Hi Folks,

Some friends and I have been discussing the topic recoil this afternoon. Most of these guys think I am looney to go with the .300 RUM for deer. The most popular response was "it'll kick your da**ed head off" or "that cannon will break your fri**in jaw when you shoot it." (though none of them have ever shot a 300 RUM)

I ran some figures thru a recoil calculation program ( It still didn't change their minds)and most loads recoil around 37-38 ft lbs. This is only 5-7 lbs more than the .300 Winchester or .300 Weatherby.

This doesn't seem to be that much of an increase to me but I am fairly recoil proof.

I would like to get some responses from regular users of the 300RUM on this subject.

Thanks for the input,
HBB

[ 08-18-2003, 05:13: Message edited by: hillbillybear ]

Recoil is stiff but manageable with a good stock and decellerator.I use my 300ultramag for moose and elk but it stays home for deer hunts.The 7mmstw kills deer just as dead with less damage.

The recoil on the shoulder isnt that bad in my opinion, but make sure the gun is held tight or you will be going to the hospital for stiches in the eye. In my experience the 300 RUM is the one the funnest cartridges Ive ever shot. Have Fun!

The Recoil is definetly Violent.

I haven't shot mine in the field yet, just off the bench. I've been using a PAST recoil shield, so it hasn't bruised my shoulder- -yet. Believe it or not, the worst pain it has caused me has been to my trigger finger - it comes back so fast, that the top of my finger gets slammed by the trigger guard!

If you get one, pay attention to the eye relief of the scope - with one of these monsters, more is better. I could see someone getting a nice scar in the eyebrow. I always wear safety glasses, and I have had the scope hit them already, but so far, no cuts.

On the fun side of things, the RUM has more downrange energy than anything I've seen before. It's been normal to see fist sized rocks and dirt clods falling back to earth from the backstop behind the target.

Also, the spent cases kind of have that dull thud sound when they hit the ground - reminds me of the noise that 155 artillery rounds make when they come out of the breech.

I've seen a couple of used ones in the gun stores, so I think some others have found them too painful. Try to find someone who has one and take a few shots before buying one.

good luck, and have fun!

I use the 375 ultra even on medium game,even up sheep mountains!Practice alot and it will become more comfortable.The 300ultra is a good all around caliber.You don't have to have it loaded to max at all times,for deer you could load a 180gr @ 3000fps with alot less pressure than the 300win.

How heavy is your rifle? Those calcs don't jive with mine. My 200 load knocks out 53 ft-lbs in an 8 lb rifle and my 240 load is at about 59. About a 40% increase from 300 Win levels. It feels like it too.

I use the thick Past shield, have a Decelerator pad and will still get a bruised shoulder after an extended range session. Of course I'll shoot 40-50 rounds in a session sometimes. The first 20 are the easy ones....

When you shoot your best group of the day while bleeding from your face in multiple places--without noticing--you know you have a mental handle on it.

But if you're recoil sensitive, unless you get a heavy rifle and/or have a muzzle break, this round really isn't worth the gains over the 300 Win. Lack of a flinch is worth more than a couple hundred fps. But if you can shoot it well, the gains are nice.

BTW, even though it beats me up more, I have a lot more fun shooting this rifle in 300 RUM than I did when it was a Win Mag. Just my personality, I guess. When it thwacks my 60 lb gong back with authority at ranges where it's hard to even tell if you hit it with a 270, it gives me a sense of satisfaction you can't get anywhere else.

just got back from the rifle range. My 16 year old 5'0" 90# daughter just fired off two shots from my Remington 700 LSS in 338 RUM, 180 grain ballistic tips over 101.5 grains of Reloader 22, not a real lite load. While it did shover her around, she center punch a 8" steel plate at 100 yards. I would guess a 300 RUM might kick about the same and not be all that bad. I did install a Kick eze pad to take the sting out of the recoil.

Thanks for the input folks,

The rifle is a Model 70 Winchester Sporter. It weighs right at 8 lbs sans scope and mounts. By the time I get everything set on it, it should shade 10lbs field ready.

any scope and mount recommendations?

Thanks,

HBB

I've got a M700 BDL-SS in 300RUM, which is a fairly lite rifle. I won't kid you, it does kick like a mule. However, I really only notice it off the bench. When in the field, you aren't even worrying about it and don't really notice it. I got nailed by it last deer season because of the way I had to shoot (laying downhill and shooting uphill on the next ridge). Although I bled slightly, the joy of a nice 8 point numbed it. Just make sure you keep it snug in the shoulder and you'll be fine. Also, don't go cheap on the scope. Whatever scope you put on it is gonna get hammered by the recoil. Spend a little extra now and avoid the frustration later. I went with the Leupold 4.5-14x50mm and love it. It's very clear and holds zero no matter how much it gets beat.

As already mentioned here, recoil is pretty subjective. Some folks can deal with it and others cannot.

How the gun fits you also makes a difference, as does the recoil pad, etc. I used to have a Ruger Number One in .338 Win Mag. It walloped the hell out of me. I bought a Remington 700 Classic the year they made them in .338 Win Mag and like the recoil from that rifle much better.

In regard to the 300 Rem Ultra Mag, I have only fired one a few times. We took a fellow marmot hunting a month or two back and he just had to try his new gun. He had a Winchester Model 70 chambered for the 300 Rem Ultra Mag and I shot it several times lying down off of a Harris bipod. I did not find the recoil bad at all. I shoot a 300 Weatherby a lot and it was very similar. Now, trust me, I am not going to switch from my 25-06 for long range marmot shooting, but it really did not kick like I expected. (Factory 180 grain loads)

On the other hand, the guy who owns it recently installed a Jewell trigger in it and had to go to the range and sight it in again. He fired 9 shots in it and complained violently that his shoulder is sore as hell. I don't think he enjoys that gun very much.

R F

I don't mean to rain on your parade or anything, but how big are the deer in your neck of the woods, anyway? Up where I come from, we kill 'em quick with the .243. Of course, that won't let you shoot them lengthwise to break their shoulders, but who wants to do that?

Not to say there aren't many other ways to do it, of course. Just seems like an aweful lot of noise and smoke just to kill one little ol' deer.

I only use my 300RUM for long range shooting and moose. As for recoil, just something you got to practice to be able to manage. I know when I started shooting that caliber, it affected my groups. But over the last 3 years, I now am able to manage it without thinking about it. One thing you got to think about is with velocitys over 3200fps, you get alot of copper fouling. So all day shooting can make it tough. If I shoot 180gr bullets at 3350fps all day, that gun is so copper fouled, It takes the rest of the night to clean. But not that bad if you load to 3050fps or so.

It all depends on how much you shoot it. I get pretty used to it if I take mine out pretty regularly. It does pack a punch though.

I love my 300rum.It kicks about the same as a 3 inch mag 12 gauge.You ll never notice the recoil in the field,but for target shooting 20-30 shots is my limit.With an extra gelpad on my shoulder it never gets sore,but i will get a headache.As for overkill it could be said anything over a 30-30 is too much ,so to each there own.If you enjoy shooting it,as i do,don t worry what others say.

My 300 RUM was manageable with a PAST pad, but the recoil is powder generated and has a lot of snap to it. Since it is powder generated, you can always go to a muzzle brake and really pull off a lot of recoil. Best on the market is Answer Products...I have one on my 416 Rem and it is trurely amazing. Best of all it screws off when you don't want it.

Hi Folks,
I picked up the .300 RUM yesterday and decided to answer the recoil question by dropping it off at the friendly neighborhood gun doctor for a Muzzlebrake to use on the bench and a thread protector for use in the field.I'll post the range results as soon as possible.

Thanks for all the help and input.
HBB

I just bought a 300RUM. I plan on using it as an elk gun. The recoil is good but it's not as bad as you might think. My first shot had the scope nip me a little. I bought the rifle with a Nikon Titanium scope and it seems like it's up to the task. Not sure I would use this on deer or antelope, just a little to big but we'll see, the season starts in a few weeks.

What a blast from the past! Just a few days ago I was shooting 290's, yes 290 grain bullets, from mine at just under 2700 on top of 95 grains of powder.

That'll clear your sinuses!

I own the 300 RUM and recoil isn't bad at all. I would guess that its the rifle, I mean the foot lbs are there but you don't feel them.

Do a little comparison shopping here. It kicks just about the same as a 338 win mag.

anything more than a 270 win is overkill for deer.

I don't think it is much more than a 300 win mag.

I had a mod 70 300 win mag for a while now I have two 300 ultra mod 70's. I think the recoil is close. If you can handle the 300 win then the 300 ultra should not be a problem . JMHO.

quote:

anything more than a 270 win is overkill for deer

Dead is dead whether it is shot with a 243 or a 300 Ultra. I have shot a few deer with a 300 Ultra I have and had great results. The buck in my avatar field dressed 185lbs and was prob in the 220lb range on the hoof. Hunted him for a over a month and he finally presented me a ten second opportunity at 290yds while chasing a doe...180 gr partition gave a nice bang flop.

300 Ultra recoil is very similar to the 300 WBY...recoil velocity is what gets you...not so much the ft. lbs. With a muzzle break you won't feel a thing...or hear a thing either.

Both my 300 RUM and 375 RUM will get your attention but in a proper fitting rifle with a good trigger they are managable with practice.

quote:

"When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny? "

Tax!

Mines not to bad but it's one of the PSS Rem 700's with varmint profile barrel etc. The badger rings and bases and leupold MK4 6.5-20 also make for a bit of weight, but I own rifles that kick more than this.

I have a 4x16x44 Burris on my 300RUM. Its good out to 600yds. [ the scope ]

quote:

Tax!

Nice!

I would pick .300Sav or something equivalent for those nasty NC sabertooth deer.
You want a huge glass to take full advantage of that trajectory and power, so solder on Zeiss Gigant, it will take some sting out of that recoil.

Well now that all is said and done and I've gotten through the seasons I have one thing to say.

300RUM on antelope is horrific but quick. Mule deer fall like Thor's hammer just hit it in the head. Elk, well, it's hard to keep up with them.

All in all the RUM is fun and does kick, not much worse than my 12 guage shooting slugs though. I got scoped once right between the eyes and had a little bleeding going on. It's big and maybe silly but it will shoot as accurate as I can make it.

I've only fired 3 shots from one in the field and 3 shots in one day is about my limit if I want to enjoy the rest of the day.

On the game we were shooting at that day, my 7mm-08 was putting them down well enough, so I cant see the point in having my body beaten around for little reason, i'de rather enjoy the hunt.

I have a Savage in .300 RUM. Mine has the adjustable muzzle brake. Of course using the brake, recoil is less than a .270. Even when the brake is off, I don't feel that recoil is all that severe, not much more than a .300 Mag. I do have some scope/mount advice. I tried a regular scope mount with mine, the kind with the rear windage adjustment. It broke the screw, and the scope came off after about 10 shots when I was working up handloads. I went to Burris double dovetail mounts with Burris Signature rings. I will never use another mount combo after using these. I zeroed my scope just using the offset bushings that can be purchased for these mounts. This leaves the scope at its optical center of adjustment, which is what you want. Of course the double dovetail mounts are indestructable. Good luck with your .300 RUM. Remember, you can always load it down to .300 Mag or .30-06 specs if the recoil is too much for you at first. You can work up to max loads in steps while you get used to the gun. Good luck !!!

All dressed up and ready to go mine weighs a little over 11 pounds. Doesn't kick at all.

May I suggest 300 Savage?

With my 300 RUM I've been shooting 200gr Nosler Partitions with 42 Ft Lbs of recoil but it doesn't bother me because it just pushes doesn't hurt at all.

Paolo, no suggestions now, the rifle is bought and paid for. Now that i'm used to shooting the RUM it's almost not noticeable. Well except the big BOOM!

Hey, Bowhuntrrl I had the same thing happen me with regular bases, I called the manufacture and they replaced them.

I've shoot a Remington 700 with synthetic stock. This round is not a load of fun to shoot at the range, but is deadly in the field. I think the noise is what really gets me. This is a LOUD rifle. When I first took it out to the range I was shooting a single round and walking to the target to let the barrel cool. On about round 6 I forgot to put my hearing protection on. After the shot I was stunned... I was sure the rifle had exploded! I was shooting under a roof and next to a wall.

When hunting I don't notice sound or recoil. I have taken 12 animals with this rifle and 11 were one shot kills. Most dead in their tracks.
Love this rifle. Have it sighted dead on at 220 and willnot shoot past 300, so I never worry hold over. Someone described this rifle as hitting like the "hammer of Thor." That about sums it up. Perfect rifle for areas where shots may be out there a bit. For whitetail in heavier cover I would opt for my .270.

quote:

Most of these guys think I am looney to go with the .300 RUM for deer

Add me to that list.

Wanted to add that I would probably have not bought this rifle if I was just hunting whitetails. I live in the west and wanted a rifle that was flat shooting, and good at multitasking. I hunt mule deer, whitetail, elk, and black bear and this rifle is perfect for the way I hunt. Not ideal for shooting whiteail does, but not a bad choice for South Carolina bean fields either. Perfect elk gun and good mule deer medicine. I know alot of people dismiss this calliber as a fad, but it works for me and it does have it's place.
Most importantly I have confidence in this rifle. I would not hesitate to hunt brown bear with it with proper bullets and am taking it to Namibia and I can't wait to try it on Zebra and Kudu.

I think it is a good one quiver gun for those of us who prefer to not hunt with several different rifles.