300 Win vs 300 RUM

[paddlehead]

I'm sure this topic has been debated here before, but I am going to have a custom gun built and want some input. I currently have a 30-378 and am interested in a little more reasonable caliber. I have read that some guys are getting great performance out of a 300 Win, that to some extent rivals the RUM and 30-378.

Whats your experience?

 

[JustOneMoreShot]

I have both and love them both. My RUM is a Sendero model and a bit heavier rig with a NightForce NXS scope. It shoots 215g Bergers fast and is an accurate rifle with only a bedding job, muzzle brake install and a worked over Rem trigger by a good gunsmith.
The brass is more $ for the RUM and more difficult to find, it burns more powder,and it has more recoil (unless you have it braked)...
You can push a .300 WinMag hard and with a "fast barrel" may get close to RUM velocity if the barrel is long enough. I am not sure what kind of brass life you will have.
I think that the .300 WinMag is enough of a good thing but I will never sell my .300RUM. It is awesome and the first rifle that I shot with an NXS scope which was an amazing step up for me. If I could just find some more Retumbo powder...

 

[SDArrowSlinger]

The .300 RUM is a heck of a beast. The problem is the recoil is almost unmanageable without a brake. Also, the cost of components for reloading is significantly more. Obviously brass is the major difference. I am assuming you will reload for the new Custom Gun. Which manufacturer are you going through for the build? And not to get off on a tangent but what are your tentative specs? If you are going to look at a .300 Win Mag you may want to consider the .300 WSM as well. Twice the barrel life and VERY similar ballistics.

 

[bobhunts]

I own a Rem .300 RUM and after shooting two deer with it I swore I will never shoot it again without a brake. It is in the shop now! If you want to talk expensive try loading a .338 Lapua! Got one of those too. I will say the standard .300 Win mag is a pretty darn good long range gun. I shot my Moose in Alaska at 650 yards and I would love to say he dropped in his tracks but it would be a lie. After 6 rounds across the lake he dropped and I wondered if I was hitting him? After the cleaning of him five were in the spot inside the size of a softball using factory Federal Fusion 180 grain and the one that dropped him was in the chest. I believe the .300 win mag does wonders for most. I actually had brought my Bow but used the rifle my buddy had brought. Bob.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I am a Rum fan. You can send a 230 at over 3050 with a 26 inch barrel. That packs a punch at 1000 yards. It does have considerable more recoil IME than a 300 win though.

 

[JustOneMoreShot]

bobhunts, I have read numerous times and even witnessed it first hand that moose have "a slow nervous system" I have no idea if that even exists but compared to a whitetail the immediate reaction to a shot with a rifle or bow can be very different with the two species! I have watched whitetail deer shot and have an instant wild response to the impact (whether lethal or not) and every moose reaction I have ever seen was like a slow motion "oww you just shot me? Well that wasn't nice.... I think I will leave now..." and the moose slowly turns to leave.
I have seen moose taken cleanly with a 7mm Mag, .30-06 and a .375H&H. I shot one twice with a .300 Win Mag at bow range and not a single moose had much of a reaction at the shot. All were killing shots so the killing power of the .300 WinMag should not be questioned at all. I would wager a bet that the moose would have expired after your first shot he just simply did not know it yet.
Back on track to the OP question: I love my .300RUM and I will grab it before I grab my .300WinMag if I think that a longer range shot is expected but that is more because of how each rifle is set up (scope and ammo). However if you already have a 30-378 you might be wise to get the .300WinMag because it is an excellent long range round as well.
Edit: There is a member here by the name Broz and he started a thread on another forum that compared Berger's 210g Hunting VLD to the 215g Hybrid. It is a long thread at 44pages but certainly worth the read if you want to see what a custom rifle chambered in 300WinMag can do!
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f19/comparing-berger-210-vld-215-hybrid-88657/
Moderators if it is against policy to link to another website/forum I am sorry I was just trying to help the OP. Please feel free to delete the post if I am out of line.

Edit again:
Broz listed his 300 WinMag rifle specs and velocity with the 215g Berger Hybrid using H1000 at 3035fps with a very low velocity spread
"Rifle Specs:
McMillan Laz Thumbhole stock pillar bedded.
Defiance Rebel Action
Broughton 5C Sendero contour 1 in 10 twist 28" long fluted by Broughton and a JP brake
Jewell Trigger @ 1lb
Near 30 moa light weight base and NF ULW rings
Nightforce NXS 5.5~22X56 NP-R2
Harris 9~13" swivel bipod with a pod lock
weight of above package 11.6 lbs"

 

[muledhunter]

Id also look into 300wsm.

 

[paddlehead]

Thanks for the feedback. I am going to be piecing it together as I can afford it. Debating on a 700 action or upgrading to a Stiller. Looking at a 26" Proof carbon barrel. I know a few guys that have great results form them. Planning to shoot either 210 or 215 Bergers depending on what it likes.

I know it wont kill an elk at 1500, but I am confident that it will at 1000. Comparing ballistics to my 30-378 that is shooting 180's at 3350fps, the 300 win can get right in there at 1000 yards, and the Weatherby has taken elk at 1000+.

Trying to make shooting more affordable and lighten mt pack a little....

Thanks again.

 

[jwb300]

Here is a real life situation that may assist...

I was hunting in BC in September last year and one of the guys spotted a great bull mtn caribou. By the time they climbed to the top of the hill the cloud/fog was everywhere and but they eventually found him as the cloud cleared momentarily. He was on a ridge across from where they were standing so they decided to range him and take the shot from there given that the small window was closing very quickly. The range finder showed 14 yds... It couldn't penetrate the fog. They estimated 300 yds, the hunter dialed for 300 and shot. The bull trotted about 20 yds over the ridge then you could just see the tops of his antlers tip over. They ran out of light so headed for the tree line.

The next day they went back up to where the bull was. He was just hit in the bottom of the brisket and the impact was enough to stop his heart. They ranged back to where the shot was taken from. It was 450yds. The hunter was using a 300 RUM. Anything less and he would have shot under the bull.

I know this is a very specific situation but it really paid to have the flatter caliber. In saying that I run a 300WSM in a Browning Mountain Ti. I have this for two reasons - 1 - they came in a 300wsm and 2 - I wouldn't want any more recoil in a rifle that light.

Cheers,
JWB300

 

[Justin Crossley]

A 300 Rum is basically the same as your 30-378 so I would go with the 300 WM if it was me.

 

[rutfest]

I have been contemplating tje same question as the op. I know the effective range will be farther for a 300 rum over a 300 wm but what do you guys feel the effective range of the 300 wm is on an elk sized animal? I am hoping to push the 1250 mark.

 

[paddlehead]

I think I am going to go with the 300 WM. I have talked to a lot of guys about this, and for what I am doing, I think it will suffice. For me, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.

My grandpa always had a saying,"you can't kill a rabbit with an elephant gun if you can't hit it." He hunted everything from antelope to moose with either an old 303 Savage lever gun or a 257 Roberts and did fine.

I think I will go with an ole reliable round, do some work ups and let the chips fall where they may. I think 1000 yard for elk and 1200 for deer is still a very doable thing with a 300 Win. I ought to be able to close in to 1000 yards with little to no effort, should the need arise.

Thanks again for the input and PM's

 

[sfischer]

the 300 WM is a great choice. As JustOneMoreShot said Broz has proven the success and is a wealth of knowledge. I'm running a similar setup but on a Mark V action getting very similar fps with the 215 bergers on a Brux barrel. You will like your choice. Only problem is finding H-1000.

 

[paddlehead]

Ya, that and Retumbo.... Once I get it put together I'll need to find a bullet it likes. I have a friend that is shooting the Hornady 208 and getting fantastic velocities and accuracy. He is shooting H-1000 too.

Now I need to decide on an action....

 

[Retterath]

im a huge fan of the 300 rum some of the best ballistics out there

 

[miller1]

The .300 RUM is a heck of a beast. The problem is the recoil is almost unmanageable without a brake. Also, the cost of components for reloading is significantly more. Obviously brass is the major difference. I am assuming you will reload for the new Custom Gun. Which manufacturer are you going through for the build? And not to get off on a tangent but what are your tentative specs? If you are going to look at a .300 Win Mag you may want to consider the .300 WSM as well. Twice the barrel life and VERY similar ballistics.

I don't know much about rifles so I am asking why you would get so much more barrel life out of the wsm over the win mag?

 

[mtnwrunner]

I've had both and my "go to" is the good ole 300 winny with 215 bergers. Absolute great combo and I reload with H1000 and get 3007 fps. Superbly accurate and a pleasure to shoot. "Checkmate" is currently getting a stock makeover so stay tuned, you'll be impressed.

Randy