1st post and thinking new LR hunting rig.

[fmajor]

Thanks Tim!

Yup, prayer is always a good thing!

Your 2-gun battery sounds like a nice idea too. I wonder if the .338 Norma would *need* a little more barrel length? Otherwise, i too am a big fan of consistency.

If i were to propose a battery, i think i'd go something like this:

.22-250
.300 RUM
.375 Ruger OR a *strong* lever action .45-70 with some wicked hot loads!

frank

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Welcome Frank,

We have a couple of things in common, like serving under Pres Reagan and taking a break from hunting and shooting, and I am new to the LR game myself but have learned a whole lot in the last year and a half that I've been hanging around this site. First thing I would recommend is dont make any quick decisions. You may learn a few things over a few months that may affect your decision making.

On which 300 rifle you want, I think that depends on what you want to do with it. The 300 WSM and WM are very close, and I'll have to take a little exception with my friend Tank. I developed a load in my 24"300 WSM with RL17 that will out run most 26" WM loads. In most cases the WM does have a slight edge on the WSM. But with RL17 I can get 2900 fps with a 210 Berger and 3160 with 180 E-Tips. One of the big advantages of the WSM is you can expect maybe double or more the barrel life. And I have this irrational dislike of useless belts on brass. Call me crazy.

On the RUM, I just got a used Sendero and am in the process of barrel break-in and load development. I am treating it with a product call Gun Juice which is supposed to lay down a lubricating protective layer that resists corrosion, increases barrel life and increases velocity. I *appears* to have increased velocity a little in my 25-06 Sendero and I am getting very good velocities with several powder/bullet combos in my RUM. I'll be posting a thread on my initial results and findings, probably in a couple of weeks.

I shot 30 rounds out of my RUM the other day in load development in about an hour and a half. It was a cool breezy day, good for cooling the barrel. There is no brake on it. I could have easily shot 30 or 60 more. I use a slip on recoil pad on the bench and it does a great job of dampening the recoil. A lot of guys in the LR game use brakes, mostly to be able to see their bullet impact and that's a great bennifit. I personnaly dont like them because they are extremely loud and are an encuberance on the end of my barrel. My rifles are all carry rifles and I am a walking, spotting kind of hunter. So in the field, the brake causes me a couple of problems by being a snag on brush and required hearing protection. if you ever shoot a braked RUM without ear protection you will likely never do it again. So, depending on YOUR priorities and hunting style you can make that choice. If I had a dedicated bench gun, and/or my hunting style was setup-ambush, I would definitely consider a brake.

The RUM will gain you about 300-400 fps over the WM or WSM, which translates to about 200-300 yds more range, depnding on your loads and rifle. It also uses up a whole lot more powder. With 67.5 gr of RL17 I can get 3160 with a 180 bullet and with 98 gr of Retumbo I can get 3440 with the same bullet. So the real question is, what do YOU want to accomplish?

I'll offer a prayer for your service to the Lord.

Be blessed and good shooting,

Mark

 

[fmajor]

Thanks all-around Mark and especially for prayer! We *live* on prayer - no joke - especially when we consider what we have to listen to 6 times a day, everyday, in Arabic.

That's a good word on the .300 WSM - i'm not a fan of the "belt" either. Though i've had excellent accuracy with the .300 Win rifles i've fired, i believe it's more a result of the work put into gunsmithing and load development.

I'm also interested in your comment about the additional encumbrance a muzzle-brake adds to barrel length. I've never used one, though heard 'em at the range before. I'm also a spot/stalk/engage kinda hunter, though if a specific individual animal requires it, i *definitely* use set-up/ambush type hunting. That means a muzzle-brake may not be all gain and no loss.

Another dilemma.

At this juncture, i'm pretty well convinced the .300 RUM will be my next long-range hunting rig. That is if fits in my donor action because i simply can't afford to be buying everything.

My wish list was:
1) huge down-range - ahem, SMACK!!! I know it's not on par with say a .340/.378 Weatherby, but the .300 RUM, from all accounts, will definitely punch an elk properly while still being "reasonable" for long-ranging whitetails, muleys, and maybe antelope one day.

2) flat trajectory over long-distance

3) manageable recoil

4) good component selection (lotsa .30cal bullet choices available)

So now i'm needing to read up on the stalk-ability of muzzle-brake endowed rifles.... Seems like the "carry" mode will have alot to do with this and what foliage i may have to go through in hunting.

If the .300 RUM is too long for my donor action, i think i'll head toward the .300 WSM if i can get similar performance. That is given that the bolt-face will also work....

Thanks,

frank

 

[Robbin]

I have a 300 win mag, my step son has a 300 RUM. In every performance stat the RUM crushes the 300 win mag, except accuracy which is 1moa out to 300 for both rifles. The one place my 300 win mag wins is FUN. The RUM is the only gun I've ever shot that is NO FUN TO SHOOT. It kicks the teeth out of you. Shooting from a bench working up loads was the worst. He shot an elk with it last year, but it's been shipped off to get a muzzle break. That should help some, but you will have to hunt with hearing protection.

If you enjoy shooting, get the win mag. If you are buying the ultimate BIG game hunting rifle, get the RUM. It's the flatest shooting, hardest hitting thing I've ever seen. But I wouldn't own one.

 

[fmajor]

Good point Robbin - thanks!

I don't want something that knocks my fillings loose.

Recoil isn't generally a problem for me. However, when i'm at the range i'm there to shoot high volume for as long as i can (acknowledging time btw groups for cooling, cleaning, etc). I'd prefer the limiting factor be excessive barrel heat and not b/c i'm black n blue.

I can remember a day when i was doing load work-up with my 1st .300 Win Mag. I'd already shot 30-odd hot rounds through it when my reloading "coach" asked me to proof some hot .338 Win loads for one of his customers.

I put 'em all down-range nice and tight - maybe only an additional 20-odd rounds. However, that lite-wgt Ruger M77 with those .338 Win hot-loads really kicked the stuffing outta me - especdially after my earlier session with my .300Win! I remember thinking back then that i'd not want to shoot that bad boy any more than i'd absolutely have to!

Maybe the .300 Win will be the sweet-spot for me after all.... I'm already familiar with loading for it, what to generally expect ballistically, etc.....

Thanks again!!!

frank

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Frank,

I'm 5'7" and 160 lbs. When I shoot a 7RM without a slip-on recoil pad or brake, I start flinching at about 20 rounds. When I shoot my 300 WSM, it starts getting to me after about 15 rounds. With a slip-on recoil pad I can fire them all day. I use this practice with all my mags. Like I mentioned earlier, I fired 30 rounds through my RUM with no issues at all and could have kept going indefinitely. If you fire a RUM without some sort of recoil mitigation, you can bet it's going to get your attention real quick.

I am no super tough guy when it comes to recoil. I can handle some but it will eventually get my attention. Good technique is important as well. I have shot the RUM a couple of times when the butt wasn't firm into the pocket and it has caused me a deep groan with the recoil pad. I dont do that anymore. If you can handle 30 rounds of 300 WM followed with 20 rounds of 338 WM, then you can handle recoil better than I. The question is are you OK with using a slip-on? I take mine off in the field and I have yet to notice any recoil when I am shooting at game.

I am very happy with my RUM and it wears no brake and I am not superman. It shoots a 200 gr bullet in excess of 3200 fps and is a down range thumper. Just something to think about.

-Mark

 

[MontanaRifleman]

And if you do decide that the 300 Mag is what you want the WSM is essentially the ballisitc twin of the WM with double the barrel life.

Cheers

 

[fmajor]

Thx MR!!!

Yup, you've givin' me something to think about alright! What yer doing is overloading my small brain with too many options!!!

I'm 5' 11" and about 235 and haven't ever really used a dedicated recoil pad aside from what came with the firearm (i *think* i had something on my 1st .300 Win, it's been a long time...). Ya, i agree that good, *solid* shoulder-placement is a necessity and not just for recoil, but for accuracy as well (consistency, consistency, consistency).

I know from taking whitetails that i've never felt anything when shooting game, but the day on the range with the .338Win was pretty 'impacting'.

Here we go again - .300Win or .300RUM or .300Win or .300RUM or .300Win or .300RUM or .300Win or .300RUM or .300Win or .300RUM

lightbulb - Aha, maybe a .30-.378 Weatherby?!?

frank

 

[liltank]

Save your money on the Weatherby brass and get the RUM. Same ballistics, now you want to talk .338, than the .338-.378 is the route to go without having to fire form brass, but that is not the direction you are a going (I digress).

My brother-in-law has a 30-416. They shoot the 240SMK to speeds of 3000+ fps. I am not real sure of their speed, but its moving. Just last year they shot an elk at 1550 yards. One shot is all it took and about 10 hours to pack it out. They do self guided hunts in Idaho. My brother-in-law has the family record with a 30-8mmRM at 1400yrds on a PA Whitetail.

Well have fun deciding. I know it was a mess for me to figure out.

Tank