300 RUM..... worth it?

[Anonymous]

OK guys... got a line on a very nice XCR II in the behemoth .300RUM that may be too good to pass up.

Question is...do I want it? Other than the fact it has a barrel and goes 'BANG' (which ensures I like it)... does it have a spot in the greater scheme of things?

Ammo seems easy enough to find and it has the right stuff ballistically...in fact, maybe too much considering my partners meat damage with his. Thinking something of a "do-all" gun, although it's a bit superfluous to my current "do-all" 300WSM.

Sort of interested in the 180-200gr flame throwing end as well as the "Power Level" bit where it can replicate an '06. Never had a bunch of interest in long range shooting but I have plenty of open country to try it in. Critter shots look like about a 400 proposition with it, maybe a bit further under the right condition. Farther than that and I'll just walk closer.

 

[Woodycreek]

I consider my 300 RUM with 200 ABs going 3100+ "Do all" for most big game that I will ever hunt. Meat damaged has been minimal on the deer and hogs killed with it. It shoots those 200 grainers into bugholes were some guys are have a hard time getting them to shoot in 300 WSMs. Cool cartridge but, will the XCR will give much more than the 300 WSM other than recoil?

 

[Elkman]

Lots of additional powder and recoil, for a couple hundred feet per second. Any animal you shoot will not be able to tell the difference, your shoulder however will. Good luck with your choice.

 

[JD338]

The 300 RUM is a power house round capable of delivering plenty of energy down range.
I say if its a good deal, get it and experience the RUM advantage.
FWIW, I crop damage deer hunt with a 338 RUM.

JD338

 

[OU812]

Love my 300RUM. It's the only elk rifle I've killed an elk with and not sold after the fact.

Flat shooting and hard hitting with the 200 AccuBond. Recoil is not near the level many think prior to shooting one. If it's a good price why not get it. If you don't like it sell it.

 

[wildgene]

...on the "plus" side; "it's a new rifle", & it should handle the longer, heavier .30's a lot easier than the .300 WSM, but...

...it's going to give you about 5-10% more "performance" (call it 150yds. "extra") than your .300 WSM, that's going to require 25-30% more powder, which comes w/ the associated recoil/ muzzle blast...

...if the stars were perfectly aligned I would probably grab it, if it required some sacrifices I could let it go by w/o (too many) regrets. I've become convinced that "recoil" is as much muzzle blast & 'poor' position (cheek weld, stock placement) as the actual beating, but there's gonna be plenty of that... :mrgreen:

 

[SJB358]

It is a serious boomer. Plus, components are pretty easy to come by and stoked up with 200/220 PT's I imagine it would be a serious thumper too. I don't see why you couldn't run it however you want. If the deal is good enough, a little load work could make it be whatever you want to whatever level of recoil you wanted to take.

 

[nvbroncrider]

Swap it and make some money if you can. I personally don't think you gain enough to make it worth your time but that is my opinion.

 

[DrMike]

I've shot quite a few of the RUMs in most of the iterations. All have shot quite well. Having said that, I've never been tempted to add one to my collection. They assuredly do work and do so quite well. I was just never enamored of them. The WSMs, on the other hand, I have enjoyed and would have to be without.

 

[Dr. Vette]

FWIW, I crop damage deer hunt with a 338 RUM.

JD338

Interesting. The 338-378 Accumark we have was purchased from a guy who was doing the same thing. He wanted a rifle that would make them DRT every time. His previous 30-378 occasionally had them walk but when he moved up to the 338-378 they never moved a step.

 

[JD338]

FWIW, I crop damage deer hunt with a 338 RUM.

JD338

Interesting. The 338-378 Accumark we have was purchased from a guy who was doing the same thing. He wanted a rifle that would make them DRT every time. His previous 30-378 occasionally had them walk but when he moved up to the 338-378 they never moved a step.

Yup, they just go straight down.

JD338

 

[dubyam]

Speaking as someone who has hunted white-tails with a 300Wby, which is pretty dadgum close to the RUM, I can't find fault with mine. Three white-tails find extreme fault with it, one this past season and two on the final day of the '12-13 season. None of them had extreme meat damage, and two of them were qusrtering shots, one dead broadside. Meat damage is far less a function of velocity and more a function of bullet construction in this era of bullet design. I'm shooting 180gr E-Tips out of my 300Wby and the performance is spectacular. I highly recommend them. I've only had to track one deer shot with them, and the blood trail was one Ray Charles could have followed.

If I had the opportunity to pick up a 300RUM on a deal and did not have anything bigger than the WSM, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

 

[muleman]

My 300RUM puts 180gr BTs and Accubonds into .675" at 3200fps. Most would stop there but I'm going to work up 190 & 210 ABLRs this summer. It's easy to shoot and will stop anything in N/A. I think a 220gr PT will do anything a 338 will do. That doesn't mean I'm not considering a 338x :shock: 26Nosler.

Scott

 

[.300winmag]

Honestly, in my opinion, there is no need to own a .300 RUM. I think it is a very effective cartridge for hunting. It will put game down fast and clean and I have heard they shoot well. However, you will not see a very large benefit (in my opinion) over a .300 Win. Mag. by switching to a RUM. You will get more velocity, more recoil and less barrel life; and an elk will never know the difference. You will though. I rebarreled my .300 Win. Mag. this year and contemplated a .300 RUM, but, for me a 215 grain Berger Hybrid at 2,885 FPS from a .300 Winny is more than adequate for elk well beyond my comfort zone for long range hunting.

I also have a buddy that has a .338 RUM XRC and he said he could feel the stock bending when he shot it. I thought this had to be malarky as the recoil impulse happens so fast. But, after shooting it myself, I did notice what he was talking about. I feel the stock on the XRC rifles was under-engineered for the size of cartridges it was being used for.

I am a huge fan of 700's. I don't own any bolt action rifles that are not 700's. Personally, I would not get a .300 RUM, and I feel fairly confident I would not invest in an XRC unless it was to be used for a donor action.

Then again, this is just my opinion. Best of luck in your decision. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[BK]

Me, I'd probably pick it up. I want to get another RUM, this time in a 700, if for no other reason for a heavyish .338 RUM/Edge build, though an XCR would be kind of a waste.

Truth be told, I'd rather start with a 7mm RUM, though. I think a sporter weight 7 would be more fun to play with before the rebuild than a .300. Yes, I'm getting old and frail, and don't like getting beat up very much any more.