300 rum???

[mtsooner]

Well, haven't posted here much, frankly I don't have a lot of knowledge unless it comes to bowhunting. I like to rifle hunt though, when that season rolls around, because you can never put too much meat in the freezer...right?

I'm fairly new to the world of customizing long range rifles, but it's always intrigued me. In the past, I have had a 30.06, 30.30, 7mm, and a .243...had all those guns when I still lived in the south, but since moving to Colorado, I'm gun-less Those were all factory guns with nothing done to them.

I've been searching, in this forum, for a good starting point, for a great long range rifle build on a pretty tight budget. ($800-1000 or less total). Something that deals primarily with Colorado animals and elevations. I hunt elk mainly, but also mule deer and bear occasionally.

I'd, also, really like to learn to do all this customizing myself on a budget, if that's doable. I know asking a lot from a newb!

Anyway, I want something that will be good out to 500 yards or so, because I don't think I'm comfortable with taking a shot beyond that distance...at least not right now. I was thinking a 300 RUM for those species, but if any of you have better recommendations, please let me know. Also, if you can point me to some good posts on budget builds in my price range, which has more of a post than just showing pics of their finished product, please feel free to send me the link. I seem to be striking out...maybe not looking in the right place.

Thanks for letting me be a part of this community and allowing me to ask for some guidance!

 

[300 ultra]

Welcome, The 300 ultra is a great caliber but it is not for everyone. Recoil is noticabale and they mostly come stock with a 26" barrel which seems cumberson to most. I have one and it is mostly a truck gun. Mine is not stock and is to heavy to pack around. You will here all sorts of opinions on this matter but if I were to only have one gun and was primarily hunting elk, bear and deer I dont think you can go wrong with a 338 win. Good bullets, Factory ammo not expensive, etc.etc. If you start to handload you can then get more creative. Good luck

 

[Michael Eichele]

For a 500 yard rifle, there are countless options out there. You dont need a 300RUM for elk at 500 yards.

If you are new, a 300RUM may frustrate you a bit. You will want to be out there shooting quite a bit to become profficient. The 300RUM is hard on your pocket book when it comes to reloading supplies. Brass is not cheap, it uses ALOT of powder, typically you need a very stout bullet (which are very expensive) for hunting to withstand high velocity impacts. Plus you will cook the barrel by the time you get enough 'learning' done.

Smaller calibers are just as effective at 500 yards even for elk and they can be cheaper to operate and last quite a bit longer. If you are worried about fire power, the 338WM is more than enough for 500 yard elk hunting. The barrel will last you a long time and it will be cheaper to operate then the 300RUM.

If you want a 30 cal then the 308, 30-06 or 300WSM are tough to beat for learning, cost of operation, barrel life and 500 yard hunting.

M

 

[436]

I have to agree, the .300 rum is a very fine cartridge as is the .338 Win... but I think if I was going to settle on a rifle in .30 cal with a 26 inch sporter weight barrel; I'd go with the .300 sarum of which I have had a lot of experance with as a long range competition rifle and cartridge for 1k matches. With a .308 win length action and hitting close to the .300 Win Mag in most bullet weights it was a superb cartridge, extremely accurate.
It's just a little something to think about, in the .30 cal line up.
436

 

[ubettcha13]

Look at the Savage in 300 wsm or 300 win mag. I'd look for a used version then upgrade the barrel to a shilen if it didn't shoot. Best to find the accutrigger but SSS makes a good triger for them as well. I would choose the regular 300 win mag myself. If the big boatails don't shoot in that case I know that the 200 grn Hot cores from speer do very well with the .55 bc they are do shoot fairly well in the wind also. I shot a moose and the bullet went end to end out of a 300 wby at 200 yds with that bullet. I thought it was going to run more but was drt in the water making it easy but cold quartering it

 

[azsugarbear]

Although I have not yet personally tried it, I hear that savages are easy to work on. Not as much in the aftermarket parts as Rem or Win, but that is changing. Go with a heavy barrel model in 300 or 7mm WSM.

 

[Dean2506]

For your budget i would look at a Savage 116 in 7mm mag. It has plenty of punch out to 500 yds has a large availability of factory ammo and isnt to hard on the shoulder,

 

[mtsooner]

Thanks for the responses, so far everyone! Very helpful and informative. So, based on your recommendations and analysis, I'm looking at a Savage 16 or 116 in .338.

So, which Savage version and load, would be the recommended starter, according to what all of you have posted thus far? Also, what's the difference between the 16 and 116, and which version of either should I choose (i.e, FCSS, FHSAK, etc.)? I've read on here a lot of people like the 6.5x284 Norma. Wouldn't that be a good load?

 

[azsugarbear]

The 6.5x284 is an excellent round, but definitely on the lighter side for elk. Now I have seen elk taken at 800+ yds with the 6.5x284, but that was in the hands of a skilled marksman with a lot of LR hunting experience. It would not be my first choice for someone just getting into the sport.

I believe the difference between the Savage model 16 and the 116 is the action length. The 16 is a short action with magnum offerings in in 270 WSN and the 300 wsm. The 116 has magnum offering in the 7mm REm and the 300 Win. A few other models offer the short 325 WSM or the long 338 Win Mag (bear Hunter series). For my money, I like the longrange hunter series.

 

[MTBULLET]

I have all of the cal.'s mentioned here except the 6.5x284, (sold last one, will build another this summer)
and must say I use the 300RUM most of all. The recoil is not bad in a good fitting rifle and for the country I hunt it works the best. The .338 was my go to rifle before this, but the recoil is NOT light. The short mags have nothing on the std. cal's, and you give up some of the versatility of the longer case. A 300rum in the SPS is reasonably priced, and will last plenty long enuf to get "up to speed" on the cal.

 

[donaldleegraham]

Just last weekend I got a Savage 110 .300 RUM. I haven't been able to shoot it yet, but I got a decent deal on it ($400) with only 20 rounds put through it.

I'm used to shooting Savage 10FP .308, so when I chance to shoot it, I'll let you know my thought.

Disclaimer... I'm eventually going to turn my 300 RUM into a 338 Edge. =)

gun)