here are my options for a 338 RUM. 1) buy a used remington 300 WM BDL walnut stock for $280 and have a gunsmith re-barrel it, true up the bolt, etc for $450 (douglas barrel). 2) buy a used remington in 338 RUM, synthetic stock for $500. if it is not a sub-moa rifle, take it to the gunsmith to accurize it. what would you do????

I'd go the factory route - I've owned many 700s that were fine shooters after a bit of load development. In my experience, CM Douglas barrels are not a sure-thing in the accuracy department.

Good luck...

Buy the factory rifle unless you just have more money than you can find a use for. Then you can let your gunsmith find a use for it.

If you want to end up with a .338 RUM then I'd start with one. It may shoot and then you are not out $450. If it doesn't, accurizing a factory rifle is still cheaper than rebarreling. Also, I believe that the feed rails on a belted magnum Remington may need to be altered to properly feed a RUM case, but have no direct experience with that so can't say for sure.

Recently I have been re-impressed with what a factory rifle can do with a simple bedding job and a properly cut crown - that's with a piloted reamer so the crown is centered on the bore, not on the external circumference of the barrel.

A fellow in Nampa, ID will glass bed the action, polish the bore, recrown and do a trigger job for $140. Hill Country Rifles will accurize your rifle for $350 and they offer an accuracy guarantee.

Get the factory .338 RUM.