I have a 338 RUM. I like it but plan to put a brake on it. Does anyone know if sales have been good enough for Remington to(a) keep making rifles in 338 RUM and (b) selling ammo or even just cases long term? On the one hand, I would think many owners hand load, but I noticed that Federal came out with 2 more loading in 04/05 (bringing Federal to 4 loads) but than cut back to only 2 loading in 2006 (not a good sign). I see that Remington is going to have a "police" model in 338LM as that round is catching on for "military /police /long range" type rifles. Yes, I have plenty of rounds just in case.

my answer i'm sure is not as educated as others on this forum, but i'll throw out my opinion.

i think that the RUMs were huge and the WSMs sort of stole the thunder. I don't know of a great many companies that still manufacture new weapons in the RUM class. I discussed this with my uncle, who does all my reloading for me. According to him, they will always be around, or existing cases can be converted.

I hope they are always around, i think they are great.

I feel that they will be produced for a long time to come. I like mine because you can load it to the most FPS or you can down load it to the other rifles FPS. Its all in what you will be hunting for.

I certainly hope so. Not only is this a great hunting calibre, it's a great cartridge capable of superb accuracy when paired with Remington's Sendero. I believe it's the best of the Johnny come lately wonder cartridges.

I believe it fills another niche too. It is an economical substitute to the 338 Lapua available in a smaller, lighter, easily transported rifle. The 338 RUM is a rare combination of brute power coupled with enough weight to dampen punishing recoil, yet isn't excessively heavy for field use. I believe it is the most accurate long range heavy hitter available today that can be fully equipped for less than $1500.00. That can't be said about the Lapua.

I would bet because of the costs of the other premier long range hard hitters like the Lapua, Weatherby 338-378 that the RUMs will be around for some time to come... Though the Weatherby are fairly new to production cartridges they have been around for decades as a wildcat...

Longer range shooting is becoming more and more popular as well which lends itself to a broader market for firearms makers to build more product to sell....

Ken....

I think what factory loads there are will remain available for it for a long time to come. But sadly I think it's fadding out as a cartridge. Last I looked Remington was only cambering it in the XCR and very little ammo is being loaded for it.I've never felt the factory loads where loaded to optimim levels. That leaves it to the handloaders. I love the round it is easy to get up to speed and the recoil ,although heavy, is manageable.I get 3000 fps with a 250 Partion and 3170 with 210 Partions both shoot pretty well in my gun.I hope I'm wrong about this. I plan on buying plenty of brass. good hunting KH.

I don't have a better crystal ball than anyone else. But I think the 338 and 375 UM's were the best of that bunch. They may not stay around. It all depends on sales and the genius's in the big gun company.

If you're a handloader, bite the bullet and buy a few hundred pieces of brass. You will be set for a very long time. The 338 bullets are going absolutely nowhere. If you don't handload, bite the bullet and lay in a supply of factory ammo that you like, save the brass and start reloading when you run out.

Unless one just wants a short action I can't see any real advantage to the short magnums but the Ultras are different. In each case they seem a meaningful step up in performance in an easily available and relatively inexpensive package. I don't anticipate them to ever be big sellers but I don't see them going away either. My favorite is the 7mm Ultra but it is really aleready a handloaders catridge as the one factory loading is all but worthless.

I have a friend who manages a large firearms retailer, and therfore has a more informed opinion than I on new gun and ammo sales. His thought, based largely on his visit with the Remington folks at the shot show (and a shoot they took him on) plus his experience with customers at the retail end of the spectrum is this.

The reduction of available ammo and 'stock' rifles chambered in the RUM is based more on the lack of demand for big bores than the viability of the cartridge itself. His company sells over a thousand rifles a year, and he said lees than 25 are big bores. As an aside, the most requested calibers are decidely WSM's.

The 2 best sellers are a dead heat between the tried and true .06 and .270 and .300 WSM's and .270 WSM's..........

He said that the Remmy folks basically stated that the RUM's were doing fine, but conceded that Win had kicked their ass with the WSM's vs SAUM's.

He has several customers that are RUM fans (specifically .338 RUM) and he specifically inquired for them what the factory people thought was the prognosis for that cartridge, and they said it would be around for many years to come. Despite this, he advised buying 500 pieces of brass--his estimation of a lifetime supply--which sounds like a good idea to me.

I think factory ammo should be around for several years to come based on this, but not much versatility there, so as JBD said, I think it is basically a handloaders cartridge already.

Good Shooting--Don

I can't speak to the 338 RUM but I own a custom rifle with barrels in 300 RUM and 375 RUM and have been in love with the Ultra family for a number of years. I think of that family of cartridges the 300 and 338 have the largest offering of factory ammo available outside of Remington and are the most popular. In my 375, Remington is the only maker of factory ammunition. I would love to see Federal factory stuff with some TSX's or Trophy Bonded Bear Claws.

Another avenue for ammo might be Nosler. They custom load for a number of the RUM's...although it is a bit pricey. I would find it hard to believe that Remington would just dump them off all together...but who knows.

They will die a slow and mercyless death. roger

I certainly hope so.. I need the brass for the ARs

jeffe

I hope it sticks around, I'm a big fan of the 338 caliber, must be all the Elmer Keith books I read when I was younger <G>.

I still intend to buy or build a Sendero in 338 RUM one of these days. I think it would be the ultimate long range elk rifle, or long range sniper rifle (with a reasonable price tag).

Maybe this is a stupid question, but-- what cartridges are their, that were chambered by either Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Browning or Savage in the last 75 years that you cannnot get brass for and handload for?

It seems like all of this talk about a cartridge dying out or Winchester closing its doors leads to PARANOIA.

IV

Vandal,

a couple dozen...

GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rich in Nampa

quote:

Originally posted by IdahoVandal:
Maybe this is a stupid question, but-- what cartridges are their, that were chambered by either Remington, Winchester, Ruger, Browning or Savage in the last 75 years that you cannnot get brass for and handload for?

It seems like all of this talk about a cartridge dying out or Winchester closing its doors leads to PARANOIA.

IV

Some of these can be pretty tough if you don't want to pay an arm and leg or wait for an unaceptable time.

219 Donaldson Wasp
225 win.
22 Savage Hi Power
6.5 Remington Mag.
264 Win Mag.
30 Newton
300 H & H
35 Newton
348 Win
358 Win

Do I think the .338 RUM is dieing in a word NO.
It it over powers the .340 and it isn't dieing either.

IV, I think were currently in the Golden Age for rifle cranks. We still have a healthy (but declining) supply of old rifles and we have an array of choices for new rifles. There's almost no cartridge that can't be purchased off-the-shelf or isn't widely available in component form. We're livin' large right now.

What kills cartridges are long wars and long recessions. Fortunately we haven't had either of these two conditions lately and consumers have been feeling flush for a long time. I think the RUMs, WSMs, SAUMs, etc will be with us and readily available (at least if you're willing to order them) until some calamity befalls us and consumers and manufacturers retrench to only the most popular items.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
IV, I think were currently in the Golden Age for rifle cranks. We still have a healthy (but declining) supply of old rifles and we have an array of choices for new rifles. There's almost no cartridge that can't be purchased off-the-shelf or isn't widely available in component form. We're livin' large right now.

What kills cartridges are long wars and long recessions. Fortunately we haven't had either of these two conditions lately and consumers have been feeling flush for a long time. I think the RUMs, WSMs, SAUMs, etc will be with us and readily available (at least if you're willing to order them) until some calamity befalls us and consumers and manufacturers retrench to only the most popular items.

Bingo! I think you just hit the nail on the head. Thank God we are living now!..........DJ

Agreed!!

I used to read Ackleys' books and think he and a few others, notably Mashburn, Dr Arch, Critser, Elwood Epps up in Canada, and Elmer Keith, altho to a lesser extent in number of wildcats authored; lived in the true Golden Age. And, that those days were gone forever due to Remington and Winchester filling all the gaps in the sporting lineups during the late fifties' and sixties'. I believe now in the time frame from 1990 thru...whenever, we are living in the second Golden Age, and it runs from 17 caliber thru the 600OK range. We have things from .19 and .20 caliber to the once moribund 358 and 375, to new 416's and 458's and the thumpers. Embrace the times, for they are intoxicating, but cannot last forever. I am waiting to see if the market will support a 416 or 458 RUM, or even a 510. Imagine the 510 RUM from Remington? Oh baby...

Rich

Interesting, had heard of only a few of those. I guess my supply of cases will have to do.

Rich: I look forward to the visit of the Broncos...... best thing is we have nothing to lose; if we get trounced 70-3 no one will be surprised, but if we pull off the upset.....

I was in Boise at the game 2 years ago....eek.

IV

I shoot an 8mm Rem Mag and I love it but I’ve considered moving to the .338 UM because the ballistics turn me on, however this very question has kept me from making the change. The question is not will Rem still supply the brass? They still supply brass for my 8 mag.

The question for me is… if I fly to Alaska with this gun and the bag containing my carefully hand loaded ammo does not arrive… Can I go to Wal-Mart in Anchorage (or Johannesburg) and resupply? Or will I have to buy a whole new gun because I can’t find ammo for mine? The last time I was in the Wal-Mart in Anchorage they had most calibers from .223 - .458… but they did not have 8mag.

In 5 years will they have the .338 UM? That’s the question I keep asking. If Remington gave me a; “Damn straight they’ll have it and they’ll still have it in 20 years too…†I’d have increased their .338 UM sales by one.

quote:

Originally posted by Crosshairs:
If Remington gave me a; “Damn straight they’ll have it and they’ll still have it in 20 years too…†I’d have increased their .338 UM sales by one.

There's no guarantee that Remington will be around in 20 years (or even 5).

I talked to a dealer last week that had a new 338 win deeply marked down. He said he seldom sold a 338 win anymore, his customers mostly wanted the RUM if they were going with a 338 cal.

Dr B

I have a question to all you 338RUM owners. Exactly what kind of velocity are you getting out of your 338RUM with 225grn and 250grn bullets? Im talking non-compressed loads that are with in safe working limits.

Im quite interested to know because all my manuals that have 338RUM loadings are not all that much faster than my 338WM.

quote:

Originally posted by buckshot:
I certainly hope so. Not only is this a great hunting calibre, it's a great cartridge capable of superb accuracy when paired with Remington's Sendero. I believe it's the best of the Johnny come lately wonder cartridges.

I believe it fills another niche too. It is an economical substitute to the 338 Lapua available in a smaller, lighter, easily transported rifle. The 338 RUM is a rare combination of brute power coupled with enough weight to dampen punishing recoil, yet isn't excessively heavy for field use. I believe it is the most accurate long range heavy hitter available today that can be fully equipped for less than $1500.00. That can't be said about the Lapua.

Great summation of the cartridge's merits.

And it is evidently so inherently accurate, that Nosler use it for testing all their 338 bullets.