300 RUM shooters, Name your poison!

[YoteSmoker]

Well, I've gone and done it and got me a new shoulder thumping long range bang stick. It's a relatively lightweight 700 CDL that reminds me of a long barreled mountain rifle (already at the smith to have a brake installed before attempting to fire). Anyway, I bought this gun pretty much on a whim due to the enticing price tag due to Sportsman's closing up shop here in town, shortly after asking the guy "hey, what's that model 700 chambered in?" I have been interested in the 300 RUM cartridge for a few years now, but never pursued it very hard, depending on my 7 mag or 06 to get me through my elk and deer seasons. Which, of course work beautifully out to around 400 yards or so.

Keeping in mind I have plenty of medium range calibers itching to git-r-dun at respectable distance, I'm envisioning soley taking this rifle up a nice draw and watching across the next draw over and being able to plug anything in it's path from a bi-pod after plenty of range time and practice.

So, after all that leads me to asking is there a bullet out there that works well at 800 yards and inside of 300 yards should a deer-elk size animal step in between that distance? Again, I'm not too interested in the "sane" everyday normal ranges so much with this gun or I'd just carry the 7 mag or whatever other standard chambering above 243.

High bc bullets I am starting to research include: 180 E-Tip, 180 AccuBond, 180 TSX, 200 AccuBond, 190 Berger VLD, 200 Gameking, 210 Berger VLD.

In the 180 range I'm impressed with both the numbers of the TSX and E-Tip. In heavier bullets, I am impressed with the bc of the 210 Berger VLD followed by the 200 AccuBond.

What is your go to bullet and what ranges do you envision or have shot with it on game? Also, do any of you load say a 200 AccuBond on top of two 210 Bergers for close range and long range encounters?

Sorry for the long winded post. It's just hard to contain all my crazy thoughts and excitement of anticipating shooting a big bull elk with the new lightning stick. CDL...Closing the Distance at Longrange. Yep, definitely thinking to much :twisted:

 

[Richracer1]

The 300RUM and 200gn bullets are meant for each other. I load 200ABs in my 300RUM. Here's the specifics:

Brass: Remington - trimmed to 2.83"
Primer: GM215M
Powder: 95gn of Retumbo
COL: 3.635
Avg FPS: 3137

Good luck with your 300RUM. Oh and one more thing, the recoil isn't that bad if you have a good recoil pad on your gun.

 

[YoteSmoker]

Thanks for the info and data running that 200 ab Richracer. Are these bullets designed to open up from 1800-3100 fps like the e-tip? I figure I can work towards a realistic maximum hunting range based on bullet speed combined with accuracy at that distance. Another question- The recoil pad on the gun is a limbsaver of which the gunsmith told me is a lot better system than the hard rubber pad they use to put on older models. The turn around time is 4 weeks for the muzzlebreak installation. Should I pick it up tomorrow and forego putting a break on it? I just figured with the light weight stock and barrel it may not be over enjoyable to shoot off the bench. Thanks!

 

[Powerstroke]

Yote,

Congrats on the new RUM !
I just got my Sendero back from the Smith a while back and had a brake put on it. Personally I like it much better and my accuracy improved slightly. I'm going back to the drawing board somewhat on loads now.

Retumbo with the 180 grain B-tip & RL-25 with the 200gr A-bond has done fairly well for me. Looking in the manuals / ballistic calculators the 180's / 200's appear to be in the sweet spot for this monster.

This is the only gun I've ever run into this issue, but I can't shoot a max charge of Retumbo w/ the 180 grainers from Nosler #6... can't hardly get the bolt open.
P.S. Sportsmans on 84th has a whole one of their containers full of Rem .300 RUM Brass.

 

[YoteSmoker]

Thanks for the lead on the brass Powerstroke. I'll head up and get some in a bit as I just got home from work and yeah it's only 7:30 lol. You don't happen to know where there's any Retumbo/RL 25 anywhere in Colorado do you? BassPro is completely out of everything except very little shotgun powder. They had 4 boxes of 180 e-tips yesterday but I wanted to do a little bullet research first before getting to crazy trying things out.

Richracer, I was also wondering if you had to bed the action and/or float your barrel. Is your rifle also a CDL? I'm gonna shoot mine a bit before/if I do anything to it to see how she groups. That ought to at least give me some idea of some loads it likes and I might get lucky. Never know.

 

[nitis]

I recently got a 300 rum in plain sps now I hav not shot it off the bench yet but I have shot it from a tailgate and have not put a break on it to me it is not a bite like my 7mag it is a lot of push and buck I ould try it without the break once you work up a load how often r u going to shoot from the bench

 

[FOTIS]

The 300RUM and 200gn bullets are meant for each other. I load 200ABs in my 300RUM. Here's the specifics:

Brass: Remington - trimmed to 2.83"
Primer: GM215M
Powder: 95gn of Retumbo
COL: 3.635
Avg FPS: 3137

Good luck with your 300RUM. Oh and one more thing, the recoil isn't that bad if you have a good recoil pad on your gun.

Yes Yes and Yes!

Also 92 gr of RL 25 also works great!

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

Get yourself some H1000 or Retumbo and some 200g AB's and your set from muzzle to 1200 yards, from antelope to moose. I killed a couple deer and couple elk, furtest deer being 760 yards bang flop with a 180g nbt at 3400fps and furthest elk was 525 with 200g ab at 3200fps.

I tried all sorts of bullets but the ones I shot most were 200g AB's or 210g VLD's or Wildcat ULD's, however I also tried 125g nbt, 150g ct nbt, 180g sst, 180g nbt, 200g smk, 220g smk and maybe a couple more.

With the 200g ab's I was using 95g of Retumbo for 3225fps and .5-.75 MOA. 92g of H-1000 was good for 3100fps and .5-.75 MOA, very consistent load. I could go up to 94g of H1000 and get 3200fps and .75 MOA as well, but I stuck with the 92g load.

With the 210's I used 88-89g of H1000 which was good for 3000fps and they shot very well out to 1200 yards.

I would skip the target bullets for elk, they will smack deer into next week but they can be unpredictable and thats really the last thing you want for elk.

IMO its tough to beat the 200g AB at 3200fps. It will just flat get the job done right now every time with proven results.

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

I didn't have a brake on my 700 LSS either and I'm only 150#. The only time it was really bad was when you were laying prone and shooting downhill with 220g smk's at 3000fps. I scoped myself 3 times in a row that day. If you have a good scope (which is almost imperative on a cartridge like this) with ample eye relief you should be fine. Leupolds never put the rubber ring around the eyepiece so you always know when you get scoped from a leupold. For load testing I highly recomend a lead sled with at least 1 25# bag of shot/sand whatever, and 2 is actually better. Its just easier on you to pull off better groups while load testing with a cartridge like that when you have no recoil to deal with. I would have put a brake on mine, but I shot the barrel out in 2 years and 1200 rounds later. Its an awesome cartridge with a lot of power and was surprisingly very very accurate to me at the time. I quit being suprised when I was getting 4-6" groups at 800 yards.

Dont do what I did and mess with 10 different bullets. I spent half my barrel life load testing bullets that were worthless in the cartridge. The 300 RUM does best with 200g + bullets. Anything less and your completely handicapping the cartridges true ability to shine. Just stick a 200g AB in it and go kill stuff and be happy.

 

[YoteSmoker]

Roger that on the 200 AB. That's what I will try first with Retumbo. It would be nice if there was a 200 BT to play with in the off season for less cost and more fun and I'll bet that would be fantastic on long range deer/antelope/coyote also (fire for effect). Well, I'm off to start my quest for components. I've decided to go through with the brake and see if I can't tame down this pussy cat a bit. The recoil from even my Saum knocked over a box of test loads from it on the bench I remember. As far as plans for a scope goes, I've got a 5.5-16.5 Monarch with 1/4 MOA turrets that I think will look good on it for now. Thank you all for your input on this!

A little off topic...eventually I plan to get a harris swivel bipod for field use. Do you recommend a 6-9 or 9-13" from the prone?

Do you use a base with built in MOA to get out a long ways or will the standard Leupy base be enough?

 

[remingtonman_25_06]

WIth a Leupold scope I know they have enough MOA in them to get out to at least 1000 with no problem. I've never had to use a 20 MOA base to get my 25-06, 7 RM, 300 RUM, or 338 EDGE to 1000 yards. Now if your wanting to get to 1500 or so, then yes you will need the 20 MOA base.

The Nikons might or might not come with as much MOA as the Leupolds, and if I remember correctly I dont think they have as much as the Leupolds. I would look at how much there advertised MOA is. You should still be able to get away wih it using the Nikon. THe 300 RUM is a pretty flat shooter and doesn't take to many minutes to get to 1000 yards. You could always use the Burris insert rings to get the most amount of MOA from your scope.

I have the 9-13" harris for shooting prone and I like it. The 9" works good from the bench and 13" works great for laying prone in the dirt/sand. Your terrain may vary.

 

[Guy Miner]

Had a 700 CDL in .300 RUM. Quite a rifle! Yes, concur 200 gr bullets and a stout dose of Retumbo. Should be somewhere around 3100 - 3200 fps.

Sierra makes a 200 gr SPBT Gameking that is a good practice bullet. Accurate too.

I've shot factory loaded Remington ammo with the 200 gr Nosler Partition that broke 3200 fps! :shock: That got my attention.

Another fellow wanted the rifle more than me, so he's got it now. Quite a rifle... I think you're going to have fun.

Regards, Guy

 

[FOTIS]

The 200 gr rule in the 300 mags ..period!
I used the 200 AB in my many many Rums I have had and now in my 30-378 Accumark!

106 gr of Retumbo yields 3275 fps and .8" at 200 yards!

 

[GB300wm]

POP, that's my definition of a sledge hammer.... :grin:

 

[YoteSmoker]

Very nice POP! Guy, I remember you posting pics of that gun and thinking what a beauty it was. I really like the slick look of the CDL and it reminds me very much of my dad's 7mm08 mountain rifle that he called my Mom's gun. Ha ha. I think it had a detachable magazine though. That was one of the nicest looking guns I remember him carrying with me on hunting trips. He shot many a deer with 140 b-tips and it put them right down most of the time. I called him this evening and told him what I got "us" and I think he's happy about the whole thing, especially since I told him I'm giving him my a-bolt 243 with a 3200 elite on it when I come back to visit in a couple weeks. He wouldn't let me sell it, so I had no choice :lol:

I was able to pick up 100 pcs of Rem brass and 3 lbs of Retumbo today. Fortunate to have some Fed215M primers on hand here. The only thing missing is 200 AB bullets to load for this puppy. Purchased dies on Bivwak and since the gun's at the smith waiting on a brake I guess a few key components are still missing, but it's a good start considering I bought the gun Friday evening before I went to work.

 

[Woodycreek]

Glad to see we have another RUM shooter! 200gr Accubonds and 93 grains of Retumbo gets 3110 fps in my Sendero. Good luck.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

Randy, I didn't see any 200gr AB's at the tanner yesterday. Actually, I didn't see any Accubonds at all....

 

[YoteSmoker]

Thanks for looking out anyways Thomas. Did you happen to find any components for your 270 WSM? I have 100 cases and 3 lbs or retumbo. Just need to find some booolits now. Just looked on bivwak but nada, so I'll check out midway and some other online stores after bit. Give me a call after work and I'll meet you back at the gun counter and we'll see what we can't maybe help liquidate. LOL

I didn't tell you all, but I happened to see Antelope_Sniper standing at the gun counter haggling on 2 guns when I walked up and noticed the shiney new RUM. We reduced the store by 3 rifles at once. Great or twisted minds think alike I guess.

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

$279.00 for a Winchester Model 70. You don't see that everyday, and I just couldn't pass it up!

 

[Powerstroke]

So is there anything ( rifles ) left @ the Aurora Sportsmans ?

There is a used .300RUM Rem 700 SS ( with the old J-lock ) @ the north Gander Mtn. Looks to be in great shape for $450.00.