300 Win Mag or 300 Ultra

[AKBman]

I have been lucky with the Rugers, the 2 I have left both shoot better than MOA. Now my Rem 700 in 22-250 shoots circles around any rifle I have ever owned. I do hunt elk, deer, and these crazy Oryx which are in between a large mule deer and a small bull elk, around 400 lbs. I'm of a mind that if I do go for a new rifle, I may look at one of the big jugged 338s. I have been looking at the Remington SPS, but need to do some reading up on them. As windy as it usually is here, shots over 600 meters will take a lot of practice, which brings me back to the Win Mag and cost.

 

[Derek M.]

I've owned 3 Rugers and still have one which is now a rebuilt 270 with a Hart bbl.

A 300 will serve you well, even in wind. All you need is a 180 grain bullet and knowledge/practice on doping wind. Keep in mind time of flight also. That is another reason I choose the RUM.

 

[AKBman]

I shoot nothing lighter than 180gr bullets, I prefer the 200s. What contour barrel did you put on your 270? I would like to put a 26-27" barrel on my Ruger.

 

[Derek M.]

I shoot nothing lighter than 180gr bullets, I prefer the 200s. What contour barrel did you put on your 270? I would like to put a 26-27" barrel on my Ruger.

I wanted the Ruger to stay near factory weight so I called Hart and asked what contour I'd need to match a factory barrel. They told me a #1 contour. The only change I made was the new bbl is 25.5" long. But it is also glass bedded, 2 pound trigger, stock cut to 12 3/4" and pachmyer decelerator pad installed. It's a pleasure to hunt with and is as accurate as any of my 700s

Here it is:

 

[AKBman]

Nice Speed Goat! I think I would go a little heavier barrel, but there is a lot of time before I make any decision. With the right glass, how far out can I go with the factory rings? One thing I wish I could make the magazine box a little bigger, I can currently seat bullets beyond SAAMI specs, but not by as much as what will chamber.

 

[Derek M.]

My RUM has a #4. That's the smallest contour I'd go on a magnum.

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

I've got both a 26" barreled 300 win and 26" barreled 300 rum and the rum will push 10% more payload to the same speed; or 200 fps faster with the same payload. I like the 300 rum's ability to drive a 225gr. to 3000 fps with rl50(and maybe rl33-just tried some but the wind was up so I didn't chrono). The 300 win is better with 150-180 grain and doesn't quite run with the rum past 180 grain.

 

[Broz]

The 300 win is better with 150-180 grain and doesn't quite run with the rum past 180 grain.

The key words here are " doesn't quite" but it looks like I am pushing the 215's a tad faster than your rum is pushing a 225. My 300 win is pushing the 215's at 3050 as verified by my Oehler 35 and I took a goat at 1285 yards so the drops agree. This is why I found with the 30-378 and the RUMs there seems to be a point of diminishing returns where you gain some velocity but pay for it with barrel life. The 300 RUM's I worked with had to have the bullets seated out farther starting about 500 rounds as accuracy started to diminish. I like all 30's but as much as I shoot the 300 win is a better fit for the long run.

Jeff

 

[Lefty7mmstw]

The key words here are " doesn't quite" but it looks like I am pushing the 215's a tad faster than your rum is pushing a 225. My 300 win is pushing the 215's at 3050 as verified by my Oehler 35 and I took a goat at 1285 yards so the drops agree. This is why I found with the 30-378 and the RUMs there seems to be a point of diminishing returns where you gain some velocity but pay for it with barrel life. The 300 RUM's I worked with had to have the bullets seated out farther starting about 500 rounds as accuracy started to diminish. I like all 30's but as much as I shoot the 300 win is a better fit for the long run.

Jeff

I'm not at full pressure as rl50 is to bulky to get there, hence the rl33. If you are getting 3000+ fps out of a 300 win with a 24 to 26" barrel and a 215-220, you are over pressure. No doubt about it. I've worked with 6 or 7 different 300 wins and they've all topped between 2750 and 2800 with 220's.
I've run mid loads with I5010 and 180's out of my 300 rum at 3320 fps over my oehler or my ced, I had another 7 grains of I 5010 to go but the recoil was getting a bit stiff. The rifle doesn't have a break, so 3450-3500 fps with a bmg powder and heavier pills is a bit for prone or bench shooting.
I simply do not push this rifle that hard, why should I? If I needed the extra I would go to the Warbird or 30-378 and get another 20 grain powder capacity and another 150 fps at reasonable pressure.

I do not hate the 300 win but it is definitely a lesser round as far as capabilities. I've killed a bunch with my 300 win, and it is going out next week along with my 7stw(my rum is staying home), but I'm not buck hunting so it doesn't matter as long as said critter gets a hole through it.

 

[Broz]

Yes, I am at max and I do have a 28" barrel. But I don't believe I am over pressure. When I worked up the load in 60+ degrees and a fast 3 shot group no pressure signs at all and I was looking hard for pressure as I do while working up all loads. The primers were removed and inspected for any muffin tops as well as all the other signs for pressure. I did go a grain higher and that is where I felt was too much. So yes, I am at max. I truely feel the shorter bearing surface of the 215 aids in some velocity too. I have literly fired 1000's of the 210's and the 215 load is a little softer than the 210 load I use. Now I am sure the RUM would also benifit in velocity from this too. I use to shoot the larger 30's. I hunt elk daily durring season and we take many elk with my rifles. I feel the 1000 mark is a good reasonable limit for any 30 cal on elk. My 300 win has done it a few times and many times in the 800 yard area. Like I said before if I want to go past 1000 on elk it will be with a 338 and a 300 gr bullet. Just my preference after taking or being there for the taking of 10 to 20 elk a year for a long time. Even though my 300 win with a 215 has over 1900 lbs of energy at 1000. I just want to hit them hard when they have a 1000 yard head start in case something goes wrong.

So this is why I felt going back to the 300 win was a good match for my elk rifle. I shoot it year round and need the barrel to last more than 5 to 700 rounds. It has already taken a dozen big game animals this season in 2 weeks.

I am not a hater of the larger 30's at all. Heck I like all rifles especially 30's and 338's. I just don't feel the magic some do with the added velocity and lower tube life of the large case 30's. Now if I was a solid bullet shooter then I would too be looking for all the velocity I could get. But I have been that route too and hope I never have to return there for a long range bullet.

Jeff

 

[Scot E]

Now if I was a solid bullet shooter then I would too be looking for all the velocity I could get. But I have been that route too and hope I never have to return there for a long range bullet.

Jeff

"Solid bullet" meaning a controlled expansion style bullet right.

Scot E.

 

[Broz]

"Solid bullet" meaning a controlled expansion style bullet right.

Scot E.

Solid bullet meaning solid or non lead core. I prefer lead core fragmenting bullets for long range. But lets don't get that started...

Jeff

 

[Scot E]

Solid bullet meaning solid or non lead core. I prefer lead core fragmenting bullets for long range. But lets don't get that started...

Jeff

I didn't think you liked controlled expansion either which is why I was clarifying.

Hey, I have been very impressed with the 215 Berger results you have had this year, and the 210's for that matter. I think one of the benefits of shooting the heavy for caliber bergers is that you get a little extra weight to push through for penetration. I have seen some bad results with bergers blowing up but almost everyone of them were light to mid weight bullets. I think this may be one of the reasons you and your group sees such consistently great results. Plus, you place them where you are supposed to!

Scot E.

 

[Pdvdh]

So this is why I felt going back to the 300 win was a good match for my elk rifle. I shoot it year round and need the barrel to last more than 5 to 700 rounds.
Jeff

Michael Eichele also turned away from the 300 RUM due to diminished barrel life. His experience was that his 300 RUM barrel was eroding so quickly that he would no more than work up an accurate load and then the pressure and MV of that load would change enough that he would have to re-work the powder charge. So it was even worse than simply limited barrel life. Michael is pretty particular about his load development and he found that he'd no more than get a sweet load worked up and then he'd need to re-work the load due to the rate of bore erosion he was experiencing. He covered his experience pretty thoroughly in a Thread on this Forum, which should be able to be located with the Search function.

I've never owned a 300 RUM, but after reading of Michael's frustration with his RUM, I chose to be content with my 300 Win Mag.

Edit: Here's a link to one of Michael's Threads. If you Search around, you'll be able to find additional Threads and Posts from Michael Eichele.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/300-rum-barrel-life-whole-documantation-40785/