300RUM putdown

C

Cougar71

New member
Looking through a bunch of old threads on the 300RUM and I noticed a pattern. Someone will ask a question and in no time flat, 10 people jump on and tell the op what a junk a RUM is, why you shouldn't get a RUM, it will kick your teeth out, its not worth it, bla bla bla. Then, in the same sentence, say go buy you a 375!

Really? Does this site exist to promote guns, and the shooting sports? Or do we just promote any other gun and kick the 300RUM out? I agree with some of the criticisms but there is no perfect rifle that will fill every need at any time, everyone knows this. The 300 RUM has its virtues also, chief among them is the ability to load down to 300win for hunting deer and wild boar, or load it for hot for large game such as elk, moose, etc. at very long ranges.

As for distance shooting, well that's a personal objective, I can't shoot accurately over 800 yards so that make the Win and the RUM a wash with me but, hey, if you can shoot 1200 to 1500 yards, the RUM will do that so go knock yourself out! It is a great gun and if your recoil shy its an easy fix, put a brake on it or trade it in for something you can handle!

I will get off my soapbox now, just had to vent a little.
 
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Its a fine cartridge for what it was intended. The .30-378WBY has been around since Elmer Keith was 50 something and it has a fine reputation. RUM is its near ballistic equivalent. I would own a RUM if I did not have a wildcat equivalent of the .30-378 Wby.
Its a plains cartridge, and I see has no real practical use for anything else. That does not mean you cant use it for everything else.:D Kicks? Not with a brake. Expensive to shoot? Yes.
Can you use it on Dangerous game? Sure you can. I have a friend who shot a huge Grizzly with one and piled it up like a ton of bricks hit it. Personally, I would rather shoot a great bear with a bit bigger bullet, but thats just my opinion. It might be right, it might be wrong.
 
There is no right or wrong. I love my RUM, it does everything I want it to do and more. I don't give a rip how expensive it is to shoot, I can afford it. Im a big guy,295lbs, so the recoil is not a factor to me. Yeah, its a little much for around here but like my Grandaddy told me, Aint no such thing as too dead!
 
It is not just the RUM that gets picked on, many people dislike any cartridge that has the word "Magnum" in it's name. Pay no attention to them, you are you and what works for you and what you like is what you should use.
 
I read one of your earlier post 10yrs ago and you own 30-378Wby and 300RUM. Myself I think you have plenty of experience to make a judgement on what you want to shoot.

I've own and shot both also and at the time owned maybe 8/10 30 cal mag and I thinned the herd settle on 338mag,30-338mag and had couple 300WSM build. Friend of mine got one of Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber rifle in 300RUM that's one sweet rifle.

Well good luck
 
what you really don't want to do is fire off the weatherby without the brake! Tooth chipper! My 300 shoots as good today as when I first got it! This is my hunting rifle my barrel has yet to burn out. Maybe its because I don't shoot more than 10 time per deer season! Long way to a burned out barrel at that pace!
 
My 30-378Wby had factory brake and I think I loaded something like 113gr Retumbo and one time I swore I'd never own a rifle that take over 100gr of powder. Got to have fun with them
 
I noticed that you said that the 300WM and RUM were a wash for you over 800 yards.... Keep practicing and use a good scope. I have a 300 WM that puts lead on steel at well over 1200 yards with me shooting. The gunsmith and builder was hitting at a mile with it. If you have enough adjustment and the right load they are wicked. We were using Navy/Army Mk248 Mod1 ammo for most, hand loads for the rest.
 
I love my 300 RUM, especially for the straight case without belt, makes reloading much easier. That said, mine is more of a wall gun than a stalking rifle, more suitable for stationary use. I don't think I'd chamber a gun I'd like to carry around in that cartridge.
As for scope -Nightforce scope on a 20 moa base.
 
How does a straight case without a belt make reloading easier? Seems like getting the correct headspace with a belted cartridge is about as easy as it gets.

As for putting down the RUMs, one shot was all it took me to never want to shoot one again. I'm a big guy, but I like to enjoy my time at the range. Shoot lots of lead down range, not be bruised, and most importantly, I do not want to start developing bad habits (flinches) because I'm shooting a gun that kicks like a mule. Also, when I feel like burning up lots of money in ammunition, I'll just get the 50--Less felt recoil, more fun! (Yes, my model 99 hurts a lot less to shoot than my buddies lightweight 700 ADL in 300RUM.)
 
Not sure, never had real trouble reloading belted cartridges except for some cases I bought off ebay.
I love shooting big booming magnums, Not trying to compensate for anything so lets not go there. :D I just like to shoot big kickers. I have people bring me their magnums to sight in because they don't want to do it. They cant stop flinching after a few rounds at the range. These are not guns I would recommend to the novice shooter but they are no pos either. They are great guns and they really shine in the hands of experienced shooters!
 
I believe that the main drawback to the RUM cartridges is the quality of REM brass. I like the concept of a high capacity beltless magnum. I reload for 300WBY and 340WBY. I have noticed that despite the RUM's greater case capacity it is factory loaded to lower MV than WBY magnums of the same caliber.

I was browsing Big Bear in Billings and found 20 pieces of Rem brass for 300WBY, for $7.50. The cheapest I ever found WBY(Norma) brass was $23.00 for 20 pieces. I bought the REM brass. I had a pet handload, Hornady, 190gr JSPBT, loaded with 86.5gr RL25. Almost max in Hornady reloading manual. It was very acurate and chrono'd at right at 3100fps, with no sign of high pressure. I knocked a grain off of that load, in the REM brass and was disappointed that the first round I fired showed obvious signs of high pressure. The primer was very tight in the primer pocket. The second round that I fired had blown the primer and was sooty and slightly harder to extract. The load chrono'd at just under 3000fps. I only loaded ten of these, and pulled the bullets on the other eight. So, it showed obvious signs of very high pressure, and had lower MV. Go figure.


I believe that If Norma or Lapua offered brass for the RUM, it should easily out perform the WBY. WBY factory offers one load that lists a 180gr, Nosler at over 3300fps.

It's only my opinion, but I believe the REM brass to less resilient than Norma brass. I don't shoot and have never loaded for a 300RUM, so my experience may not apply, so this is only an extrapolation from my experience. The RUM should, if compared by case capacity, exceed the WBY easily. What think this forum?
 
@ Handler I haven't noticed that with my loads, I have 200+/- Nosler brass and about the same amount of rem brass, although I don't keep as good records as I should. I will check the weights between the nosler and the rem and see if there is a large difference
 
My hand loads are cookies of the Mk248 Mod1. In the 300WM I use 77.5gr of H1000 and using Federal brass and 215match primers, with a C.O.A.L. of 3.5", with a 220gr SMK. warning, this is not a load for a standard or light barreled rifle.The load is a hot load and I have seen some use the actual boxed ammo straight from the military and it flatten primers. This cartridge is right on the limit of what the military deems safe to fire..

Photos are of a couple boxes of the actual military ammo..

IMG_2824.jpg
 
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The only threads I remember that are anything like you describe are someone who is wanting to start long distance shooting, and thinks that to do so you need a big magnum.

Anyone who actually does LR shooting knows this is nonsense.

There are a several solid LR options for target shooting that do as well, or nearly so, to the various .30 magnums with less blast, less powder, less recoil and longer barrel life.

if you can shoot 1200 to 1500 yards, the RUM will do that so go knock yourself out!
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BFD. So will a number of other non-magnum cartridges.

And why do you care what anyone else thinks? If you have one you are happy with, good for you.

or load it for hot for large game such as elk, moose, etc. at very long ranges.
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Most people who make such a claim have no idea what they are talking about.

"I got me one of them thar 300 mondo-magnums, gunna git me an elk a nine-hunnert yards."

:rolleyes:
 
Just defending my rifle is all, Evidently, according to you, I don't know what I am talking about so I will shut-up on this matter. Boss.
 
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