300 RUM barrel life

[afimedia]

No need to be sorry, I was just wondering why you had such long barrel life just like I wondered why X-Man had short barrel life. Your original answer explained why as you had mild loads for the RUM.

That said, X-man's loads were not extreme, so I think it goes to show that barrel life is difficult to predict.

I haven't burned out a 300 RUM barrel yet.

Neither have I, but I already have plans to have this rifle rebarrelled in .300 RUM. I really do like the caliber and the recoil doesn't bother me...yet...even though I am 63.

 

[Catfur]

Neither have I, but I already have plans to have this rifle rebarrelled in .300 RUM. I really do like the caliber and the recoil doesn't bother me...yet...even though I am 63.

You must have loss of feeling in your shoulder or something. I shoot mine (unbraked) off the bench and wake up with a purple shoulder the next day.

I'm planning on rebarrelling my 300 RUM into a 300 Norma mag (not really a whole lot less powder capacity) after the barrel goes, as much to be able to seat long bullets out and mag feed as anything else.

 

[X-man]

Sorry, guys. Of course I meant Nosler - I had just ordered a new Speer reloading manual and I guess I just wrote Speer.

As for this being a mild load, I could and have loaded hotter, but so far this has been the most accurate load - either factory or custom hand loaded - that I have found for my .300 RUM. Besides, I'd rather have a .5 MOA 180 gr bullet at 3250 fps that I can hit with at extreme ranges - I shot a 11x13 point Muley here in Colorado at 930 yards and dropped him in his tracks with this load - than 180 gr bullet at 3450 fps that gives me 1.5 MOA and a likely miss one the same shot. It doesn't matter how fast you can push it if you can't hit what you are shooting at.

Besides, I would rather see how many accurate rounds I can get out of this rifle than to see how quickly I can burn out the barrel.

One thing I have found from reloading the RUM is that it likes the heavier bullets. The 180 grainers do pretty good, but the round really doesn't start to reach its potential until you get to the 190 to 220 gr bullets with the higher ballistic coefficients. I also found that very slow burning powders that give me a 90% fill ratio for the .300 RUM case give me greater accuracy and less fouling and throat damage.

You can burn up a .300 RUM barrel in less than 200 rounds if you don't give the barrel time to cool down - after every 3 rd round at the most. I like to see just how long I can shoot this rifle before I have to have it rebarrelled. I'll be hunting elk and mule deer with it again this year. I routinely practice with the .300 RUM by shooting water-filled plastic milk jugs at ranges out to 1000 yards, and if a muley or an elk walks out at anything short of 1000 yards, it just committed sucide.

I do like the Nosler custom loads, and I have enough of them to get me through this next hunting season, but I can't afford to pay $86 per box of 20 without losing sleep over sending a few practice rounds downrange.

I have a box of Berger 220 gr bullets ready to go to the press just as soon as I can find some more primers and powder. I can't wait to see how well those do.

You are dead right about the 300Rum shooting with amazing accuracy at lower speeds. Especially with 180 grain bullets. As you suggest the Rum is better with the heavy weights and I shot it accordingly. IMHO the only reason to own a 300Rum these days is the 230 Berger OTM. The big Berger will deliver what you what you were looking for from the 300Rum and barrel life should increase slightly over my 200 grain loads.

After a couple of barrels I retired the 300Rum and decided to stick with the 300Win. Not hacking the 300Rum, but the 300Win is just so much easier to please. Be advised that unless you are running the 230 in the Rum the Winchester so loaded will catch you and run you over at about a thousand yards.
Despite chest beating and 2500 round expectations (from some) I have found barrel life is not great with the 300Win either. By 1200-1400 rounds I am giving the barrel the evil eye and the hair splitting accuracy is leaving if not gone.....By 1500 rounds Elvis has left the building. Those willing to relax accuracy expectations can expect a significant increase in barrel life expectancy and my light hunting rifles go more than 1500 rounds.

Most guys grab my "shot out rifles" and are delighted with the 1/2-5/8"ish hundred yard groups they get....The problem is I know how well the rifle shot just a few hundred rounds ago so I am ruthless where it comes to barrels. If it doesn't absolutely rip...its coming off....I don't care what the counter says.

Your mileage is up to you.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

My Sendero 300 RUM was easy to please and it shot 180 E-Tips in the .4 range @ 3400 fps. It shot the 200 AB's and 210 Bergers about .5 It was fine with max loads.

 

[afimedia]

You must have loss of feeling in your shoulder or something. I shoot mine (unbraked) off the bench and wake up with a purple shoulder the next day.

I'm planning on rebarrelling my 300 RUM into a 300 Norma mag (not really a whole lot less powder capacity) after the barrel goes, as much to be able to seat long bullets out and mag feed as anything else.

No loss of feeling and I also do not have a muzzle brake on my rifle. Compared to the recoil of a .50 BMG the .300 RUM is a ***** cat. My last range session was testing bench loads - 10 rounds each of 4 new loads - not the least bit sore the next morning. Just make sure you have a good recoil pad and hold the rifle tightly to your shoulder - I mean put some effort into pulling it into your shoulder. I see a lot of guys who shoot heavy calibers who are afraid of the recoil. The biggest mistake they make is they think the lighter they hold the rifle the less it kicks. Hey, if an old fart like me can handle the recoil of a .300 RUM, then surely you youngsters should be able to. But then, I'm an old Marine and I just like big guns. Try shooting a .600 Overkill sometime...a 900 grain projectile at .270 Win velocities! Now that one will ring your bell!

 

[MontanaRifleman]

No loss of feeling and I also do not have a muzzle brake on my rifle. Compared to the recoil of a .50 BMG the .300 RUM is a ***** cat. My last range session was testing bench loads - 10 rounds each of 4 new loads - not the least bit sore the next morning. Just make sure you have a good recoil pad and hold the rifle tightly to your shoulder - I mean put some effort into pulling it into your shoulder. I see a lot of guys who shoot heavy calibers who are afraid of the recoil. The biggest mistake they make is they think the lighter they hold the rifle the less it kicks. Hey, if an old fart like me can handle the recoil of a .300 RUM, then surely you youngsters should be able to. But then, I'm an old Marine and I just like big guns. Try shooting a .600 Overkill sometime...a 900 grain projectile at .270 Win velocities! Now that one will ring your bell!

I agree with you 100% on how to hold and shoot the RUM. You need to hold it in firm and tight in the pocket of the shoulder... and I roll with the recoil as much as possible without fighting it. On occasion I have been a little sloppy with a loose hold and nothing will get your attention like that. However, I usually use a slip on recoil pad which helps a lot. If I'm just shooting with a T shirt or over shirt, I am probably dome after maybe 10 rounds. But with a good jacket and/or slip on recoil pad, I can shoot it all day.

That said, my next 300 RUM will have a brake to make it more pleasant and help me spot my long shots.

 

[Outlaw6.0]

...That said, my next 300 RUM will have a brake to make it more pleasant and help me spot my long shots.

Call me a wimp Even my diminutive 6mm's wear a brake. For what I do & where I do it, there is absolutely no reason to not have a brake.

Maybe I'm a little spoiled


t

 

[afimedia]

I agree with you 100% on how to hold and shoot the RUM. You need to hold it in firm and tight in the pocket of the shoulder... and I roll with the recoil as much as possible without fighting it. On occasion I have been a little sloppy with a loose hold and nothing will get your attention like that. However, I usually use a slip on recoil pad which helps a lot. If I'm just shooting with a T shirt or over shirt, I am probably dome after maybe 10 rounds. But with a good jacket and/or slip on recoil pad, I can shoot it all day.

That said, my next 300 RUM will have a brake to make it more pleasant and help me spot my long shots.

When the time comes to rebarrel my .300 RUM I, too, plan to install a muzzle brake. I have hunted Africa a number of times and have shot some very large calibers - and I can tell you from personal experience that a .600 Overkill with a muzzle brake is much tamer and even pleasant to shoot, whereas without the brake, it has a tendancy to twist and torque your torso and pound your shoulder in a violent attempt to rip your shoulder off your body. But the thrill of shooting a charging 2000 lb Cape Buffalo at 40 feet with this beast is beyond words and must be experienced first hand. I think I like the .300 RUM partly because of its awesome performance on big game at extended ranges, but also because of the recoil. I know it sounds wierd - kind of like a boxer saying he likes getting hit with a hard right cross - but I have always had a real love for shooting, big, bad guns, and my .300 RUM certainly qualifies.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

Call me a wimp Even my diminutive 6mm's wear a brake. For what I do & where I do it, there is absolutely no reason to not have a brake.

Maybe I'm a little spoiled


t

OK wimp

 

[Outlaw6.0]

OK wimp

Ha! If I had feelings i'd be crushed right now JE Custom is sending me one of his new brakes to play with for a while, these things are going to be dern cool.


t

 

[X-man]

My Sendero 300 RUM was easy to please and it shot 180 E-Tips in the .4 range @ 3400 fps. It shot the 200 AB's and 210 Bergers about .5 It was fine with max loads.

If you have some IMR 4350 try 80 grains over an E-tip or other 180gr.
Also try 77Gr of IMR 4350 over a 210 Berger.
Those loads were by far the most accurate in my barrels...Not fast, or temperature stable, but insanely accurate.

Are you shooting a factory barrel?

 

[MontanaRifleman]

If you have some IMR 4350 try 80 grains over an E-tip or other 180gr.
Also try 77Gr of IMR 4350 over a 210 Berger.
Those loads were by far the most accurate in my barrels...Not fast, or temperature stable, but insanely accurate.

Are you shooting a factory barrel?

I recently sold my Sendero and will be recieving my "new" 300 RUM project with Broughton 5C barrel. I expect it to be a good shooter with max loads. My plans are to try 230 Hybrids with RL33 and 200 CEB's with Retumbo. Don't plan on shooting the E-Tips anymore unless I decide to work up a short to mid range load.

I don't like using less than 90% loads which would be around 90 gr in the RUM, especially for hunting rounds.

My load for the 210 Bergers was 93 gr of Retumbo which gave me a little more velocity than H1000 for what I considered a max working load. I'm a full throttle kinda guy and that's why I have a RUM.

I hoping for about 3100-3200 fps with the 230 Hybribs pushed by RL33 down a nitrided 27" 5C barrel. Time will tell

 

[X-man]

Nice!
Expect a new (smaller) world of accuracy.

I shot some high 0.1 and very low 0.2 with mild loads of IMR4350.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

That is impressive for sure. Accuracy is very important and so is velocity for LR hunting. For the hunting aspect, 1's and 2's is great but 3's and 4's is probably acceptable if it comes with higher velocities which extends range. I think also if I was looking for the smallest groups I would probably shoot bullets in the 180-190 range from the 300 RUM. Probably Bergers or SMK's. My goal is the highest velocities with the heaviest bullets and acceptable accuracy. 3's would be really nice.