) ) Now that this (valuable) piece of information has come to light, my argument changes.

The 375 RUM is a great short to medium range cartridge (and my choice for bear), and yes...it can be stretched out there, just not as far or flat as the 300...in fact, it's not even an apples to apples comparison.

Long range big game: 300 ultra shines, but has a disadvantage under 300 yards

Up to 300 yard big game: .375 Ultra shines, but has a disadvantage over 300

:D
 
I've seen deer shot with a 300RUM. The load was using Accubonds and 1 was at 150 yds the other about 275. Bang flop for both and no more meat destruction than my .308 when I was using factory 150gr loads like power-points or corelokts. I was impressed but it's too much rifle for me to tote around or shoot.
 
Not wanting to further any arguements here but the 300 Ultra is an 06 with more reach. Even the H&H is fully capable of 400 yd. shooting at big game.
 
300rum

If you can handle the recoil, which is up to YOU o decide, it is, in my opinion, a great all around calibre. I have hunted alot in areas where I have on any given day a mule deer tag, whitetail, elk, moose, and/or bear.... Shot ranges are from 20yds to well beyond my shooting capabilities, but I know what I can put that RUM into, and am in no way "under gunned" (I hate that term) for whatever the species at my comfortable ranges. I have taken numerous deer with it and as mentioned, damage has been no more/no less than any other .308 cal I've hunted with. I suppose you put one in the hind quarters that may be another story, but a bigger, badder gun doesn't relieve you from making clean shots.

Would I carry it as a dedicated deer gun, likely I would answer no, but that depends on the area I'm hunting and what the average shot distance will be. Before I bought my first one, there were alot of guys in the stores trying to tell me it was way too much gun, and was unnecessary. Unnecessary, well alot of calibers are, but why not shoot the gun before you make a decision on it's handling, and your idea of recoil is different to the next guys.

Load it up or down, it can perform like a wide range of calibers, so you don't have to be shooting the hottest loads for every situation, or any. Best part of that being it is available to shooters who do not handload with Remington's factory ammunition, nice option. That being said, if you never plan on using the full pop of the gun, why buy one just to say you have it? Get a 300WM or a 30'06, they have been killing game as dead as anything else and ammo is cheaper and more readily available.
 
I second all that.
Great caliber for moose or long range hunting.
Great choice of bullets.
I use 200ge Accubonds, but I think I will switch to 180gr Scirocco II.
 
The first deer I shot with my Rem 700 LSS 300RUM was a blacktail/mule deer cross that popped out onto the trail 80 yards in front of me and started trotting straight uphill towards me when it was 40 yards away it turned slightly to the right giving me a shot.

I hit it with a 180gr Scirroco that left the muzzle at 3380fps the shot entered the front of the chest and hit the backbone right between the shoulder blades resulting in an instantly dead deer that flipped over backwards but with surprisingly minimal meat damage.

The bullet disintigrated when it hit the backbone and didn't exit.

The second animal I shot with the 300RUM was a black bear running quartering away from me at about 125 yards I was using 200gr Swift A-Frames @ about 3200 - 3250fps the bear dropped instantly to the shot.

Once again minimal meat damage.

The 300RUM is an awesome do almost everything round.

My son will be packing it this spring when we go on my grizzly hunt for backup as well as his black bear rifle/cartridge combo.

I'll be packing my Rem 700 LSS 375RUM with either 260gr Accubonds @ 3000fps, 300gr Partitions or Sierra Matchkings @ 2750fps - 2800fps... ;)
 
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