270 saum 7mm saum 300 saum 338 ultra mag

[no_wing_no_prayer04]

What of these do u think will work for nice long range shooting, i'm putting 500 yds max for starters. Should i go with t he 270, 7mm, 300 saum's, or 338 ultra mag. And another questions is, how do u guys learn to do distance shots, windspeed etc....... thanks alot guys, you've been s uper helpful

[GREYGHOSTt]

Would not suggest any of these for a beginner unless you have deep pockets.
Learning is a trial and error experince.

Figure on shooting a couple hundred rounds a week! Do the math on that!$$$ ouch!
That makes the 308 look real good!!
The 338 rum recoil is brutal this is from some one that shoots a 300 win mag regular
50 rounds a session!!

I have read the 300 rum is a barel burnner 1000 rounds.

Can't say about the rest the above is just food for thought..

As far as learning to do the long range thing doping wind rain mirage distance NOTHING beats TRIGGER time!!!

[ 12-02-2004: Message edited by: GREYGHOSTt ]

yup Grey Ghost is right you are gonn apsend alot of time behind the trigger... and a 308 is great for that and is effective for deer to aboout 600-700 yards...

I wouldn't steer towards the SAUM unless you go with a WSM I don't think the RSAUM will be around real long... but in the WSM the 7mm and 300 would be my choices...

I watched a guy we guided on an antelope hunt use a 7mmWSM and make 2 nice shots at 250 yards and 420 yards ( first time LR hunting )and that 7mmWSM gets the 140 gr bullet on to the target in a hurry!

If you are learning this game then you are a fool for trying to learn on the ultra mags... all you get is poor, sore and bad habits...

[QuietHunter]

I will agree with the other posts. Get a 308 to learn with. Out to 500 yards it will teach you more than the rest and will work fine. Less expensive to shoot and less recoil than the big guns.
Learning to deal with the wind - especially within 500 yards is all about practice. Shoot while it is windy and in varying conditions and learn how what you are feeling and seeing translate downrange. You can use a windmeter but I find it to be not practical for my kind of hunting. Of course I keep my shots a little shorter than some.

I do not believe the SAUM lines are dying as Ric does. Remington rifles are still too good and as a factory chambering they are fairly prevalant. They are not the custom rifle builders choice with the slight advantages offered by the WSM, but they are doing well for the overall shooting crowd. Time will tell though.
Some of the WSSM line I have my doubts about.

[jro45]

I shoot the 338 RUM and have a brake on it. It is good out to 800 yds. But liston to what
these guys are saying You don't want to start out with a 338 RUM unless you start with light loads and they don't sell them. You have to load your own.

[COBrad]

Nothing to add about cartridges, plenty of good commentary already. I would suggest getting a good (Leica) rangefinder, and an anemometer. I use a simple mechanical anemometer that I got from Sinclair for around $15.

[alrezrow]

I shoot a rem 700 300 saum. it is awesome. 1/2 moa. but I suggest reloading as it brings the cost way down!!!! and you can shoot what ever you want from 130"s for varment or 190 bergers wich I like for deer. I started with a 30.06 way back when. the .300 saum does have a kick so start out with low powder and work you way up. I have found that no bullets shoot as accurate with full powder. it always seems to be about the middle of min. and max. but the nice thing about reloading is you can try different stuff. and when you get that load that bullets are touching consistently @ 100 yrds and you did it on your own, well its a nice feeling. this cartrige can be loaded for 'yotes to elk and is a good all around load. i want to put a brake one this year just for bench shooting cause it will wear you out on the heavy loads. you may want that when you buy it. It would help if we knew wher you lived and what you will be hunting. a 243 or 270 or .308 or 30.06 are great guns for deer and varmits within 500 yrds and further. my gun smith shoots a 338 rum @ 1000 yrds. he has a brake and it will reach out there. there is a lot of recoile in mag's. and a lot of energy even down range.