From an e-mail from Hornady:
"300 RCM & 338 RCM

POWER
VELOCITY
ACCURACY
PERFORMANCE

All in a Compact Cartridge!

Hornady’s new 300 and 338 Ruger Compact Magnums (RCM) outperform the 300 and 338 Win Mag cartridges, but in a short action rifle with a compact 20†barrel!

This package delivers what all the short fat cartridges don’t – superior ballistic performance in a TRULY compact firearm platform that achieves velocity and performance “as advertised!â€

• Exceeds 300 & 338 Win Mag performance
• Optimized case geometry delivers more velocity with 10-15% less powder
• Longer barrel life
• Less recoil
• Less muzzle blast
• Superior temperature stability from -15°F to 140°F (reduced climactic related point of impact change)

• Compact Package
• Easier to transport in and out of hunting vehicles
• Easier to carry
• Easier to manipulate in a tree stand or blind
• No performance compromises!

It exceeds the performance of much larger and more cumbersome firearm / cartridge platforms, but in an extremely compact package!

The paradigm has shifted! Most magnum cartridges require 24" or even 26" long barrels to achieve advertised performance. The new Hornady Ruger Compact Magnum cartridges have been purpose built to achieve true Magnum levels of velocity, accuracy and terminal performance in an easy to carry short action gun featuring a compact 20†barrel!

Based on the beltless 375 Ruger case, the 300 and 338 RCMs feature industry leading cartridge geometry that provides for an extremely efficient cartridge case and enables truly phenomenal levels of performance. Coupled with Hornady’s superior bullet offerings, the RCM cartridges deliver unparalleled ballistic performance!

Ruger® has made a number of modifications to the M77® Hawkeye® to create the perfect mate to the new RCM cartridges. The new rifles are built around Ruger’s rock solid short action and feature 20†barrels, crisp LC6™ triggers and updated stock dimensions in this fast-handling package that tips the scale at just over 6.5 lbs.

Hornady’s NEW Ruger Compact Magnums

Magnum Performance is Redefined!"


Details at Ruger Compact Magnums

Discuss amongst yourselves.

George

Thanks George!

Roooger is inventing new wheels again again...when will they ever get ofground and get some wings for ex and get airspeed?

The new cartridges does well with lightweight bullets only. Give the 30RCM a 220-240 grain bullet and the .338RCM a 300 grain bullets and they are all back to square one...
I`LL stick to my .300 H&H and .333 Jeffery for awhile...like the next 40 years or so.

Just put a "MAGIC" Barnes bullet in them and then all you have to do is point the cartridge at them. Don't even need a rifle.
All the exravagant claims made for the magnum rifles apply to the Barnes Super bullets.

Yawn,

Didn't Ruger see what happened the the SAUM? Win beat the others to the punch agian. No need to reinvent the wheel.

I have the 300WSM and the 325 WSM, both great cartidges for their inteded use. They are not inteded to shoot the heaviest bullets in their cal. The 300 preforms very well with a 180

From what I understand about case capacities, the RCMs have less than the .338WinMag. I have a .338WSM and still am a little short of the .338WM velocities. Must be the magic powder they're using.

quote:

• Optimized case geometry delivers more velocity with 10-15% less powder

That is simply a fabrication which is egregiously offensive to anyone who knows anything about internal ballistics.

Anyone going to take the bait George has cast?

Gee whiz, does this mean that my 30/06 Mauser is obsolete now?

There are at least 10 or so "new" 30 calibers (30Ultr/RSUM, 30 WSSM, 308 TC, 308 Marlin blah blah blah) and the 30/06 still out sells them all (combined).

I guess the masses are just plain wrong.

What Stonecreek said +++
I'm gonna stick with my tried & true .338 Win. mag., thank you very much. Using more pixie dust powder made by Tinker Bell, huh?
Bear in Fairbanks

The ONLY good thing that can come from this is that maybe (if we're lucky) us Lefties may get a L/H short action outa all this hoopla.

Hopefully with the right bolt head.....

a friend just got a ruger in 338 federal. the ballistics on that are a bit more than i expected. close to 3000fps with a 180gr
good enough for bear where i live
i'll probably get a good ol 338 win mag if i ever go to alaska though. its good to see things are still getting smaller and more powerful

I have been shooting and hunting for well over 50 years and have made 8 safaris to Africa and shot everything up to and including Elephant, some numerous times. Never in all those years and all those hunts have I EVER had nor felt I NEEDED a 300 magnum of any sort and ANY 338 caliber rifle. I suppose I have just been extraordinarily lucky.

quote:

Originally posted by oldun:

You Misspelled "moderator"

I would think that the muzzle blast would be a bit harsh out of a 20" barrel.

Allen

" WonderCartridges " !.

Wonder why they bothered to chamber for them !??.

Shoot Straight Know Your Target . ...

Yawn x2.....but wait here come the rag-writers, they'll play ball with this for the next 6 months and sell ya some skivies ta BOOT!
wow a 20 inch flame thrower! can i get that in the 3.5 lb montana special???
forget your matches,butane,bic,lighters boys!'' one shot will start your camp fires iGar-n-teee-s it!""

It is what it is, right? I'm always a bit miffed by the crowd that gathers around the latest greatest. Not that it doesn't have a place, but just that it shouldn't perform beyond its physical parameters. There's something to be said for load density, powder column length, etc., but really it's mostly just the same cup of water in a different glass.
Seems like most people don't shoot anything out of the 300 WM over 180g (present company and self excepted) so it is fair to line it up against the data using those bullets.
I hate to see the manufacturers getting so proprietary about their chamberings. Do you think Remington or Winchester will ever chamber this? Ruger was already chambering the WSM, which is bigger than the RCM and better able to do what the RCM is claiming.
The only ones that really benefit from this are Ruger (who may sell a few new rifles based on the fad) and wildcatters/sporterizers who want to put something new and different on their old action they have laying around. (I'll say again, this would be a great case for a 3.1" round on intermediate actions like the M70.)
If Hornady/Ruger have ANY sense they'll make a 6.5mm RCM. That would basically do a lot more than the 6.5 RM, a bit better than the 6.5/284 but not be as "barrel-burning" as the 264 WM. (Of course, the 6.5 would be my first choice for a 3.1 round, but they will never agree to that.)

when they cross the finish line neck to neck with the 340 weatherby then we can start to compare. until then is is just plain bul- s--t.

Guess I'll have to get rid of my .338 win mag now........

Wonder how many boxes of RCM ammo ol' George got for that endorsement?

The RCM's... where to begin...

Well, first of all, the velocities they've quoted are only for their "special" powder. Powder that is not and will not be available to handloaders. This means that Hornady is your only source for ammunition that lives up to the claims they've put on those rounds. If they don't offer a bullet weight/style you want, you really have no recourse unless Hornady sells the powder to other manufacturers exclusively for use in the RCM's.

So if this powder is not available to handloaders, Winchester's take on the short magnum remains the best option. All Ruger/Hornady have done is alienated the handloading crowd by making their performance claims unrealistic with the components available to handloaders.

Swing and a miss on this one.

Old news. Kimber is already chambering these two cartridges in some of their models for '08.

I really like small light fast handling rifles. This could really be a great line of new cartridges for the smaller frames person or younger people who need a light short rifle.

ahhh... the newest and most improved version of SNAKE OIL!

Do you really think those "propriatary" propellants
will NEVER be available to handloaders?

I actually remember several "super secret special" propellants comming onto the market that made certain performance levels possible in certain cartridges.

You might have to wait a few years for them to be available, but....

Meanwhile I'm not going to trade away my 338WinMag die set.

BTW guys, they aren't trying to con you with these new
cartridges, they are trying to snare newbs

For all the early adopters out there: B.O.H.I.C.A!

AD

Now that the ultimate cartridges have been invented, we can all relax, sell our old rifles on AR bay,and buy new rifles; it will help the economy!

The only wondercartridge in .308 caliber was born 102 years ago. His name is 30'06.
That's it.

Faina

Good fishing with this bait...

quote:

Originally posted by ztreh:
when they cross the finish line neck to neck with the 340 weatherby then we can start to compare. until then is is just plain bul- s--t.

Or .338-378 Weatherby!

Compact is something ladies carry in their purses isn't it?

quote:

Originally posted by Macifej:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by ztreh:
when they cross the finish line neck to neck with the 340 weatherby then we can start to compare. until then is is just plain bul- s--t.

quote:

Or .338-378 Weatherby!

quote:

Compact is something ladies carry in their purses isn't it?

Ken....

quote:

Originally posted by Mort Canard:
Wonder how many boxes of RCM ammo ol' George got for that endorsement?

Absolutely none, wiseguy.

If you had read my posts throughout the years, you'd know I have great disdain for new cartridges that do not fill a useful niche, the prostitutes who endorse them in the press, and the sheep who flock to them like flies to a turd.

George

quote:

Originally posted by GeorgeS:
The paradigm has shifted!

Ooh, I love buzzword bingo!

quote:

Ruger® has made a number of modifications to the M77® Hawkeye...fast-handling package that tips the scale at just over 6.5 lbs.

And as the fellas who designed the Remington 600 will tell you the shooting public is always willing to open its wallets for light rifles in magnum chamberings...

quote:

Originally posted by Stonecreek:

quote:

• Optimized case geometry delivers more velocity with 10-15% less powder

That is simply a fabrication which is egregiously offensive to anyone who knows anything about internal ballistics.

X2....

There is no replacement for displacement...

I don't want to go near anything that delivers 338 Win Mag performance with a weight of 6.5 lbs and has a 20" bbl.

A lot of these rifles are going to end up on the second-hand rack being sold with half a box of ammo.

This might be the perfect round and perfect rifle for very specialized purposes but it's not a good formula for the average Joe.

quote:

Originally posted by ForrestB:
I don't want to go near anything that delivers 338 Win Mag performance with a weight of 6.5 lbs and has a 20" bbl.

A lot of these rifles are going to end up on the second-hand rack being sold with half a box of ammo.

This might be the perfect round and perfect rifle for very specialized purposes but it's not a good formula for the average Joe.

Or mass buying of muzzlebreaks!

And I'm against MB's!!

I thought we were done with the whole short mag movement. They've already been established in just about every caliber out there. I really would've thought ruger would've simply taken the 375 and necked it down to either of these calibers. That way, they could claim 300/340wby performance in standard-length actions. Their approach doesn't make sense to me, as the 300 and 338 win mags will already fit into standard actions. There might have been a market for magnum action performance in standard actions, but they missed it on this one. That, and who wants to shoot a 20", 7lb 338? That's going to be obnoxious!

quote:

Originally posted by Clayman:
I thought we were done with the whole short mag movement. They've already been established in just about every caliber out there. I really would've thought ruger would've simply taken the 375 and necked it down to either of these calibers. That way, they could claim 300/340wby performance in standard-length actions. Their approach doesn't make sense to me, as the 300 and 338 win mags will already fit into standard actions. There might have been a market for magnum action performance in standard actions, but they missed it on this one. That, and who wants to shoot a 20", 7lb 338? That's going to be obnoxious!

Yeah, and likely painful, too.

Us east coast guys don't need the .338 or it's variants. Nothing around east of the Mississippi you need it for. I'll keep what I have. 7 Rem and 25'06 have worked well for years, and I have a .300 RUM and a .375 for travel guns.

So that narrows an even narrower market for this reinvention.