Does anyone have any recent experience with the .338 Ruger Compact Magnum? I'm thinking of getting one as a compact do-all rifle for Alaska. Recently I've been toting a .308 Win Kimber Montana, but I'm thinking of using it more for mountain trekking. I'm thinking it's a little on the light side for bumping around in the brush.

You might want to PM Dave Bush. He is the only one I know on the site that has one. He really likes his. Basically, it's a 338-06 in a short action so I'm sure it would be an extremely handy rifle.

Redlander:

Scott is right. I do have a .338 RCM and I promote this cartridge like crazy cause I don't want it to die.

Like Scott said, it is basically a .338/06 in a short action. Honestly, I can't see why anyone would go to the trouble of building a .338/06 anymore when you can get one of these from Ruger out of the box in either a wood stocked rifle or a stainless synthetic with a 20 or 22 inch barrel. I so wish I had this rifle when I was chasing elk.

I bought the one with a wood stock and a 20 inch barrel. For many years I chased elk around the mountains in Colorado with a .338 Win Mag. After I got this gun, the Win Mag got sold. Jeffosso and Michael458 got me sold on the light and handy thing and this little gun is all that and more.

I handload all my cartridges and Ramshot Big Game is my powder of choice for the 210 TSX and 225 grain Hornady bullets. They both run around 2600 fps out of my little 20 inch barrel. Sixty one grains of Ramshot Big Game will push a 210 TSX out of my gun at 2605 FPS. You get some powder compression with that bullet but in my gun the extreme spread is only five feet per second! If you want more velocity, try the 185 grain Hornady GMX or Barnes TSX bullets which will run right at 2800-2850 out of a 20 inch barrel. With the 22 inch barrel, this cartridge will nip at the heels of a .338 Win. Mag.

With bullets 200 grains and heavier, the Hornady Manuel recommends VIHT N550. For the 185 grain bullets, Norma 203B and Accurate 2520 are recommended. In addition to the Hornady Manuel, you can find data online at both the Accurate Powder and Ramshot Powder sites. Loading is a snap.

If your looking for a really long range rig, the .338 RCM is not the answer but then again, neither is the .336/06. That's why I have a 340 Weatherby as well. However, in all honesty, I rarely shoot at game beyond 250 yards and the .338 RCM is easily up to that task.

I heartily recommend this cartridge.

Here is a link to an excellent two part article in Real Guns:

http://www.realguns.com/archives/168.htm

I've had one only for a short time, its the model with the 22 in barrel and no sights

Weighs only 6.5 lbs. I use Blc-2 for top velocities. Its an ideal 338 with velocities close enough to the full 338 magnum for bullets up to 225 grains. Very handy. I like it.

Phil

Built one (338RCM) on a M70 Classic short action that started life as a 300WSM. Rock Creek #3 barrel, CeraKoted and sitting in a McMillan stock. No complaints what-so ever.

I really like the .338" calibre and understand Dave's enthusiasm. The RCM would be a great short rifle.

Alaska is the other end of the hunting world for me, so I can only add a comment that might make sense, or at least that I would probably consider if moving to Alaska:

The Ruger Alaskan in 416 Ruger is also a short rifle with a 20" barrel, but with a more substantial round for really big stuff. I would probably load it up with 300 grain tipped CEB's (310 grain total bullet weight) and would aim at about 2800 fps or 2700+ fps. Depends on the rifle and its accuracy nodes. Or perhaps get both the RCM for lighter stuff and the 416Ruger for all things considered.

Tanz:

I have taken a black bear with a 30/06. It's plenty for the smaller bears. We are going to have to ask our friends in Alaska to wade in here but I am thinking that most any .338 will get the job done and certainly any of the .375s would be adequate for even the biggest bears. I had a good friend that took a polar bear with a 7mm Rem Mag. I can't think of anything in North America that might require a .416 of any stripe. Within 250 yards, I am pretty confident that little .338 RCM will get the job done on any bear with a plain old Hornady Spire Point. If you need more punch, a 340 Weatherby or .338 Win Mag would be plenty I think.

Good hunting!

I bought one second hand and have not mounted a scope on it. I also got three boxes of 200 grain ammo for it. I shot it with iron sights and I was impressed withe the amount of dirt it kicked up.
I like the little rifle so much I bought the 308 version. After new year I will do more and report back. I want to crono the factory ammo to see what they actually get. Box says 2850 out of a 20 inch barrel.

Between myself, my son, and my brother in law we have used this round exclusively over the last 24 months. Quick "guessestimate" would be 10 deer, 2 black bear, 1 elk, and 6 antelope. All were killed with the Hornady 225 SP and with the exception of one deer and one antelope, were one shot kills.
All rifles are Rugers which we glass bedded prior to shooting. All rifles are sub MOA with the first and only load we ran through them. 50 grains of RL15, Remington 9 1/2 primer, Hornady 225 SP.

quote:

Originally posted by mikethebear:
I bought one second hand and have not mounted a scope on it. I also got three boxes of 200 grain ammo for it. I shot it with iron sights and I was impressed withe the amount of dirt it kicked up.
I like the little rifle so much I bought the 308 version. After new year I will do more and report back. I want to crono the factory ammo to see what they actually get. Box says 2850 out of a 20 inch barrel.

The capacity of the 300 RugerCompactMag is about 4 grains over the 30-06, so if the 300RCM or 338RCM is doing anything significantly better ballistically than the '-06 cartridges, it is at the price of higher pressures and/or hotter loadings that could be applied to the 30-06, too. PLease note: I'm not saying that the Ruger Compact cartridges aren't great, they are just shorter packagings of the '-06 level of case capacity. They would be especially appealing for those who may want a short rifle with a 13" pull, along with a short, handy barrel. On the other hand, if someone wants 'magnum' power, then they should go back to the 338WM, 375Ruger, or 416Ruger. It's physics.

I'm reloading for a friends 338 RCM. It has the 22" barrel. Can someone with Quickload crunch ,210 TTSXs, 60.5 grains of RL-17 and 215 GMM primers, please?

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:
I'm reloading for a friends 338 RCM. It has the 22" barrel. Can someone with Quickload crunch ,210 TTSXs, 60.5 grains of RL-17 and 215 GMM primers, please?

Based on comparison with H414 on AmmoGuide it looks like a max load, maybe around 2750 fps. Naturally, you need to build up to this because different lots of R-17 can vary significantly, requiring the adjustment of a grain or two.

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:
I'm reloading for a friends 338 RCM. It has the 22" barrel. Can someone with Quickload crunch ,210 TTSXs, 60.5 grains of RL-17 and 215 GMM primers, please?

.366torque:

Because of the limited case capacity and the length of the 210 TTSX, you might do better with a spherical powder. As noted above, I have had excellent results with Ramshot Big Game and the 210 TSX. You will get some compression with that bullet even with a spherical powder. Sixty one grains of Big Game and a 225 Hornady gave me 2619 fps out of a 20 inch barrel. Please note this is .5 grains over Ramshot's max load but I didn't notice any pressure signs and I stopped at Hornady and had a friend mike the cases and they didn't show any signs of excessive expansion at the head. Take a look at the RealGuns article. The .338 RCM is pretty picky as to powder. According to the article, the Hornady factory ammo with the 225 grain SST was running at 2710 fps out of a 20 inch barrel. I just have not been able to duplicate that load with my powders.

Thanks guys. Off of a Lead Sled, the above load puts 3 in 3/4", neat little clusters. I haven't chronoed it yet and will pay attention when the current pound runs out.

As for myself, a 600 action, Kreiger barrel and soon an H-T synthetic stock, will become a 338 RCM of my own. 20" barrel of course.

Cheers
Bruce

Apparently, VIHT N-550 has been discontinued.

.366 Torque:

I will be really interested in what kind of velocity you are getting with RL 17 out of a 22 inch barrel and how much powder compression you are getting. H414 and RL 15 seem to work well too. Let us know when you shoot it across the chrony.

Will do. The comrade and rifle are 10 hours away. I may just send him my chrony.

I have a 338 RCM and absolutely love it. Bought it as a close-action carbine for hunting bear/cats with dogs, but have been using it for most of my hunting. I put a Leupold VX-R 2-7x33 with the Ballistic Firedot reticle on it last year (in 30mm Warne QD rings) and think it is just about perfect.

Currently I am using 210 TTSXs and RL 15 (56.0 gr for exactly 2650.3 fps out of the 20" Hawkeye barrel).

I shot this buck with that load,,,

Canuck:

Nice buck!

Don't you just love how this little gun handles?

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Take a look at the RealGuns article. The .338 RCM is pretty picky as to powder. According to the article, the Hornady factory ammo with the 225 grain SST was running at 2710 fps out of a 20 inch barrel. I just have not been able to duplicate that load with my powders.

The factory 225gr Hornady factory ammo only clocked 2650 for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Don't you just love how this little gun handles?

I absolutely do! That's the main reason its been my go-to all-purpose rifle for the past few years...just a joy to carry.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
.366 Torque:

I will be really interested in what kind of velocity you are getting with RL 17 out of a 22 inch barrel and how much powder compression you are getting. H414 and RL 15 seem to work well too. Let us know when you shoot it across the chrony.

My 20" LH 338 RCM RL 17 61 Gr 2581 FPS, 2608 FPS, 2623 FPS 225 Hornady Int. 3 @.817" At 100YDS

A little more accurate and around 2500 FPS with RL 15 with 225 gr bullets

Looks like Ruger dropped the RCM in this configuration. Seems to now only be available in their "guide gun" models. Wonder why they did that as these calibers were their and Hornady's creation!

Adam:

I am really discouraged. I love this cartridge but I really hate the new guide guns. They don't need a brake and the stocks and butt pads are just hideous...

I have been trying to call Ruger customer service this morning to see if the breaks are removable but I can't get through. The line has been busy....

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Adam:

I am really discouraged. I love this cartridge but I really hate the new guide guns. They don't need a brake and the stocks and butt pads are just hideous...

I have been trying to call Ruger customer service this morning to see if the breaks are removable but I can't get through. The line has been busy....

Gawd, those new guide guns are FUGLY! The green mountain laminate is the ugliest laminate option going. I don't know what the hell they were/are thinking.

I have been a big fan of Ruger since the Hawkeye/375 Ruger/RCM series have come out. I see almost nothing to love in that current lineup. They were on such a roll...what happened??

I expect those brakes are removable, but look forward to confirmation.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
Adam:

I am really discouraged. I love this cartridge but I really hate the new guide guns. They don't need a brake and the stocks and butt pads are just hideous...

I have been trying to call Ruger customer service this morning to see if the breaks are removable but I can't get through. The line has been busy....

Someone posted in the Lefties forum that the brakes are removable. The Guide Guns are uglier than homemade sin for sure!!

It takes a little time to weed through the website but yes the muzzle break is removable. Also included with the rifle is a weighted thread cap that is equal in weight the the muzzle break as well as a simple unweighted thread cap.

Stock's butt pad assembly is ugly but at least offers the owner the ability to set hot weather and cold weather LOP with no additional cost.

The adjustable butt also allows teams or husbands and wives with different arm lengths to share a rifle more ergonomically, assuming that the adjustments are not fixed in place and needing sanding or glue to change.

quote:

Originally posted by kk alaska:

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Bush:
.366 Torque:

I will be really interested in what kind of velocity you are getting with RL 17 out of a 22 inch barrel and how much powder compression you are getting. H414 and RL 15 seem to work well too. Let us know when you shoot it across the chrony.

My 20" LH 338 RCM RL 17 61 Gr 2581 FPS, 2608 FPS, 2623 FPS 225 Hornady Int. 3 @.817" At 100YDS

A little more accurate and around 2500 FPS with RL 15 with 225 gr bullets

Thank you sir

quote:

Originally posted by .366torque:
I'm reloading for a friends 338 RCM. It has the 22" barrel. Can someone with Quickload crunch ,210 TTSXs, 60.5 grains of RL-17 and 215 GMM primers, please?

I've been playing with Quickload a bunch the past couple weeks, and although I am finding some significant discrepancies between what its showing for short mags and RL 15 & RL 17 and what I am getting for measured velocities and pressure signs, my first reaction was that that load would be pretty hot. I finally got a chance to run it for you...here is what QL says for your load, and what the MAX load would be according to QL.





Bruce, if you get a chance to chrony the load, let me know what you get for velocity.

Also, if you see any significant discrepancies in the inputs (COAL, etc) let me know and I can re-run it.

Cheers
Chris

ps: this is what QL shows for my 56.0gr RL 15 load, with the 22" barrel. I am actually only getting 2650fps (which is consistent with results I have found from others on-line) and there aren't any signs of excessive pressure.



So take the RL 17 results above with a grain of salt. If you are achieving the predicted velocity though, I'd be concerned about pressure.

If you are pretty sure about your pressure safety level and velocity, then there are ways to alter the Rel-17 burning rates. Tinker with it a bit to see what it would take to produce your velocities.

Also, try another powder where you are getting predicted results in order to verify that the gun should be expected to produce standard velocity averages. Obviously, different barrel and chambering cuts are going to produce different results, despite same powders, bullets, and cartidges.

Thanks Chris!
I'll ship my Chrony to Nanaimo tomorrow. Hopefully my comrade can get some range time in, soon. ( I call him comrade because he is Croation)

Cheers
Bruce

Canuck, you can do what 416Tanzan suggest or you can simply bump up your case volume a bit until you arrive at the measured velocity. You have 71 gr down now it appears if you increase to 73 to 74 you will probably drop your velocity down to around 2650 fps just as you have measured. This approach isn't really too far fetched if you consider that the primer will displace the bullet into the barrel very early in the combustion process, which effectively increases your chamber volume.

Guys:

I don't want to jump in here but I just have a couple of suggestions. First, Ramshot and Accurate powders have loading data for this cartridge with pressure data, including data for the 210 TSX and 225 Hornady bullets. The newest Hornady manual has load data as well although it it somewhat conservative. Please take a look at part two of the RealGuns article referred to about. The .338 RCM is pretty finicky as to powder and I can find no load data for RL 17. With heavier bullets, RL 15 works well as does H414 and Ramshot Big Game. For the 185 grain bullets, Accurate 2520 seems to work well. The Hornady manual suggest WLR primers.

Tanz or Canuck, can you run this load for me in Quick Load? Hornady case, WLR primer, 61 grain of Ramshot Big Game and a 225 Hornady Spire point. That load is .5 grains over Ramshot's max load and gives me 2619 fps with a 225 grain bullet out of a 20 inch barrel. The Ramshot data shows a pressure os 60,170 psi with 60.5 grains and an overall length of 2.834.

Dave, can you also provide the volume of water one of your fired cases holds.

Steph:

According to Hornady, the .338 RCM holds 70.1 grains of water.

Hey Dave,
QL is showing about the same pressure that it shows for my 65gr RL 15 load...and about the same velocity discrepancy.
Something definitely goofy with QL.
I will check one of my fired cases for H20 Capacity.



I've been noticing similar discrepancies with a couple of other cartridges.

I measured a once-fired case, Hornady brass, 2.010" case length = 71.0gr of H20.

I was going to fiddle with burn rate to match velocity, assuming that there is some lot-lot variation in powder (esp. with RL 22 in my experience), but the results I am getting are not consistently off.

For instance, I get pressure signs and much higher velocity with my 6.5 Gibbs and RL 22 than what is predicted by QL (like 4 or 5 grains lower!), but with my 270 WSM the velocities are lower (and no pressure signs) with the same powder.

Canuck, I would not mess around with the burn rates of the powders without trusted pressure and velocity data.

The effective chamber volume is the case plus whatever you will get when the bullet is seated into the rifling by the primer's detonation. Your velocity & pressure prediction variations in Quickload for your 6.5 Gibbs and 270 WSM are most likely due to dimensional variations of the chamber/throat and perhaps the bore/groove diameters of the barrels. If your Gibbs has a short throat or free bore and the 270 is long this may well explain the differential in the prediction versus your actual measured data. A tight barrel can also cause this effect to some extent.