I've been a 33 cal. fan for a long time but the Ultra Mag is new to me. I'm having a custom rifle
chambered for it and would like to hear from others who are currently shooting the 338 Ultra. Suggested loads for 250 gr. and any little words of wisdom about any little quirks this cartidge might have would be appreciated.

Mark, 90g RL25, 250g CT Partition Gold Moly Free, Fed 215 primers gives me 2980fps out of my 28" barrel. Accuracy better than .5MOA out to 400yrds, this is my elk hunting load. 92g RL25, 250g Sierra Gameking, Fed 215 primers gives me 3030fps, .38MOA out to 400yrds. Both bullets are loaded .010" off the lands. The only concern I have is with the REM brass and eliminating the bullet runout. My barrel's chamber has no runout. I turn the necks of the brass the minimum amount so the O.D and I.D are concentric. My sizing die is set to just bump the shoulder back .001" so the bolt closes without any resistance. I use a seperate mandrel to expand the neck after using the sizing die (expander ball removed), which mantains my neck runout to the minimum, giving me .002" neck tension. After loading my bullet runout is .0015" Max. Good Luck with your Ultramag

[ 12-11-2002, 09:09: Message edited by: AJ300MAG ]

I own and shoot a 338 Rem ultra mag rifle. My reloads I use H1000 powder 98gr for the 250 at 2900 fps. That will give you about a 3/4 " group at 150yds

I have two 338 RUMs(these things happen!) and they both like RE-25 better than any other powder I've tried. One is stainless, the other blue. One has a slightly larger chamber than the other. Both have factory Remington, 26 inch barrels. But they both will drive 250 grain Partitions or Hornady SPs into three shot groups under an inch.

Both guns wear HS Precision Stocks, Timney triggers and Leupold 6X42 scopes.

FWIW, H1000 came in second in my experiments and neither gun seems to like lighter bullets better than the 250s.

What action are you building your custom around?

Joe.

I had gotten a 338 Ultra made up a while back, but after trying to work up the loads for it, (it shot fine from the bench accuracy wise)I found out I just couldn't hold it in the target area at 400 yards like the 300 Ultra mag. I am sure the recoil had something to do with the problem. I don't believe in muzzle brakes. I will keep my 338 mag loaded up with 250 grain Swift A Frames for timber use on elk. My long range elk gun is going to be the 300 Ultra because I can hit well with it out to 450 yards. More power to yeah, if you can hit well at long range with the 338 Ultra, I fell short in that respect.

I'm just curious. How stiff is the recoil of a 338 UM in say a 9lb rifle? I've shot 7mm Rem Mags, 300 WSM, and 7mm STW. Some loads in my 7mm STW turn out nearly 29 ftlbs of recoil and that's not too bad, although I don't want to shoot 30 rds or more at one time.

I would need that gun in a 10 pound rifle to really be able to handle it like my 338 Win mag, or my 300's for long range shooting. Loaded up hot it is just not my cup of tea. To answer your question I would say somewhere in the 40 to 45 pounds of recoil range.

Everytime I see a .338 RUM thread it brings to mind an interesting occurence.
Last year two hunters from Ohio were out here to hunt deer and elk, COLD, with not a clue where to go. NO prior plans for access, No idea as to State land borders,etc. I ended up meeting them and they seemed like decent guys. So I sent them to a section of accesible State land which has elk crossing quite frequently.

I cautioned them to be careful with their ranges as its all a flat bowl with a piece of high ground in the center. An easy situation to start shooting at ridiculous ranges. To just be patient as the elk should cross fairly close at some point.

I got the following story; The first time the elk crossed they both opened fire at probably 600-800 yds. They were both shooting new .338 RUM's and never connected. After the season I went out to the same spot to call a few coyotes and found just where they were sitting by the THIRTY EIGHT empty .338 RUM cases on the ground.

I'm not putting down the .338 RUM, LR shooters, nothing. I just can visualize these guys blasting away and find it a bit funny.

FN in MT

!

Loved the story, Frank. Exactly why I never hunt without my Bushnell YP1000. I don't get out enough, like those hunters of yesteryear, to be able to accurately and repeatedly judge distance. So, to be humane to my game, I take the laser rangefinder.

Did you save the brass? I take it you don't shoot one of these monsters, and I'm having one built, so, um... er, uh... "can I have it?"

Regardless, great story. Thirty-eight rounds. My God. I'm presuming they had sporter barrels and that they didn't exactly wait for their barrels to cool. At even 19 rounds a piece, in a very, very short time, they'd have been off the mark by miles -- especially at 6-800 yards.

Wow.

Russ

I saved a few pieces for my collection and gave the rest away to a lcal who has a .338 RUM.

Hope ALL of you are having a good Christmas!!

FN in snowlesss MT

JMac,

I'm having a M-700 I had built up with a Kreiger barrel and Brown stock rechambered to the RUM.

Mark, that should work. I have a notion to rebarrel the stainless rifle with a better barrel or maybe a 375 RUM. Then again, right now Africa is my priority and I might (probably ought) to just sell it off.

RET, the 338 RUM brass is about .090" shorter than all the other RUM cases. It's a Remington thing....

Joe.

My experience with the 338 RUM is limited to this year but I have reloaded for the 338 WM for many years. Maybe I have just been lucky but my Remington Syndero loves whatever I have fed it. My experience, to date, tells me the 338 RUM is as easy as the 270 Winchester to load, as long as you stay with powders like R22 and 25 and RETUMBO etc. as well as appropriate primers as well, guess that goes without saying. Good Hunting. "Z"

If I had one, i'd want it in something lighter.
you know, a lightweight mountain gun for groundhogs But for real, it'd be nice to have something that spoke with authority at both ends.

Mark,
Thats the route I took. I had Krieger blueprint my 700 action, Chamber and install a 28" barrel with a Vais brake. I put it into a McMillan Remington Hunter stock, changed to a Jewell trigger. I made my trigger gaurd, floorplate, scope bases and rings (patterned after tactical rings) out of Stainless steel bar stock. Gun's a little on the heavy side, but shoots like a dream.