Other folks make RUM brass beside Remington. I missed something, you would buy a $5,000 rifle instead of a $750 rifle that you said does the same thing because the brass is better? If you shoot the Remington Brass only once and throw it over your left shoulder for good luck, you will never make up the intial cost difference in the Lapua to the RUM rifle purchase. And your thought of upgrading you 7MM RUM to a 338 RUM is brilliant, rebarrel and go. Forget the super exotic stuff that only one guy does and controls your life, get a quality 338 RUM barrel installed and go hunting. I have decided that at my age my usefull hunting life left is too short to kiss a premadona gunsmith's *** and waste a whole hunting season waiting. Sorry for the rant. ken
Your rant would be fine if it held any water but it doesn't. You can get a 338 Lapua magnum in a remington or a savage for much less than $5000. Also your brass comparison is way off.
338 Lapua brass (Lapua): Much stronger and much better brass. When you get it from the store, it is ready to load. Primer pockets are good to go, the flash hole is centered, the case mouth is not dented. I went through all of my 338 Lapua brass when I got it and I didn't have to cull one out. The brass is very consistent in weight and all of these things mentioned above add up for better accuracy in your rifle. The 338 Lapua Brass sells on midway for $257 for 100 pcs. People on here have been getting 10+ reloads on this brass. If you take 10 reloads and divide that by $257 the brass has now effectively cost you $25.70.
338 RUM brass (Nosler): It is OK brass(way better than remington). Not near as strong as Lapua brass. They say it is ready to load once you buy it but I have read that some people were not impressed with that statement. But none the less we will keep to it being ready to load. It is for a fact not as consistent in weight variations as Lapua brass. A friend of mine has a 338 RUM and tried the nosler brass and got 6 firings out of it before they were no good. He annealed after every 2 firings. The nosler brass for the RUM costs around $235 for 100 pcs. 6 reloads divided into $235 will cut the cost down to $39.
338 RUM brass (remington): Total crap brass if you ask me. My buddy had been using this brass until he tried the nosler. He got 4 reloads out of it even annealing after every 2 firings. The flash holes were not centered. He would have to cull some of the brass due to it being dented in the shoulder. The necks were dented in on some. All the steps had to be taken (chamfer, debur, cut out primer pockets, ream flash holes, open necks back up etc) to get this brass ready to load. This brass is sold at $106.99 per 100 pcs. Divide at most 4 reloads into $107 and you get $26.75 after all is said and done.
So in the end with the 338 Lapua and the better brass, you are actually saving a $1 or more than going with the 338 RUM and the brass that they offer. And some people are actually getting more than 10 reloads out of the Lapua brass in 338 Lapua!
Now I am not bashing the 338 RUM at all. It is in the end the just about the ballistic twin of the 338 Lapua. The real difference is the brass and to me, looking at the money savings in the end, the 338 Lapua is the real winner.
I guess we are just suppose to forget the Facts here. You know the ones where Remington, Savage, Weatherby and others chamber the 338 Lapua too for well under $5K. And look under all the rocks for that USED $750 Sendero that is discontinued and in most cases will bring more than that used.
