300RUM vs 30-378

[cramer74]

Which one is the better hunting round.

 

[angus-5024]

hmmm.... both are top notch preformers. the 30-378 is faster, but burns barrels faster (the RUMs are bad enough), and brass is crazy $$$ in my opinion. 300 RUM is still crazy fast and brass is cheaper, but the brass is also poorer (from what I hear). I personally like the 300 RUM, but cant say I wouldnt be tempted with a 30-378 if it was a custom build or a Mark 5 stainless.

 

[cramer74]

I an wanting a good elk gun. I was thinking 338 but the recoil might be a bit much for comfort

 

[jmden]

There are folks here with much more experience than I, but many would say .338 for elk. That said, many take elk cleanly with smaller calibers and good shot placement. Some say that if you want to kill elk beyond 1K yds, you should definitely think about the .338 vs. smaller calibers. If I were you, I'd add another chambering or two to your list. .338 Lapua, .338 Lapua Imp, 30-338 Lapua and 30-338 Lapua Imp, 338 RUM, 338-378 Weatherby and 338EDGE. There...did that make it any more simple for you? In terms of recoil--get a good brake. Take a look at those that some of the smiths here sell. Kirby Allen's PainKiller series and Shawn Carlocks Defensive Edge brakes are a good place to start. Been hearing about a 'muscle brake' here lately as well. Do some searches and check 'em out. Good luck and have fun!

 

[trueblue]

Of your 2 choices listed, I would go with the 300 RUM.
But as jmden stated there are other choices you should look at as well.

 

[300R]

+1 for 300 rum both are great rounds and not much in them ,the big weatherby will have 100-150fps over the rum and use 10+ grains of powder more to do it,it also depends on the rifle, if you are building a custom or buying a factory built,hard to go past a 300 rum sendero for out of the box performance and if you find that the 300 isn't enough gun you can rebarrel for a 338 rum or edge.

 

[joel0407]

+1 for 300 rum both are great rounds and not much in them ,the big weatherby will have 100-150fps over the rum and use 10+ grains of powder more to do it,it also depends on the rifle, if you are building a custom or buying a factory built,hard to go past a 300 rum sendero for out of the box performance and if you find that the 300 isn't enough gun you can rebarrel for a 338 rum or edge.

I never thought to 30/378 had that much over the 300rum. I knew it had a little but I thought only about 50 fps and no where near 10 grains.

I might be wrong.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

I had a 30-378 and got away from it because of the brass issue. Too soft, and too expensive. Primer pockets did not hold up well if pushed at all. This was my experience, others I am sure are different. I changed to a 30-338 lap imp. I would have gone to the 300rum when I re-barreled, but the bolt face was too large to accept the 300rum case. Thus I went to the lapua based cartridge. Brass is still very expensive, but seems to last forever. I am very happy with my 30-338 lap imp.

Based on your original question, 30-378 or 300rum, I would choose 300rum. If you decide on a different route, I would recommend a 338 lap based cartridge.

Steve

 

[MontanaRifleman]

I am finding I can push the Rem brass for the 300 Ultra a little and the brass seems to hold up well. If I push it hard, as in way over max, it will loose the primer pockets, I have about 6 peices of brass that will no longer hold primers after load development. Most of these are as result of unexpected pressures from using a product to treat my bore. The product increased pressures when wet patched in. Other than that, the brass seems to be fine if I dont go way over max. The 300 RUM is plenty of rifle. The 30-378 or another wild cat will be spendy for brass but Lapua brass will last a looong time.

Mark

 

[linksmechanic]

Out of the bag, Remington brass sucks. With that being said however, After sizing the neck and initial fireforming, I can get quite a bit of life out of a Remington case. Is Lapua better? Definintely out of the box but after prepping I don't have an answer. I have never pushed ever to a case seperation. I would go with the 300 rum and even for 1000 yd elk it is plenty. Yes I'm sure the 338 has more initial shock but with a 240 smk not much is going to move after the first good shot.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

You said you wanted a good elk rifle. Then why not get the best? Both of your choices require a muzzle brake and you will not notice the difference between them and a big 338 with a brake. There is no comparison to an elk getting shot with a big 338 vs. any smaller caliber. And when you make that marginal shot you still get your elk. Or have to drive a bullet through at a bad angle you still get your elk. And when you get back to camp you can be the guy who always can say yep, I got my bull. Instead of being like others who always have the same excuse. I hit a huge one and it got away. Or it was a bad shot angle and I didn't shoot or I shot and didn't have enough gun. I lost it.

I guess when you talk to people about an elk rifle you need to think about who you are talking to and listen to fact and not opinions according to what people have read. I would listen to people who have seen hundreds of elk get shot over 30-40 years and then make a decision. Those kind of guys have seen it all along with all the sad and sick faces in elk camp with all the excuses why they are not the one with the big bull. I can tell you my time is very important and chances at trophy bulls are very limited so I shoot what will put an elk down right now to stay. With current bullet availability nothing beats the big 338's. In a factory rifle the Weatherby Accumark in 338-378 wby is the best elk rifle available. On a budget a remington 338 ultramag is not very far behind and is what I got my big bull with this year at 740 yards. I was backpacking and used a lighter gun than my big heavy 338-378. If you go custom do a 338 Lapua Imp. or a 338-378 wby. Most of the time you will kill your elk with any rifle you choose. But if your going to spend the money why not get the best for all occasions.

 

[RockyMtnMT]

You said you wanted a good elk rifle. Then why not get the best? Both of your choices require a muzzle brake and you will not notice the difference between them and a big 338 with a brake. There is no comparison to an elk getting shot with a big 338 vs. any smaller caliber. And when you make that marginal shot you still get your elk. Or have to drive a bullet through at a bad angle you still get your elk. And when you get back to camp you can be the guy who always can say yep, I got my bull. Instead of being like others who always have the same excuse. I hit a huge one and it got away. Or it was a bad shot angle and I didn't shoot or I shot and didn't have enough gun. I lost it.

I guess when you talk to people about an elk rifle you need to think about who you are talking to and listen to fact and not opinions according to what people have read. I would listen to people who have seen hundreds of elk get shot over 30-40 years and then make a decision. Those kind of guys have seen it all along with all the sad and sick faces in elk camp with all the excuses why they are not the one with the big bull. I can tell you my time is very important and chances at trophy bulls are very limited so I shoot what will put an elk down right now to stay. With current bullet availability nothing beats the big 338's. In a factory rifle the Weatherby Accumark in 338-378 wby is the best elk rifle available. On a budget a remington 338 ultramag is not very far behind and is what I got my big bull with this year at 740 yards. I was backpacking and used a lighter gun than my big heavy 338-378. If you go custom do a 338 Lapua Imp. or a 338-378 wby. Most of the time you will kill your elk with any rifle you choose. But if your going to spend the money why not get the best for all occasions.

Good info, I will add that the choice of projectile will go a long way to your success. I don't know that a guy has to have a .338 magnum, but it can't hurt when it comes to harvesting elk.

A grenade launcher is quite effective also.

Steve

 

[new shooter]

You said you wanted a good elk rifle. Then why not get the best? Both of your choices require a muzzle brake and you will not notice the difference between them and a big 338 with a brake. There is no comparison to an elk getting shot with a big 338 vs. any smaller caliber. And when you make that marginal shot you still get your elk. Or have to drive a bullet through at a bad angle you still get your elk. And when you get back to camp you can be the guy who always can say yep, I got my bull. Instead of being like others who always have the same excuse. I hit a huge one and it got away. Or it was a bad shot angle and I didn't shoot or I shot and didn't have enough gun. I lost it.

I guess when you talk to people about an elk rifle you need to think about who you are talking to and listen to fact and not opinions according to what people have read. I would listen to people who have seen hundreds of elk get shot over 30-40 years and then make a decision. Those kind of guys have seen it all along with all the sad and sick faces in elk camp with all the excuses why they are not the one with the big bull. I can tell you my time is very important and chances at trophy bulls are very limited so I shoot what will put an elk down right now to stay. With current bullet availability nothing beats the big 338's. In a factory rifle the Weatherby Accumark in 338-378 wby is the best elk rifle available. On a budget a remington 338 ultramag is not very far behind and is what I got my big bull with this year at 740 yards. I was backpacking and used a lighter gun than my big heavy 338-378. If you go custom do a 338 Lapua Imp. or a 338-378 wby. Most of the time you will kill your elk with any rifle you choose. But if your going to spend the money why not get the best for all occasions.

Is your 338 ultra factory or custom ? How light is the rifle ? What powder and bullets ?

 

[joel0407]

The 338 Remington Ultra Magnum is a factory cartridge. When Remington designed the 338 rum they made the case slightly shorter than the 300 rum to prevent a person mistakenly putting a 300rum cartridge (longer) in a 338 rum (Shorter chamber) rifle. Obviously a person could not fit a 338 rum cartridge in a 300 rum rifle because the projectile would be too big.

A 338 Edge is simply a 300 rum necked up to 338. This gives it slightly more capacity than a 338 rum from the slightly longer case.

I am unsure of how much more people are getting from the 338 Edge over the 338 rum.