28 Nosler, 30 Nosler, 300 RUM?

[KPK]

I've stepped into a new build. Going to be a slow process as money allows, but I just want to start some digging to get what I want. I had built a 300 win mag on a remmy action a few years ago and sold it due to my ocd and wanting a custom action if...and for some odd reason it's in my head that the belted mag isn't ideal...probably foolish I'll take that.
So at this point I have a Defiance Deviant Tactical long action mag bolt and badger cut in the mail as we speak. That's where I'm at this point!
Wanting to keep it a manageable weight with a light palma or sendero size barrel, Manners EH1 more than likely, and 24"-26" barrel.

Keep it 28 Nosler or go ahead with a 30 Nosler or 30 RUM?
I've shot a 300 Ultra Mag for years at deer in a light weight 700 mountain rifle with muzzle brake. The recoil isn't great, but for a long range hunting rig or occasional steel I can handle it with a muzzle brake or suppressor....then again is there a point when you can get the 195g 7mm bullets now?

Just want opinions or experience. Even other suggestions it's a new build that I'm opened to about anything on.

 

[WildRose]

I've stepped into a new build. Going to be a slow process as money allows, but I just want to start some digging to get what I want. I had built a 300 win mag on a remmy action a few years ago and sold it due to my ocd and wanting a custom action if...and for some odd reason it's in my head that the belted mag isn't ideal...probably foolish I'll take that.
So at this point I have a Defiance Deviant Tactical long action mag bolt and badger cut in the mail as we speak. That's where I'm at this point!
Wanting to keep it a manageable weight with a light palma or sendero size barrel, Manners EH1 more than likely, and 24"-26" barrel.

Keep it 28 Nosler or go ahead with a 30 Nosler or 30 RUM?
I've shot a 300 Ultra Mag for years at deer in a light weight 700 mountain rifle with muzzle brake. The recoil isn't great, but for a long range hunting rig or occasional steel I can handle it with a muzzle brake or suppressor....then again is there a point when you can get the 195g 7mm bullets now?

Just want opinions or experience. Even other suggestions it's a new build that I'm opened to about anything on.

If you're going to keep it to a 24-26" barrel you'd be just as well off sticking with the 300wm or 300Norma.

I think I'd go with a 30-.375 Ruger before I'd fool with the 30 Nosler.

If you're going to step up to the 300 Rum the short barrel is kind of a waste and the .300wm will certainly do anything you'd want to do with a .30 caliber bullet.

I have and like my 300 Rum's but that's a whole lot of extra powder for a minimal gain in velocity over the 300wm or Norma.

 

[Frank in the Laurels]

Brass, brass, brass...that will be the question down the road ! Unfortunately W/W and Big Green corporate thief policies towards reloaders is affecting or will be effecting cartridges decisions now and you'll need a fortune telling to tell what will be. I wouldn't build anything that I didn't have 200 pieces of brass in my hand when I told the smith what cartridge to chamber that barrel in. Sad what the big two have caused knowingly in the shooting world, all over profits from selling $50-125 boxes of loaded shells to get their casings, but I got a long memory, I will buy nothing from them EVER again...the knifecuts both ways...

 

[SansSouci]

PK,

If you're going big bucks in a custom rifle, I'd go with a cartridge that'll see a whole lotta action: '06, .308 Win, .280 Rem, .270 Win. If you want a magnum, I'd go with 7MM Rem Mag.

Take a look at the used rifle market. You'll find far more really big cartridges and heavy rifles necessary to shoot them than any of the aforementioned cartridges.

You're 100% right about a disproportionate powder charge for negligible velocity gain considering the .300 RUM vis-a-vis .300 WM. If you hand load, the same holds true of the .300 WM vs. the '06.

Right now, I don't need a custom rifle. I have factory rifles that'll shoot as well as custom rifles. Even better, they're all chambered for cartridges that do not punish me. But if I were going to go custom, I'd go with a .280 Rem or a .270 Win (I wouldn't exclude the '06), with a 22" barrel, with a great looking wood stock (I'd be good with select grade). I'd want it as light as possible.

Were I to invest in a custom HUNTING rifle, I'd want it to become my primary hunting rifle. I'd want to spend hours bench shooting it. Bench shooting builds confidence. Confidence builds big game. The last thing I'd want to do is drop 5k or far more on a custom rifle that weighs 14 pounds only to realize that a .300 RUM hurts too bench shoot and won't kill any more dead than a much lighter, easier to carry and handle, and far more shooter friendly '06.

I KNOW that cartridge is not the defining criterion of hunting success. Shot placement is. A .270 Win will kill elk just as dead as a .338 LAPUA as long as bullets from either kills really important equipment for topside oxygenated blood flow.

Seems like I've learned far too late that it's always a whole lot better to learn from others' mistakes than from my mistakes. We can see others' mistakes on the used rifle market. Sadly, these guys who've spent 5k and better on big cartridges custom rifles become despondent when they find that they're worth maybe half (if they're lucky) of what they have sunk in them. In contrast, an '06 or .270 Win will hold its value far better.

If you were to go with an '06, you'll use it on everything. And you'll be far more likely to use it on a lot of game. And it'll kill just as dead as a .300 RUM. But in the end, the rifle is for you. Buy what is right for you.

BTW, hunting rifles are like other tools: they will tell tales of use. Every nick in my rifles' stocks are connected to an adventure memory. I have a friend who owns what used to be a gorgeous Mark V. After years of hunting adventures, its stock looks like a piece of badly used furniture. He doesn't care. What he does care about is that when he burns powder, he'll put a tag on a big game animal.

I wish you the best.

 

[MPNCC]

The rum would be cheaper to shoot and load for but as stated above 26-30" barrel would be better. WITH a 30" barrel you can take 230gr berger hybrids over 3100fps not max loading. The brass is cheaper than the others as well. That being said I think the .284 bullets are the best all around small rifle option there is for most any situation. If I didn't already have a semi custom 7 mag build I would strongly consider building a 28 nosler

 

[WildRose]

PK,

If you're going big bucks in a custom rifle, I'd go with a cartridge that'll see a whole lotta action: '06, .308 Win, .280 Rem, .270 Win. If you want a magnum, I'd go with 7MM Rem Mag.

Take a look at the used rifle market. You'll find far more really big cartridges and heavy rifles necessary to shoot them than any of the aforementioned cartridges.

You're 100% right about a disproportionate powder charge for negligible velocity gain considering the .300 RUM vis-a-vis .300 WM. If you hand load, the same holds true of the .300 WM vs. the '06.

Right now, I don't need a custom rifle. I have factory rifles that'll shoot as well as custom rifles. Even better, they're all chambered for cartridges that do not punish me. But if I were going to go custom, I'd go with a .280 Rem or a .270 Win (I wouldn't exclude the '06), with a 22" barrel, with a great looking wood stock (I'd be good with select grade). I'd want it as light as possible.

Were I to invest in a custom HUNTING rifle, I'd want it to become my primary hunting rifle. I'd want to spend hours bench shooting it. Bench shooting builds confidence. Confidence builds big game. The last thing I'd want to do is drop 5k or far more on a custom rifle that weighs 14 pounds only to realize that a .300 RUM hurts too bench shoot and won't kill any more dead than a much lighter, easier to carry and handle, and far more shooter friendly '06.

I KNOW that cartridge is not the defining criterion of hunting success. Shot placement is. A .270 Win will kill elk just as dead as a .338 LAPUA as long as bullets from either kills really important equipment for topside oxygenated blood flow.

Seems like I've learned far too late that it's always a whole lot better to learn from others' mistakes than from my mistakes. We can see others' mistakes on the used rifle market. Sadly, these guys who've spent 5k and better on big cartridges custom rifles become despondent when they find that they're worth maybe half (if they're lucky) of what they have sunk in them. In contrast, an '06 or .270 Win will hold its value far better.

If you were to go with an '06, you'll use it on everything. And you'll be far more likely to use it on a lot of game. And it'll kill just as dead as a .300 RUM. But in the end, the rifle is for you. Buy what is right for you.

BTW, hunting rifles are like other tools: they will tell tales of use. Every nick in my rifles' stocks are connected to an adventure memory. I have a friend who owns what used to be a gorgeous Mark V. After years of hunting adventures, its stock looks like a piece of badly used furniture. He doesn't care. What he does care about is that when he burns powder, he'll put a tag on a big game animal.

I wish you the best.

A Rum in a 14lbs package isn't bad to shoot at all. I have three of them in Remington Senderos, all with good brakes on them and they are fine to shoot from the bench, prone, off of sticks or hanging it out the truck window.

I always however encourage anyone thinking about going with any of the large case magnums (above .300wm) to find a range that will rent you one or a friend that will let you shoot theirs before buying or building one.

Some people are just more sensitive to recoil than others and of course even a light weight 7mm Rem will beat you up pretty good if you are at all sensitive to recoil and don't have good technique in managing recoil.

I have a rather light 300wm, 300 Rum, and 7mm STW and they are all quite manageable and tolerable.

There are three things you can do to deal with recoil other than avoid it, you can fight it, you can reduce it, or you can just go with it. Fighting it hurts, the rest don't.

 

[WildRose]

The rum would be cheaper to shoot and load for but as stated above 26-30" barrel would be better. WITH a 30" barrel you can take 230gr berger hybrids over 3100fps not max loading. The brass is cheaper than the others as well. That being said I think the .284 bullets are the best all around small rifle option there is for most any situation. If I didn't already have a semi custom 7 mag build I would strongly consider building a 28 nosler

I don't see how in the long run the Rum is going to be cheaper to shoot than the Nosler offerings. Nosler won't be the only manufacturer of factory ammo and brass in the Nosler calibers for long.

Rum brass can be hard to come by at times and it's always expensive if for no other reason than the short average life for Rum brass.

Purely from an economic stand point the .300wm is the most reasonable of the big .30's.

 

[Deleted member 46119]

I agree with WildRose on both the last posts.

I think I'm down to 2 300RUMs.

The OP would do well with any choice mentioned.

8 twsit 7mm or 9 twist 30 cal. Any chambering. Go with heavy for caliber projectiles and it all works.

 

[KPK]

Wow lots of good long replies! May be hard for me to reply to all the points made.

As far as the standard cartridge goes I already have the mag action on the way, as well as a few standard smaller cartridges in the safe. 6 Dasher, 6.5x47, 270, etc.

I'm really trying to accomplish an all around long range big game rifle. We hunt deer of course and have good opportunities to go elk hunting in CO with my father in law. I re-read my original post and to clarify I can shoot 20-30 rounds from my RUM without problem, and it's way lightweight.

In all reality the 28 Nosler has my attention the most, but I have something for 30 cal mags and heavy bullets! RUM with 230's at 3100 sounds legit, but on the other hand will they fit in a magazine? Going to run ai mag dbm.

I really don't like the fact that Nosler wants to rape people with the price of their brass, but maybe someday their will be others available. It's not like it'll be shot just a ton. I get quite a bit of practice with my match rifles all year around.

Tough decision for me as I want it to be done right the first time and one I'll shoot from now on and in any hunting situation. Long range coyote to Moose (if I ever get to do that!).

 

[Deleted member 46119]

Norma has brass for the Noslers now. Oh, wait. They are the same..

Norma is actually more money.

Someone said, brass, brass, brass. It seems like right now xx-Nosler is more reliably available than RUM.

Since you mentioned coyotes I did a check with 120 Grain Nosler Ballistic Tips. 3650fps should be a diddle. At that speed, point and shoot.

Got bigger game, bigger bullets.

That logic woks for the other chamberings as well.

 

[MPNCC]

300 wm is not listed in the op's post so I don't see how that applies. LOOKING to the future yes one day others will start producing brass for the nosler rounds and the price of brass will come down to a level on par with that of rum brass. So my post was just addressing the op's original question in terms of today