300 RUM or 338 EDGE

[WV Sendero]

First, how much difference in barrel life is there going to be between a 300 RUM and the 338 Edge? I am going to buy/order a new rifle in one of these calibers and am torn between the two. Also, where do you get dies for the EDGE and how hard is it to keep the brass accurate/consistent since it is made from 300 brass? I have never had a rifle that you couldn't buy off the shelf dies and brass for and I don't want to get in over my head with the EDGE. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[Magnum61]

Call Shawn Carlock at Defensive Edge. I've been going through the same thing and he'll help you out. He sells the dies and you can get high-quality 300 RUM Brass to Neck up to make it.

There are a lot of 300 RUM fans in this game but it seems like unless they are die-hards, most will sell a 300 RUM and move up in Caliber. the 338 EDGE is a whole differenct animal compared to the 300 RUM and the 338 EDGE fights wind and is just "THAT" much more consistent at longer ranges. You're burning powder out the identical case, I would heave the bigger projectile hands down.

..:efensive Edge - Custom Gunsmithing::..

 

[WV Sendero]

Call Shawn Carlock at Defensive Edge. I've been going through the same thing and he'll help you out. He sells the dies and you can get high-quality 300 RUM Brass to Neck up to make it.

There are a lot of 300 RUM fans in this game but it seems like unless they are die-hards, most will sell a 300 RUM and move up in Caliber. the 338 EDGE is a whole differenct animal compared to the 300 RUM and the 338 EDGE fights wind and is just "THAT" much more consistent at longer ranges. You're burning powder out the identical case, I would heave the bigger projectile hands down.

..:efensive Edge - Custom Gunsmithing::..

Does the EDGE require any more brass prep than the 300 other than just necking up which is just done with the die? I guess what I am asking is whether the process of sizing the 300 to 338 makes the brass less consistent than it would be if you left it alone and used it for a 300? Right now I don't do much brass prep other than sizing, weight sorting, and I really don't want to do more than that.

 

[Booney]

I would go with the 338. I think it is close to twice the barrel life. The other thing is I think it is better to size down 375 brass than neck up 300 brass I cant remember why I just remember reading that here.

 

[Michael Eichele]

My vote goes to the 338. You wouldnt think there would be much better barrel life but it is conciderably better. The 338 has less wind drift, more energy, longer life.

The 300 RUM was the rage and craze when it first came out. I fell for it twice. The 338 Edge is everything the 300 RUM was suppose to be only even better. The only thing it lacks that the 300 has is a lazer like trajectory. Who cares?? Thats why there are laser range finders.

M

 

[Idbowhunter]

I own one of Shawn's beauty's in the 338 Edge and brass prep is a breeze. Use the dies Shawn sells and just expand the neck to the 338 dia. A couple friends also have Shawn's guns in the Edge and they love them and are hard hitters at extended ranges. You can't go wrong with the Edge

 

[Sendero_Man]

why not a 338 Ultra mag or even better yet, a 338 Lapua ?

Lapua brass is second to none...

 

[angus-5024]

My vote goes to a .338 RUM or Edge. I throw the .338 RUM in there because you are hesitant about reloading, not that necking up or down is a big deal. If I were to have a custom built I would go for the Edge but if you would be content with a factory rig then the RUM would do everything the Edge does in a factory chambering. I shoot a .338 RUM and love it. a .338 RUM, Edge or Lapua are all in the same ballpark.

If you want the laser like trajectory for out to say 500 yards, you can load the .338 RUM with 210 grain going 3390fps (my actuall load) or 225's at around 3250fps. both of these loads are very flat. If you like lots of energy and High B.C then load the 300 Bergers at 2750-2800.

All this being said the 300 RUM is nothing to turn your nose up at either.

 

[WV Sendero]

My vote goes to a .338 RUM or Edge. I throw the .338 RUM in there because you are hesitant about reloading, not that necking up or down is a big deal. If I were to have a custom built I would go for the Edge but if you would be content with a factory rig then the RUM would do everything the Edge does in a factory chambering. I shoot a .338 RUM and love it. a .338 RUM, Edge or Lapua are all in the same ballpark.

If you want the laser like trajectory for out to say 500 yards, you can load the .338 RUM with 210 grain going 3390fps (my actuall load) or 225's at around 3250fps. both of these loads are very flat. If you like lots of energy and High B.C then load the 300 Bergers at 2750-2800.

All this being said the 300 RUM is nothing to turn your nose up at either.

Yeh, I like both the 338 and 300 RUM. I own both and have no complaints about either. I really want the EDGE just to squeeze out a little more from the 338 and for the bonus of just having another caliber in the safe. If the necking up is not going to be a big deal and make reloading more tedious then I'll probably opt for the EDGE. I already have 200-300 pieces of 300 RUM brass that are from once to three times fired so all I would need for the EDGE is some dies isn't it?

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

The 338 RUM and 338-300 RUM have much better barrel life than the 300 RUM. If you want another rifle you might think about getting one with more performance like something off the 378 wby case, the Excaliber from A-Square or an improved Lapua. The 338 RUM and 338-300 RUM both run virtually the same numbers so why would you get something that does the same thing as what you have. The imp lapua gets you 100+ fps more and the excalibur and stuff off the 378 case can get you up to 300 fps more. My standard 338-378 wby gets 3450 fps with the 225 accubond at .55 bc. So if you like fast and flat that one does pretty good. Or it pushes the 300 smk 3064 fps for long range. Improved versions and the excaliber are better than that. You can get a like new used 338-378 wby accumark for $1000-$1200 and get yourself into a whole new level of performance above the ultramag stuff.

If you have the 300 RUM and 338 RUM you are set for anything already and certainly don't need another rifle. Just don't spend money for a 338-300 RUM thinking you are going to improve on the 338 RUM. You may or may not. Just depends on your individual barrels.

 

[budlight]

I owned a 30-378 for a couple of barrels. I would not recommend the 30 to any of my friends. I always considered the 338-378 as a much better option.

Other than cost per projectile

 

[Camshaft]

From where I stand, the edge gets a supersonic range of 1870 yards, and retains the energy necessary to kill an elk (1200ft-lbs) to roughly 1470 yards. The RUM has a supersonic range of 1800 yards and retains 1200ft-lbs to 1390yards. This is at 200ft elevation per my Shooter Ballistics app, both with 300gr SMK's, the edge going 2850 and the RUM going 2750fps. Now we are talking a real world difference of 70 to 80 yards. Anyone care to guess how many times in your life you are gonna kick yourself for not having that extra 75 yards of range? Or how many here are capable of utilizing that extra 75yards, or capable of making a kill shot at that far, for that matter. I was set on building an edge for a long time, but the more I looked at it the more I realized that there is no point. Then I contemplated the fact that, even though my 300RUM has shorter barrel life, the increased cost of projectiles($28 for 100 208grAMAXs) vs ($34 for 50 300grSMKs). The shorter barrel life of my 300 is really not to bad in the long run compared to Dies, Reamers, Go/NoGo guages, and the cost of ordering a barrel that is 30+ inches compared to the standard 26" that the 300 performs well in. Now this is purely my opinion, feel free to pick it apart. This is also from the viewpoint that i already own a 300RUM, and live in California, and don't hunt elk.

 

[Long Time Long Ranger]

Camshaft, I love my 300 RUM also and you are just fine with that one. My point is the next two you test the 338 RUM may be going 2850 fps and the 338-300 RUM going 2750 fps. Now the 338 RUM is going to have the best numbers. Both can shoot the 300 smk 2850 fps out of a 30" barrel. Where the best accuracy ends up in your particular gun who knows. Most between 2750-2850 in both with 30" barrels. I have shot both extensively and hunted with both. In a hunting situation they are the same thing and no person would ever know the difference between them in a hunting situation. Step up to the 378 wby case or something equivalent and then you definitely notice a difference.

I have been there and done that 10 years ago when the 338 RUM came out. That is why I quit building the 338-300 in 2001. The purpose of a wildcat is to gain something which the 338-300 RUM did over the 340 wby when I started doing it in late 1998. It was the most powerful easily obtainable 338 you could build on a standard magnum action at that time. But in 2001 when the 338 RUM came out it did the same thing the 338-300 would do and it was over the counter. No point in the trouble of a wildcat cartridge when you can get basically the same thing over the counter. If a guy wants more power he needs to go up to one of the others I mentioned because you may or may not get an improvement over the 338 RUM by going with the 338-300 RUM. Technically, because of a slight increase in powder capacity the 338-300 might average a couple more fps than the 338 RUM if you just loaded both until they blew primer pockets. But in real world shooting they shoot basically the same numbers. Certainly not enough for one to have an advantage over the other. If there was I would not have quit fooling with it.

With big 338's it takes quite a bit more powder to make a difference. 15-20 grains more powder in the big cases make a difference. 2-3 grains do not. The ultramags just barely beat the 340 wby. There is about 100 fps on average between the 340 wby and the 338 and 338-300 RUM's. The accuracy load in my 28" barrel 340 wby is 2735 fps with a 300 smk. That is right in there with some lapua's and RUM's. There is just not a lot of difference in the big 338's until you get to the huge cases that can burn a lot of slow burning powder in long barrels.

 

[helidriver72]

"If the necking up is not going to be a big deal and make reloading more tedious then I'll probably opt for the EDGE. "

The necking up is virtually no different than sizing any other piece of brass. I just got my Edge from Shawn Carlock. On the first day with my second load it was shooting 3 shot 100 yd groups in the 0.2's.