Lovdasnow,
Well, first off thank you for considering my 7mm AM.
If you have read many of my posts you already know I am pretty honest with my replies about my Allen Magnums and will do so here as well.
The 7mm AM will certainly hammer any mature elk at 1500 yards using the 200 gr ULD RBBT out of a 28" barrel. You could expect 3200 fps pretty easily out of this barrel length with that bullet and with its very high BC you will have plenty of energy left at that range for any big game animal in the lower 48.
That said, you need to consider what you are wanting to do. Taking a big game animal at 1000 yards is one thing, taking a big game animal at 1500 yards is totally different. It is expodentially more difficult to hit a specific target at 1500 yards compared to 1000 yards.
Not that 1000 yards is easy but it is dramatically easier then 1500 yards. For a legit 1500 yard rifle, I personally feel 12 lbs or under is pretty light. I would look to more in the 15 lb range for this type of reach. There is a reason lighter rifles are harder to shoot at extreme range. It is not that they are less accurate in most cases, its because they are more difficult to shoot accurately compared to their heavier couterparts.
At 1000 yards you can get away with 12 lbs of rifle weigh pretty easily. At 1500 yards I would still recommend more weight for more stability in the rifle.
Now lets talk about your target game, elk. They are big and heavy critters and at times can prove to be less then willing to give up the ghost.
Again, out to 1000 yards or a bit more I would have no problem at all taking a shot at any elk. Past that it is my opinion that your much better off with a larger caliber round.
Ballistically, the 7mm AM with the 200 gr ULD RBBT is about as good as you will get with a conventional shoulder fired rifle. There are not many options out there that will get you flatter trajectory or less wind drift. Only one I have found so far are the 408 CT based 338 magnums like the Sniper Tac and my 338 Allen Mag and even at that they are not dramatically superior ballistically then the 7mm AM. They do offer more down range energy though.
Unfortunately these are not a real practical option in a light rifle because of the size of the receiver needed to house them.
The other choices you select are good ones but I would recommend skipping over the 300 RUM if you do not go with a 7mm AM. The reason is because the 7mm AM will offer flatter trajectory, less wind drift, higher retained velocity, higher retained energy and better penetration then what the 300 RUM will offer with conventional bullets, evey heavy 30 cal bullets.
The 338 Edge has an advantage over the 7mm AM in a couple areas but the 7mm AM has a couple steps on the 338 Edge as well.
First off, the 338 Edge is much easier to load for then the 7mm AM. The brass can be cold formed meaining no fireforming is needed for cases that are ready for full tilt pressures. Also it is easier to neck up a 300 RUM to 338 cal then it is to reduce a 338 Lapua case to 7mm.
You will also get longer barrel life with the 338 Edge and on average they will be a bit less finicky to load for then the 7mm AM.
The last advantage for the 338 Edge is simply the ability to throw a 300 gr bullet. While ballistically the 300 gr SMK fired from the 338 Edge will not compare to the 200 gr ULD RBBT in the 7mm AM at any range, it does land with more autority at long range without question.
While the 200 gr 7mm may even have more retained energy and velocity then the 300 gr SMK, the big bullet will have more terminal effect on big game at ranges past 1000 yards.
In the event there is no significant bullet expansion, the 338 bullet has the advantage of the signifiantly larger bullet diameter compared to the 7mm bullet.
As far as the advantages of the 7mm AM, the main one is wind drift, significantly less then the RUM based 338s simply because of the higher velocity potential and higher BC of the bullet.
I am not the best at accurately judging winds at ranges that are past 1/2 mile away from me. The big 200 gr ULD RBBT gives me more room for error in windage estimte. For me that can mean muffing the wind estimate and getting a solid liver hit instead of a shot to the paunch of a big game animal. At times those extra 3-4 inches can mean the difference between an animal to pack out and NOT.
Also, case quality is much better for the 7mm AM using 338 Lapua cases but again to be honest, I have used Rem cases in my 270 AM all along and have never found them lacking in performance. They just wear out in the primer pocket faster with heavy loads.
Still, that said, I think there are better options for a dedicated elk rifle for shooting out to 1500 yards.
Simply put, in my opinion, for a 1000 yard rifle, an accurate rifle in the 10-12 lb range with any of the chamberings you listed will work very well when the rifle is dialed in.
For ranges past that out to 1500 yards, I would still recommend a 15 lb class rifle and personally I would go with a 338 AM with a 300 gr SMK at 3400 fps but other then that I would look at the 338 Edge or 338 Kahn with the 300 gr SMK.
You simply can not deny that the big 300 gr bullets hit harder on game at extreme range.
Will the 7mm AM cleanly kill a bull elk at 1500 yards, without question YES!! But, when you are pushing things to that range limit, I would feel better with a big 338 magnum and thats why I designed my 338 Allen Mag for just such uses.
As far as user friendliness and high performance, Shawns 338 Edge is very hard to beat with a 300 gr SMK.
Good Shooting,
Kirby Allen(50)
