.300 RUM thoughts?
- Thread starter JTF#
- Start date
It will outperform all of them, but it comes at the expense of decreased barrel life and increased recoil. I found my 300 RUM was more uncomfortable to shoot than my .338. The recoil was very sharp and snappy. A muzzle brake tuned it into a pussycat, but was ridiculously loud. I put one round through it without hearing protection, and my ear rang constantly for two days, and I had occasional tinnitus for weeks after. In fact it "cured" me of muzzle brakes forever.
I used the .300 RUM on a Australian feral cull at the end of August. It's a custom Corlane built on a Sako 75 with Gaillard barrel and McMillan Hunter stock. I'd got a smoking deal on it and wanted to put some real field time on it. Its an easy 1/2 mile rig, a real shooter while still being basically a heavy sporter.
In the field my opinion is mixed. I used it on water buffalo and scrub bull on the heavy end, though these things are seldom considered .30 caliber game. It clobbers things, no doubt about it. One of the things is the operator.
On the downside the RUM has a whole lot of buck and roar for what amounted to 150 fps difference to my .300 Wins with my handloads with 180 grain bullets. I like that rifle a lot, and will continue to use simply because I like it. By comparison, my .300 Wins are relative pussy-cats to shoot.
The worst part is the muzzle blast. I don't normally use ear muffs in the field but did for this one. Its viciously, painfully loud. On balance my opinion is that it isn't worth it as a general purpose hunting rifle.
I find the .300 Win and .338 Win to be about the same recoil-wise, though obviously bullet weight has a large bearing. Both are in a completely different league than any of the three flavours of .270s I've owned. They are rather mild to shoot.
In the field my opinion is mixed. I used it on water buffalo and scrub bull on the heavy end, though these things are seldom considered .30 caliber game. It clobbers things, no doubt about it. One of the things is the operator.
On the downside the RUM has a whole lot of buck and roar for what amounted to 150 fps difference to my .300 Wins with my handloads with 180 grain bullets. I like that rifle a lot, and will continue to use simply because I like it. By comparison, my .300 Wins are relative pussy-cats to shoot.
The worst part is the muzzle blast. I don't normally use ear muffs in the field but did for this one. Its viciously, painfully loud. On balance my opinion is that it isn't worth it as a general purpose hunting rifle.
I find the .300 Win and .338 Win to be about the same recoil-wise, though obviously bullet weight has a large bearing. Both are in a completely different league than any of the three flavours of .270s I've owned. They are rather mild to shoot.
Not too big for the elk, moose, caribou or deer for that matter. More like too big for most shooters. So are the .300 Mags and the .338.
When you want privacy at the range, just whip out the 300rum or the 30-378 Weatherby! 
They have their purpose, 500+ yard shots on game is like delivering a 30-06 blast at point blank. So you can reach way out there on large animals and still have good knockdown power upon bullet arrival
Or just blast right through a moose at 200 yards and now worry about shoulder blades or bone.
Drawbacks are muzzle brakes to tame the recoil and the possibility of blow ear drums if you hunt in a bowl or depression where sound waves can't get out, cause your gonna use that muzzle brake for sure!
They have their purpose, 500+ yard shots on game is like delivering a 30-06 blast at point blank. So you can reach way out there on large animals and still have good knockdown power upon bullet arrival
Or just blast right through a moose at 200 yards and now worry about shoulder blades or bone.
Drawbacks are muzzle brakes to tame the recoil and the possibility of blow ear drums if you hunt in a bowl or depression where sound waves can't get out, cause your gonna use that muzzle brake for sure!
Now that would seem to depend on who you ask, and when you asked them. C.I.P has reduced its pressure rating from 68 to 63 something thousand PSI. The RUM seems to be rated 65,000 by SAAMI.
I don't doubt that sturdy Lapua brass can handle high pressures. I do doubt that you are going to get those speeds without running some wild ones.
blasted_saber
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- A blue part of Ontario
Seems like overkill for an Ontario (Canadian?) hunter.
Wrong Way
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I hunted a 700LSS in 300 RUM for a few years (moose and long range deer)...no muzzle break or anything and it was fine (and I'm not a big guy...5 10' 160 ish). The ONLY problem I had with that loading was when I had it set up for 500 yards + and a Mose stepped out at 10 yards.....the gun worked fine but the bullet (180 Swift sirocco)? Not so much. Switched to Barnes TSX after that, and never a problem
Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
The RUM is a .30 cal speciality cartridge. Great for guys who can handle the recoil and muzzle blast and who regularly shoot big game at 400+ yards.
In reality though, even a "regular" 300 win mag is more than most hunters need, or can handle.
Heck, even a 30-06, with proper loads, will put down your deer, bear, moose, at ranges far longer than 90% of hunters can shoot effectively.
There's nothing wrong with the RUM, but too many guys buy them because of all the impressive numbers the RUM posts, and then end up selling them due to them being simply too much in every department, from ammo cost, to recoil, to muzzle blast.
In reality though, even a "regular" 300 win mag is more than most hunters need, or can handle.
Heck, even a 30-06, with proper loads, will put down your deer, bear, moose, at ranges far longer than 90% of hunters can shoot effectively.
There's nothing wrong with the RUM, but too many guys buy them because of all the impressive numbers the RUM posts, and then end up selling them due to them being simply too much in every department, from ammo cost, to recoil, to muzzle blast.
I have one in the Rem 700 LSS and I love it for longer shots but now that i've moved farther north shots are closer and I find myself using the 375 ruger more often then not. I dont find the recoil bad but not everybody will agree with me.
The 300 RUM is in a completely separate class from the 2 other cartridges you mention. It is a killing machine to 1000 mtrs if the man behind it does his job. My son and I both have them and have taken a great number of animals with them. You may also know that I have a reputation of loading my cartridges to the greatest potential safely possible. The 300 RUM has a side few will see when loaded to it's true potential in a 26" or longer barrel. Having said all this my preference is still my old 700 in 300 Wby.
That's where I see the .300 RUM fitting into my arsen...................uh collection?, a specialty cartridge for very long range shooting. For more normal, zero to 500 hunting there are milder .30 cal options like the more standard magnums.
Only reason I don't take my 26" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 300RUM loaded with 200gr Accubonds and/or 200gr Swift A-Frames @ 3200fps out more is 2 years ago I've really gotten into hunting with my single shot T/C Contender carbines and Prohunter and when I grab a longer range capable rifle I grab my 21" barreled Rem 700 LSS in 375RUM loaded with 260gr Accubonds @ 3020fps.
I've been out 3 times deer hunting this Sept took the 300RUM twice due to hunting where I expected longer shots.
I've shot deer from 40 yards (180gr Scirroco @ 3380fps) - black bear at 200 yards and with my Leupold VX3 4.5-14X40mm B&C reticle scope I know exactly the hold for 600 yard shots.
I installed a Kick-Eez magnum recoil pad takes the bite out of the recoil just remembered my son that hardly ever shoots/hunts shot his appr 8' grizzly at appr 200 yards with this rifle and my 200gr A-Frame @ 3200fps loads bear made it appr 50 yards before piling up.
The 300RUM definitely has its place in my life I do not use it to hunt everything it is used for a certain type of hunting same as every other rifle/cartridge combo I have.
I've been out 3 times deer hunting this Sept took the 300RUM twice due to hunting where I expected longer shots.
I've shot deer from 40 yards (180gr Scirroco @ 3380fps) - black bear at 200 yards and with my Leupold VX3 4.5-14X40mm B&C reticle scope I know exactly the hold for 600 yard shots.
I installed a Kick-Eez magnum recoil pad takes the bite out of the recoil just remembered my son that hardly ever shoots/hunts shot his appr 8' grizzly at appr 200 yards with this rifle and my 200gr A-Frame @ 3200fps loads bear made it appr 50 yards before piling up.
The 300RUM definitely has its place in my life I do not use it to hunt everything it is used for a certain type of hunting same as every other rifle/cartridge combo I have.
I've used it enough to determine that it offers no practical advantage over the .300 WM at distances out to 400 or so yards, and comes with the expense of extra recoil and cost, meanwhile if I want more power than a .300 WM I am more likely to look at larger calibers. Although I'm not a real long range aficionado, if the goal is long range killing of animals and I wanted a bigger bullet than the various large 7mm cartridges, I would lean more towards a .338 LM than just making a .308 caliber go faster than a 300WM will push a 200 gr bullet.
Too much case for 30 caliber for general purpose, not enough bullet for long range.
Too much case for 30 caliber for general purpose, not enough bullet for long range.
X2 on for this post + everything Dogleg said ... All these things thing factored in when I could have built any rifle I wanted in any caliber ... many nights looking at charts and data I realized that for the recoil and hitting power that was more than enough inside 1000 yards ... I bought a 27 inch hart barrel in 1-9 twist so I could launch a 180gr VLD in 7mm Rem Mag.
Talk about a pussy cat with a tonne of energy at 1000 yards. Is there harder hitting cartridges ... absolutely , But bang for the buck / recoil 7mm is for me
Even if you go 338 Lapua you have to go with a 30 inch barrel and a 1.925 twist " I believe it is" and you have AI the chamber and run a 300gr Scenar to put up the crazy numbers that the Lapua can produce.
Guys that buy these savages and Remington factory rifles are not going to get the numbers that those cartridges are capable of ... they are just trying to win a d*ick measuring contest. IMO
I personally think that unless you do the above things I mentioned to the Lapua or Rum there is not enough extra energy to justify running anything more than a 7 rem mag or a 300wm
Conclusion ... if you want a .30 cal stick with the 300wm
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