Which Ultra Mag?

[plugneck]

I am about to move out West and decided this would be a good excuse for a new rifle. Right now I hunt with a Winchester Mod 70 .30-06. A .300 Win Mag or .338 Win Mag is what I was originally looking at but after looking have decided on one of the Ultra Mags. I am leaning toward a .300 RUM as the ballistics look impressive. The place I will probably buy it only has a Savage 110 in stock for that caliber. They also have a Rem 700 BDL in 7mm RUM and a Sendero stainless fluted in .338 RUM. Of course they can order probably whatever I want. What advantage will one give me over the other? As far as what I want it for, well I don't really know, I have never hunted out west. I guess I want something that I can make long shots at mule deer or antelope, but be able to hunt elk, moose, or sheep. My -06 will probably do all of this but please keep in mind this is a want, not a need. Also one day in the future I do want to take a trip to Alaska. As far as rifles, should I get a sporter contour like the 700 BDL and Savage 110 or the heavy barrel like the Sendero? I don't think the extra weight of the heavy contour would bother me too much. The salesman showed me the Savage 116 FSAK in the catalog. It looked pretty attractive with the muzzle break. Does anyone have any opinion on this particular rifle? How about the stock? Is it better quality than the cheap Savages at WalMart? I know this is vague but I have spent the bulk of my life hunting the S.E. and most of the deer I have killed have been under 50-75 yards. By the way, I do reload if that makes a difference. Thanks.

 

[CanadianLefty]

Personally I would still strongly recommend looking at a .300 win. mag. or .338 win. mag.

If you are primarily looking for a LR deer, antelope, sheep cartridge, the .300 win mag. in a model 70 is the answer. It will also work perfectly for elk and moose.

For browns or grizzlies, and all of the above species I would look at a model 70, in .338 win. mag. choosing lighter bullets of 210-225 for smaller species and 250-275 for browns or grizzlies.

 

[IdahoWoodsbummer]

Yep,

I would go with a 300 win mag too. There is a point of diminshing returns when it comes to efficiency. IE, How much more recoil for how much more velocity. The 300 win will cleanly take anything you are likely to hunt without excessive recoil (which I know is highly subjective). I enjoy shooting my partners 338 Lapua, but for hunting purposes the 300 win does all I need it to do on big game and in the long range game. I have yet to find an elk that could tell the difference between a 300 Win or a 300 UM.

Besides, if you ever start to feel undergunned with a 300 win mag you then have an excuse to build a lapua.

Just my .02

 

[wapiti13]

I'll throw in my 2 cents for the 300 WSM. It can do anything the 300 Win Mag can do with a shorter action and a little less weight. The slightly stiffer action and better cartridge design has shown to be an excellent long range cartridge. You can choice bullets in different weights for whatever species you want to hunt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[sakofan]

Since you reload, get the .300 RUM. I did!!
I "had" a Sendero S/F. Wish I wouldn't have traded it.

If a guy DOESN'T reload, the .300 Win mag is a great choice. More factory ammo options.
The .300 Winnie is a great choice anyway. But, the non belted RUM case is really a dream to reload for..sakofan..YMMV /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Brent]

300 Ultra Mag, Remington Sendero. 338 Ultra too, just a bit more spendy to reload for. Compare ballistics, but I'm pretty solidly in the Ultra Mag and larger fan club. I even feel myself gravitating toward a 7mm Ultra in a featherweight mountain rifle! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Dr. John]

here is MY 2 cents worth. I currently shoot the Sendero in 300 RUM. I love it. before buying it I considered it in 338 ultra mag. I just found that I had way more bullet selection with the .308 bullet. and for reloading, bullets are a little cheaper. would I get the 7mm or 338 version. of course, but I do alot of target shooting and bullet selection was what I liked.

as for the savage, FSAk. I handled a used one about a year ago at a local gunshop. it was nice enough that I almost bought it. the stock was ok. felt like plastic. but I found it comfortable. what I did not like was the 24" barrel. the muzzle brake is different. you can spin it to close it. I wasn't too impressed with that option, I don't know enough about it and how it works.

I had another sendero before (7mm rem mag) loved that one to. I find the sendero very comfortable to shoot. I lug mine everywhere. some people wine about a couple of extra rifle weight. never bothered me. and it helps with steadying the rifle for a good shot. a light rifle just pounds too much, too sharp of a recoil. I shot a rifle once in 270 win with a synthetic stock, was pretty light. I liked the feel of the recoil of my sendero better.

 

[Shawn Carlock]

I too fall into the RUM fan club the stainless Sendero in 300 RUM weighs only a little more than the standard BDL. The 300 RUM has 250-300 fps over the 300 Win with similar bullet weights. That is a fair advantage, but I believe that the big advantage is available to the reloader in terms of using larger bullets such as the 200 gr accubond for the long range shooting you will find out west. This round/gun/load will work anywhere in North American for anything. It will survive costal AK hunting, shoot long maybe even extreame ranges and be a fairly pleasant rifle to shoot.

 

[TOM H]

As we get older weight does come into play on a above timberline elk hunt. I like to keep my rifles under 8.5lbs most of the areas I hunt here in Colorado are walk-in or horseback only so no vehicles mainly locals that hunt and to be trueful I never saw anyone pack a Sendro and I spent pretty close to 3wks hunting. We get back in 3/5miles. If your hunting close to a vehicle or horseback heavier rifle wouldn't be too bad so to me I think till you get into what type of hunting you may change the rifle you first settle on so I'd look at something with a good resale value or a platform for a custom rifle. Any of the 30cal mags would take care of your hunting needs. I haven't use a 30 cal on antelope.

 

[sniper2]

I have .300 ultra and .338/300 (300 ultra case necked to .338).They both shoot great, both have brakes but the .338 chambering is the best long range performer while the bullet selection is a little more restrictive than the 300 there are still enough choice to kill anything in this
part of the world.I envy you being able to live out west, plenty of long range opportunities there.Good luck with what ever you choose, there are plenty of options and opinions pick something you can carry and shoot well!

 

[bradking1]

i own lots of rifles and if i was to pick one rifle to do it all it would be my 338 ultra. with a sporter weight barrel it will shoot 215 sierra spbt's inside 1/2"at 100 meters. i reload and didn't have to play much to get these groups and really dig the flat trajectory with heavier bullets. i took it to africa; both the kudu and gemsbok dropped like they had been struck by lightning as did the smaller antelope i took. pound for pound i think the kudu/gemsbok are as tough if not tougher than elk. i have a muzzle brake on mine and it tames the recoil right down and is pretty much a pussycat on the butt end of it.

just my thoughts...by the way i live in idaho and have shot stuff a looooong way away.

 

[7Rumloader]

I am a fan of the ultra mags also and own a 7mm RUM which I enjoy very much! It is the sendero version which like someone else said helps cut down on the recoil. I have not tried or know anyone who has a 300 ultra mag but have heard good things about them. The main difference would be a little less recoil with the 7mm version but better bullet selection as far as heavier bullets are concerned for the 30 cal version. The case size and capacity is the same the only difference is caliber. The savage is a nice gun in any offering and very acurate despite it's small price tag. There are a few more aftermarket parts available for the Remington if you ever decided to get fancy with triggers and firing pins. If your planning on long range let me suggest the first mod you make be a good trigger as some of the factory remington and other companys triggers tend to get unsafe at lower levels but most will tune to 2 and 1/2 pounds and remain safe. Hope all that helps! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[MU Ag Rho]

I am curious where you found the sendero 338. I would like to have one but cannot find one.

 

[Pat S.]

This sounds like it may be the gun you're looking for. A new product by Remington in many Ultra calibers. http://www.remington.com/firearms/centerfire/700xcr.htm

Pat S.