Browning 300 RUM question

[crash32]

Hello guys, I purchased a Browing A Bolt rifle chambered in the 300 Remington Ultra Magnum a few years ago. The scope is a Zeiss 4.5-14x50 Conquest which I love!

My question is now that I am getting into reloading I am not sure if I should invest any more money into my Browning 300 RUM. I get about .5" groups at 100 yards with factory ammo and would like to get better groupings than that. I did not know if I should invest some gunsmithing work into my Browning or if I should just keep the Browning the way it is and buy another bolt action that would be used for "precision shooting".

I just thought it would be nice if I had a very accurate deer rifle, but just didn't know if it was possible on a Browning platform. I realize that it is pretty accurate, but I would like to have something that would shoot tight groups at 300 yards. I like the power that the 300 RUM offers which is why I would like to stick with the 300 RUM if possible as opposed to going with something like a .308. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

My .02:

This is a big game HUNTING rifle, albeit perhaps overkill for most circumstances. Being a hunting rifle, shooting to 0.5 MOA is outstanding; way way way better than would be needed for a big game hunting rifle.

If you want a precision rifle, you will shoot it much more than a hunting rifle to get good with it, in all likelihood. And that caliber is way more than is necessary in terms of cost and recoil, for a long-range precision rig. You said 300 yards, and .243 win is plenty more than enough for that range, as is .308 win, and they won't beat you up nearly as much. So, if you want 1/4 MOA accuracy, you can shoot your outstanding hunting rifle for extremely good accuracy until you can afford a nice off the shelf or custom rig in .308 or other reasonably light caliber, with all the components necessary for extreme precision. Not that the Browning could not be improved; it probably could, but its already extremely good, and to me it doesn't make any sense to put money into a gun like that, which *could* possibly make it shoot worse than it does, and when the caliber is just not a great choice for a precision rifle which you would likely shoot a LOT. I mean, how many shoulder surgeries can you afford after putting 100 rounds through it? I would build up a custom or semi-custom rig in a 6mm or 6.5mm chambering for precision work at 300 yards. Maybe 6mm BR, .243 Win, 6mm Rem, .260 Rem, etc. I just wouldn't screw with a gun that shoots .5 MOA with factory ammo. Heck, it might do even better (probably would) if you work up a handload it likes. So you'd be much better off investing in some reloading gear if you haven't already.

 

[crash32]

Thanks sauce! I know it sounds a bit strange...but I'm quite the recoil junkie. I enjoy shooting my .500 S&W, Mosin Nagant, and my Saiga 12 more than anything simply because it has a big bang!! That is the main reason I want a .50 BMG... just knowing that it has over 10,000 ft/lbs of force really gets my juices going.

I have a brake on my 300 RUM and honeslty it is just like shooting bird shot.... not bad at all!! I think I will save up my money for a nice .308 rig...maybe even a .338 Laupa.

 

[gvnwst]

how tight at 300? .5" at 100 = 1.5" at 300 (plus or minus) thats tight! best thing to do without giving up power is to reload. if thats not good enough, match grade barrel, better trigger, stock, and blueprinted action in that order. or a new rifle.


P.S. what ammo do u use to
shoot .5" at 100? I do nnot know of any match ammo for the RUM.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

In that case you might look at the "tactical" or "law enforcement" lines from Savage, Remington, FN, etc., as a starting point for a .308 win rifle.

A .338 Lapua magnum rifle is a *good* choice for very very long ranges (1,000-1,500 yards), due to the high BC of those long bullets. .50 BMG is even better. But these begin to get very expensive and cumbersome, and you pretty much have to have a brake (esp. on BMG).

Basically, this comes down to the range you're shooting at. If you're shooting at 300-500 yards max, I'd run with a 6mm round. If shooting at 500-800, I'd run with a 6.5mm round, or .308 win. If shooting at 800-1000, I'd run with a 6.5mm round, or a 7mm round, or .308 Win, or your .300 RUM even. Beyond that, you're probably gonna want that .338 lapua or a 7mm magnum, or a .50 BMG.

 

[browningguy]

Well firstly, congratulations on having a superbly accurate rifle. I would not let a gun plumber within 15 yards of it as is.

I could never shoot a RUM that well for 5 shots, recoil would get to me after 3-4. My most accurate rifle shoots in the .3's at 100 but the great majority are hunting weight rifles and shoot .75" and up.

For precision shooting I have a restocked Savage 12 FV in .243 which will stay under 1/2 MOA out to 600 yards which is the farthest I have shot it. I also have an AR in 6x45 which is very good on the 100-300 yard lines, but not beyond that. I would highly recommend a 6 or 6.5mm round such as the .243/.260/6.5 Grendel for precision shooting. You can get high BC bullets which will outshoot the .308 at 1000 yards with almost no recoil. A great factory gun would be a Savage 12 FT/R in .308 (Can only use .223 and .308 in this class), the Nationals were won last year with a stock one, they run around $1k.

 

[crash32]

I simply use the Remington Scirocco Bonded 180g that I buy at the local gun shop....nothing match grade. I'm looking forward to reloading and see if that makes a difference.

I did not know that .5" groupings were that great at 100 yds since the guy next to me was shooting his .308 groupings smaller than a dime!

The range that I shoot at currently does not allow .50 BMG so maybe I'll have to look into the .338 Laupa!

Thanks for the reply guys...now I am definately not going to mess with my Browning at least not until my barrel wears out.

 

[crash32]

Browning guy.....sweet rifles there!!

I thought about getting a DMPS with a nice nightforce scope on it, but then I decided that I really wanted a bolt action since I already have 3 semi-auto rifles that I like pretty good.

 

[gvnwst]

if you are intrested in the laupa, the sako trg-42 and Accuracy International AWSM are eccilent chioces. the awsm will stabilize the 300gr smk while the slower twist on the -42 won't.

 

[crash32]

I saw a guy at the range with a SAKO TRG22 308 and it looked like a sweet rifle. I also googled the Accuracy International and it looks like an awesome rifle too. I read that someone took out a prarrie dog at over 3,100 yards with a Sako TRG-42...crazy stuff!!

Would the stabilization of a 300 gr be an issue... I would think most people would use the 250 gr? Then again, I really dont know much about .338 Laupa's or long range shooting!

The .338 Laupa's ballistics are pretty cool!!!! Better than my 4,400 ft/lbs!!

 

[gvnwst]

as for a prairie dog at 3,100.... i don't think that is possible. the laupua is good for man sized targets to 1,800 or so. no gun/cartridge combo i know of can shoot that far that accuratly. with the -42 the 300gr won't stabilize properly, so i wouldn't take the chance without gettting a faster twist barrel. the AWSM barely gets the bullet stabilized as the recomended twist is 1:10 and the AWSM is 1:11 (the -42 is 1:12 most people do use the 250gr SMK or Laupa Senecar. for shooting past 1,300 or so, the wind drift gets to be 'annoying' with the 250s.