I am thinking about buying a new rifle in either the 300WM or 300RUM. I've heard good things about the 300WM, but have heard very little about the 300RUM, good or bad. Can anyone give me some info? Which is a better calibre in terms of long range accuracy and power? What is the difference in recoil? I have only fired a 300WM in 150gr Power Points and found it's recoil very comfortable.

I'd go with the 300Win mag, it's just an all around Great cartridge. The 300Rum is just too big, not nesessary in all but a few hunting situations that rarely occure. You will also find that the .300win is much cheaper to feed (ammo). Also there are many more ammo choices for the .300win if you do not reload.

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Thanks, Mark G

"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." Genesis 9:3

I have noticed that ammo is not that easy to come by in the stores. I see the guns on the shelf but ammo is not. I almost bought one of these but go talked out of it by a good friend....said it was not hard to get ammo for and it didn't do anything under 450 yards a regular 300 wouldn't do in the wild.

Pardon me, but why would the availability of factory-loaded ammunition, or lack therof, be of concern in a forum titled "Accurate Reloading"?

When I found that my father-in-law had a .25 Remington buried deep in the closet, I had 100 rounds of brand shiny-new ammunition ready for it within a few weeks, and ammunition hasn't been loaded for that caliber in lord-knows how many years.

Pick the caliber that suits you best, Oz, but don't base your choice on how many retailers have a case or two of it sitting on the shelves.

Go with the ultra...If you have any ?'s throw me an e-mail........

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I HUNT LONG RANGE.AND YES I USE MATCHKING'S.

I second that, Stonecreek, and I'll add a fold:

Since y'all are participating in this forum, I will assume that you are online- that means you can buy any ammo you want from Cabelas or other suppliers and have it delivered to your front door. Ammo availability is no longer a concern for any caliber, save a few VERY obscure examples.

Stonecreek, Not everyone who visits this forum handloads. A LOT of people come here for information. Personally I would think if the Original poster handloaded he would know the answer to his own question.

Wapi-t, yes you can get ammo online if you don't handload but you will NOT find near the CHOICES of 300Rum ammo that you will find in 300WM. And what you do find in 300RUM will cost you More.

Sorry if my lack of committment to handloading and shooting offended anyone.
I will be silent now and let the shooting gods speak. man.

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Thanks, Mark G

"Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything." Genesis 9:3

[This message has been edited by Mark G (edited 03-06-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Mark G (edited 03-06-2002).]

Oz - Welcome to the forum. You will find this place an excellent location for lots of opinions all-the-time, and some great information from time-to-time.

If speed were everything, then we would all be shooting .300 Kongs,.30-.378 Weatherbys and .300 Lapuas. However, speed is not the only deciding factor in choosing a cartridge. For most hunting situations around the world, a .300 Win Mag is a great cartridge. Recoil is manageable, velocity is in keeping will bullet expansion rates, loads are mild to medium hot, ammo is plentiful, reloading cost is reasonable, and barrel life is long.

The Ultra Mags have not taken the world by storm. While an interesting cartridge for long range work, it may be too much of a good thing - too much recoil, too much powder, too much velocity, too overbore, too expensive, etc., etc., etc.

[This message has been edited by Zero Drift (edited 03-06-2002).]

Oz, I've been fortunate to have some pretty varied hunting experiences and have used the 300 Win Mag a fair bit. I find it is a wonderful cartridge. I have been in situations where I thought a 338 or a 375 would be a better choice, but I've never had a situation where I thought a faster 30 caliber would be a better choice.

In my opinion, the characteristics of the 300 RUM that make it more capable in the 2% of hunting situations (that I have yet to experience) are exactly the characteristics that make it less desirable in the 98% of hunting situations that I have more experience with.

I wish my trips were like the mountain nyala or asian sheep hunts I hear about so that I could justify a RUM but it hasn't turned out that way. That doesn't stop me from wishing though.

I started hunting a little bit with the .300 Winchester more than twenty years ago for elk and mule deer here in Oregon, but I didn't really come to fully appreciate and understand that cartridge for what it is until I started to put in some real mileage with it, beginning in 1994.

Since that time I've taken more than one hundred big game animals with three different .300 Winchester Magnum rifles, and I've fired over four thousand rounds of .300 Win. Mag. in practice over the last eight years. I've used this caliber from Oregon to Texas; from Alaska to Mexico; and from British Columbia to Tanzania.

I've used it on three of Africa's so-called "Big Five", including two cape buffalo plus lion and leopard; plainsgame of all sizes from Damaraland dik dik to Patterson's eland; plus sheep, pronghorn, blackbear, elk, moose, mule deer, Coues deer, Texas whitetails, etc., here in North America.

The closest shot I ever made with the caliber was a bit less than twenty feet on a Masiland bushbuck, and the longest was a measured (with a Leica Geovid rangefinder) 518 yards on a Sonora Coues deer. Just about everything I've ever shot with this cartridge has gone down right away, and without fuss.

Based on this experience, I don't have any plans to purchase a .300 RUM.......

AD

[This message has been edited by allen day (edited 03-06-2002).]

I own two 300 ultra's and do not regret buying either.Recoil is a little stiff but they are great for moose and elk at any range you can place you bullet properly.

.300 RUM. This will get a lot whining going but I feel the Win mag is a glorified 30-06.

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May your chambers be true to your bores.

Thanks People for your helpful info

With the wide variety of hunting conditions I plan to encounter, My main desire is to own a rifle with a very flat trajectory and large amount of retained power at long distances. The main use for this rifle I plan to buy will be for those extra long shots, for example a large pig at distances of up to 600 or more.

Oz - For the type of shooting you are describing, portability is not an issue. You will most likely be shooting off mechanical rests and possibly a shooting bench. A 15 to 18 pound LR rifle is not unusual. While the .300 RUM would better suit this type of shooting, you should not overlook the .338 Lapua or .330 Dakota. At 600+ yards, these cartridges are devastating and offer tremendous energy levels over the .300 RUM. Don�t sell your self short....

"In my opinion, the characteristics of the 300 RUM that make it more capable in the 2% of hunting situations (that I have yet to experience) are exactly the characteristics that make it less desirable in the 98% of hunting situations that I have more experience with."
Forrest B

This is a quote that makes as much sense as any that I've seen.
Rifles with handling characteristics of a fencepost, long actions, extensive recoil and blast are not ideal for most applications I hunt in and counterproductive in most others. Medium action magnums in 300 Win and 338 win, as well as 280, 30-06 270, are more comfortable units to carry, load for, shoot, and keep a barrel on. Any combo of these rounds will be ideal in the right rifles.

BR

allen day,

What is your favorite 300WM load? I also am a big fan and have hunted with my 300 for a dozen years now. I use the 200 gr. Nozler partition bullet for everything, but am wondering if there may be a better load out there.

Toomany, I mostly use 180 gr. loads in the .300 Win. Mag. I have not tired a 200 gr. load on any game animal, but someday I probably will.

In my old rifle, I used the 180 gr. Nosler Partition SP, Winchester cases, Federal 215 primers, and enough Reloader 22 to produce just over 3100 fps. out of the 24" barrel.

In one rifle which I just sold, I loaded 168 gr. Sierras to 3250 fps., and I really loved that bullet weight and speed for open country mule deer, coues deer, and pronghorn.

I've used a couple of factory loads with superb success, one being Winchester's 180 gr. Fail-Safe (3050 fps. out of my rifle), and Federal's High-Energy 180 gr. Trophy Bonded load (3140 fps. out of two rifles - one with a 24" and one with a 26" barrel.)

My current .300 Winchester has a 24" barrel, and I use Winchester cases, Federal 215 primers, and the 180 gr. Nosler Partition Protected Point pushed to 3075 fps. I used this load on seventeen animals in Namibia last year, and it work very well. I even used it on a very big, old Cape eland bull. I shot him through both lungs, he then ran a few yards and fell over. His lungs werre a mess and the bullet was found just under the hide on the opposite side.

If I had just one .300 Winchester load to use for all time, though, I'd take the 180 gr. Fail-Safe ammo and never look back. It's the most effective ammunition I've ever used in this caliber.

AD

"300 RUM. This will get a lot whining going but I feel the Win mag is a glorified 30-06."

The arguments given for why the win mag is so great is that it handles heavier bullets better, and shoots flatter.

The best argument for the Rum is the 240 grain, Sierra Boat Tail Match King.

With other threads that have discussed the matchkings as hunting bullets, I have to think, for the range, and type of game you describe, that few combinations could beat a 300 rum, with a 240 grain bullet, with a ballistic coefficent of something absurd, like .729.

If I ever get sick of my 06, and don't want to go to the 375, I will take a long look at the Rum 300.

Besides, it has to be the sexiest, most awesome looking cartridge this side of the BMG.

gs

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I love 45
santilli@singleaction45.com

i have seen a few head of game killed with the ultra.it just plain blows stuff everywhere.i love it.

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SPEED KILLS

Eric:
What kind of ranges,and what kind of bullets?
Penetration is good?? etc.

Thanks

gs

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I love 45
santilli@singleaction45.com

Oz-Sniper
for down here, I'd go the .300wm or even a .30-06 improved.
Ammo is bloody expensive the .300 ultras and .338's even brass if you load your own.

The .300 Win mag will do a pig at 600y.
Personally, I hunt around Bourke on some really big properties and I rarely take pigs over 200m. A lot of other stuff gets taken out a lot further though
I do encourage you to look at the .30-06 AI. You can fire standard .30-06 loads in it, It performs very similarly to the .300wm.

I was down your way last week and am looking to do shooting down 'round Hall sometime soon.

BTW I have a .300wm for sale at the moment if your interested.
Drop me an e-mail k_houseman@hotmail.com

I visit my sporting goods store at least once a month. I look over the used rack to see if there is anything old that I can't live without. I took an interest in the new Ultras when they came out. The store had half a dozen or so. They cleared out fast. The last two times I was in the store, they had more used Ultras than new. This is the fastest new gun turned into a used gun I have ever seen. There is a message there. I personally use a .300 Win Mag. I've taken five elk and numerous deer. They wouldn't be any deader if I hit them 100 FPS faster.

I might as well jump in here too. I would go with the 300WM. I have two, they will do what ever you need, at least on this side of the pond. The RUM is fine, but only time will tell if it's a keeper. The win mag has stood that test and proven itself admirably. You can't go too far wrong with a 30 caliber anyway you choose.

Ultramag, what's wrong with being a glorified 30.06?

Just for added info, I use 180gr partions and h4350 powder. The amount will vary for any other rifle so you can figure that out.

Go with the .300 Win Mag! Loaded with 180-200 grain nosler partitions it has all the killing power you need for anything on this continent. It will shoot almost as flat as the 300 RUM out to 400 yds and it won't loosen up you dental work doing it. You can even get a Browing Auto in 300 Win Mag if you want a little extra recoil dampening.