.300 RUM for a long range precision rifle?

[RX-178]

I'm in the market for my first true precision rifle (the closest I've had up to this point is my PTR-91... yeah, there's a good deal of room for improvement here).

If I were still able to load my own ammo, the .338 Lapua would have been my obvious first choice, but in my current living arrangement, there's just nowhere in the apartment that's ventilated enough for reloading. Could change in the future, but I'm not counting on it.

I was about to settle for the .300 Win Mag, when I noticed the rather classy looking CZ 550 HET offered in the .300 RUM caliber.

What do you guys think of this caliber? Seems to be a good deal hotter than the .300 Win Mag, and ammo is still less than half the price of .338 Lapua. How does it compare to either of these two more well-known cartridges?

 

[USSR]

You"ll burn your throat out in no time flat.

Don

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.tobystactical.com/2007/11/remington-700-ss-5r-milspec.html


http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=617842 here's 1 for sale on thr

 

[GooseGestapo]

Because of the recoil, and amount of powder that's consumed resulting in a shortened barrel life, I don't think you'll be happy for long with the .300RUM.

I've got one, and for what it is, it's an excellent rifle. However, what it's intended for is much the same as a .300Wby or .30/378. An "over the top" powerful hunting rifle that is carried much and shot little. Due to the cost of an out-of-state hunt, and relatively little shot nature of such a hunt and type of hunter/shooter, they are just fine. In fact, state of the art.
They allow that "once in a lifetime" opportunity shot that may present itself at long distance and/or difficult conditions. An extra margin for error in range estimation, wind drift allowance.

But, a rifle that will be shot a LOT in matches, and even more in practice, I don't see it as a practical option.

A .300WSM would be a better candidate. I know of a gunsmith that has built a couple of 1,000yd benchrest rifles in .300 and 7mmWSM. He preferred the 7mm for better b.c. and wind drift resistance.
These use 1/3 less powder than the .300RUM and will likely last longer between barrel re-throating/replacement.
Whereas a .300win-mag will use 75.0-80.0gr of powder, the .300RUM will use 88.0-110.0gr. The increase in velocity is only 150-250fps however.
Just so you'll know before you go.

 

[mnhntr]

Go with a 6.5 cartridge and save money and recoil pains. Lots of them out there. 6.5-284, 6.5 creedmore, 260rem, 6.5x55, 6.5-06.

 

[MtnCreek]

I would do some reading on 6.5mm vs 30cal ballistics before purchasing. Many of the 6.5mm, high BC cartridges are comparable to the 300wm down range performance. I would not enjoy sitting down to a 40 shot session of 300 ultra-mag with bullets designed for long range (190 to 240 gr). I load 190gr SMK’s for a 300wm; they’re about the limit I can shoot without suffering from the recoil and that’s w/ a 15 lb rifle. I tried to shoot 220gr bullets, but it was too much for any kind of extended shooting sessions. I can’t imagine a 300 UM with a 190gr bullet would be comfortable to shoot.

 

[USSR]

I would not enjoy sitting down to a 40 shot session of 300 ultra-mag with bullets designed for long range (190 to 240 gr). I load 190gr SMK’s for a 300wm; they’re about the limit I can shoot without suffering from the recoil and that’s w/ a 15 lb rifle.

+1. I shot my 16# .30-06 with hot loaded 190SMK's in F Class for several years before I got smart and had a 6.5x55 built.

Don

 

[MachIVshooter]

If I were still able to load my own ammo

The .300 RUM is a hunting round, and loaded commercially as such. Without handloading, you cannot turn it into a match round.

In point of fact, without handloading, you will not be a competitor in long range shooting, regardless of your platform and cartridge choice.

Precision long range shooting is a combination of the shooter, the rifle, the cartridge and the load all being perfectly matched for the intended discipline.

Expecting to buy an expensive rifle and make respectable long range groups with off-the-shelf ammo and no experience in long range shooting would be akin to buying a 10 second car, but filling it with 87 octane fuel, running radial tires and driving it like you would a box-stock Mustang on the street.

Like anything else, long range precision shooting requires a time and dollar investment with dedicated and expensive equipment. Using "Precision rifle" with "don't handload" and "ammo is less expensive" in the same sentence says that you're either not serious or don't understand the game. Not trying to be rude, but this is just how it is. The kind of range that would require the power of a .300 RUM is not the kind of range you can shoot at with a stock Remington 700 and a $400 Leupold.

 

[Jim Watson]

I dunno. If you have a LARGE ammunition budget, there is some availability of factory match ammunition. A friend shot a good deal of Black Hills match ammo while on assignments that prevented handloading. He said it was very accurate, the main reason for handloading was cost and capability to load for a bit higher velocity to reduce windage.
They make .300 Win Mag Match.
Lapua sells several calibers that would be useful, but nothing between 6.5 Lap - .308 and the monster magnum .338 Lapua.

 

[Outlaw81]

Ever heard of the term overbore? Its the miniscule amount of velocity gain that is achieved from adding substantial amounts of powder. The 300 win mag is capable of getting within 120 fps of the ultra mag with almost 25 grains less powder. It can handle the bigger bullets just as good such as the 220smks and 240s. The downside is that using those size bullets is gonna be a tradeoff between velocity and BC. 30caliber bullets shine in the 190-210 weight range. At those weights, the velocity can be pushed to around 3000 which will stabilize the bullet out past a mile. I wouldn't use anything heavier than a 208 amax. That bullet has a BC of .648 and will smoke a 220 smk to the mile. The barrel life of a win mag or wsm for that matter, will far exceed that of the ultra mags. I shoot a 300wsm with 190smks and 208amax at one mile and I'm very happy with both. They'll both shoot half moa at 1000. The wsm does it with 10gr of powder less than the win mag does. Recoil is something to consider as well. The 300ultra is gonna beat u like u just stole from it. With or without a brake. The win mag is manageable but still needs a brake. The wsm can be shot all day no problem as it kicks like a 30-06 with heavy bullets. Its up to u tho. I have been fooling with the 30 calibers for a while now and I've made my decision to stick with the short mag. Its simply more efficient than the others.

 

[MtnCreek]

The 300ultra is gonna beat u like u just stole from it.