.338 R.U.M. fans
 

Looking for anyone that shoots a .338 R.U.M. and has any useful reloading data to share or just plain wants to chat about them. I am currently shooting one and I abosultely love and wished I hadn't waited so long to buy one!:D

i have no intrest in anything with rum in it but id like to here about yours and how well it shoots, how fast. what weight bullets you use and the game you use it on.

im kinda into little calibers 25 6mms 3006 and 277s.

but theres nothing wrong with the RUM unless its in a drink.

lets here about yours and drive alittle more intrest to your topick

Evan

I have one and absolutely love mine. I have only used RL22 and never wanted to try anything else because that works so well out of mine.

The best load I have shot out of mine is with a Hornady 225gr SP Interlock. With 88.5 grains of RL22 My best groups are between .5 and .75 inches. (I had all of my group sizes and etc. on a spreadsheet, not backed up of course and lost the hard drive, so I have to go from memory and start over. At least I had my 'favorite' loads wrote down. :( )

Next best load was with 89 gr. of RL22 and a 210gr Scirocco.

I was not happy with the results I was getting from the Nosler 225gr Accubond or the the Sierra 215gr SP BT.

I might be able to improve on those last two with different loads, but am not sure if I want to try, I am getting such good results with the top two.

Are you loading for yours yet? If so let's hear how it is going.

I'm glad to see intrest in the .338 RUM! I'm currently finding great results with IMR 7828, RL22' and RL25. I'm shooting a 225gr Hornady INTLK at 3148.68fps average velocity with a standard deviation of 8.60. This load using 92.0gr of IMR 7828 cuts right under .5 most every time I shoot it. I also have a beautiful shooting load using a 250gr Hornady INTLK and 90.0gr of IMR 7828 that averages 2951fps with a SD od 12.72 this also produces .5 to .75in groups. This year for deer season I'm starting with a 210gr Barnes TSXBT and 96.0gr of RL22 this is an accurate load for me that produces a .75in groups with an average of 3395fps and SD of 14.31 wich produces 5374 ftlbs at the muzzel! This will be used for deer and the next will be a 210 Scirocco and 96.0gr of RL25 this load produces and average of 3236fps and a SD of 14.21 this load also leaves with 4883ftlbs at the muzzel. These are a few of my loads. I admitt this more than is required for deer and antalope this year but I can't help myself it is so accurate and damn fun to shoot. Hope this intresting enough! :D

that is interesting.

thats heck of alot of powder but man are those 200 plus pills movn.

ummmmmmmm did you try tripple shocks just curious on your results if you did.



Evan

Yes I did try triple shocks and they work wonderfully. 210gr triple shock with 96gr of RL22 just right and 225gr triple shock with 96 gr of RL 25. The first travels at 3396 average velocity and the second at 3086 average velocity. Both with group at 3/4 to 1/2 in. when I'm doing my part. I have seen the performance of these newer Barnes bullets and have no complaints thus far. They are just flat ass devastating on game!

Well Evan, to pique your interest there is a wildcat out that is a 338 RUM necked down to 6.5MM (http://www.z-hat.com/Ultracat.htm).

I have a 300 RUM LSS. I had to order the thing seven times before they got the correct rifle in. It is my second favorite rifle, after the 25/06.

Is the 338 RUM based on the same case as the 300?

David

Ak-Red
All the Remington Ultra Mags are based off a .404 Jeffery case. The case is as big around as .375 H&H case is at the belt. The .338 RUM is different from the rest because the case is shorter than the other RUM's. The .338 RUM has a standard case length of 2.760in and the rest are 2.850in. I asked Remington factory reps why this was and they told me that they got the best ballistics from the shortened case. So no the .338 RUM is not just a .300 RUM case necked up eventhow there is that wildcat available. Hope that aswered your question. I also have a .300 RUM and absolutely love to shoot it but not as much as my .338 RUM!

Thanks! I vaguely remembered reading that the UltraMags were based on the .404 Jeffery case, but was not sure. I also remember it was a big deal because it was not a belted case.

I do enjoy shooting it. I always got a laugh at the range I went to in Alaska. Everyone was a .338 fantatic and the .300 was a "pea shooter". I got condescending smiles when asked what I was shooting. Until the first shot. Pea shooter or not, there is a lot of powder in that case! Then everyone wanted a go.

The first time I took it to the range, I borrowed a range stand to hold my home made stand up (forgot my sandbags). It was made of 7/8" rebar and held my 1"x2" framed stand upright nicely. First sight-in shot I saw something move in my scope. It is a Vari-X III and I was a little concerned. The shot was high so I adjusted and shot again. Still high, so I adjusted again and shot, and saw something move in the scope! That was it, I was taking it back to the shop. Too much money to fool with. I go out to get my stand. As I am picking it up, I see two chuncks of 7/8" rebar on the ground. I had placed it in the center of my target, and those shots cut off a chunk of that rebar. I can't tell you how relieved I was. I took the pieces up to the range officer and offered to pay, but he laughed at my story and said it was payment enough.

Whoops.. got long winded.

David

Ak-Red

Great story you are absolutly right their is nothing about that .300 RUM that says peashooter. The only advantage that you have with a .338 WIN MAG is the bullet diameter. With the bullet selection we have today I would not feel under gunned shooting at anything short of cape buffalo in Africa! The big reason I bought and shoot a .338 RUM is that I grew up reading some of my dads books and he was an Elmer Kieth fan and as we all know the .338 was the best all around caliber there was. So it was kind of a childhood intrest to buy one and around my town most people think you need a lanyard to shoot one! But after I shot it I was hooked. I absolutely love it and since then I havn't realy done much with my .300 RUM but it isn't going anyware either it still holds a place in my rifle case and always will.

Yes, i don`t understand remington`s thinking here. The .338 edge is made by necking up 300 rum brass and is a bit faster, so i don`t get the short case. It`s interesting also, the 338 rum is the ballistic twin to the .338 lapua. Had a .338 rum in the LSS, till a buddy talked me out of the barrel, so i found a new 7 rum take-off. The .338 shot good, but never got below 3/4 of an inch. His rifle was a .300 win mag, and it shot horrible from the start. Now with the barrels swapped out, both shoot half or better, go figure that one. RUMLUVER, have you tryed the 250 and 300 grain sierra matchkings yet? The 300`s are impressive, they go through half inch of mild steel at a 1000 yards, and do a fair job on groundhogs. I can`t figure out if the bullet expands and does the damage, or if it`s absobing all that energy that makes him go poof, lol.

No I not had the chance yet but will soon. It should be intresting to see what happens!

Isn't that kind of like killing a fly with a sledgehammer? :D

David

RUMLUVER...
As stated in another thread, I'm currently working with a 338 Tomahawk I was attempting to get the 225 Accubonds to shoot and could to a point. Meaning I have shot some groups that would measure in the 2 or 3's but not consistantly. Personally, I think there was more bond and not enough accu put in the bullets I had. The first box of 50 I went through, it seemed that I could get 2 in one hole and one out with various loading of Retumbo. Switched to H1000 and the one out tighened up and gave a few tight groups as mentioned. Other boxes of 225's produced enough fluxuation that I went to another bullet. I went back to Retumbo, 250 SMK's, loaded 100.5 grains, ignited with a GM215M primer and the results were more consistant. I'm getting about a 5fps deviation with a velocity of 3120 out of my 32" Lilja barrel. That may not be the end of my testing yet but at this point I am satisfied with the performance of the gun and the 250 SMK's and somewhat less pleased with the 225 Accubonds for my set up. With some more tinkering, I may get the 225's to shoot but at this point I can't see taking a step back.

ol-spark

Have you tried the 225gr Hornady SST yet? I have used Hornady bullets in everything from my 22-250 to my .338 RUM and have had consistantly great results. I have personally shot groups the size of tylonal tablets using 129gr Interlocks and 140gr Interlocks in a .264WinMag and 6.5x55 mauser. Both of the rifles are factory model 700's! I shoot 180gr SST's and Iterlocks out of my .300 RUM and regularly turn out nickel size groups using H4350 and H4831. In my .338 RUM I shoot the 225gr Interlock with 92.0 grs of IMR 7828 and have an average velocity of 3148 with a SD of 8. This load also cranks out groups under 1/2 an inch. I also get great results with Swift Scirocco's and Barnes TSX's. I might try using some Sierrsa's this next summer but as of now I have naver reloaded them. I just have never realy reloaded anything for myself that I wouldn't hunt with. I have never seen first hand what a Gameking bullet has ever done on game with any kind of velocity. In another vein I am not a Nosler fan I have seen first hand what their bullets do to game Ballistic Tips & Partitions and have never bought or reloaded their bullets and don't plan to. I don't hold any high hopes for the Accubond either. Just my opinion thats all many have disagreed with me but thats OK.

Shot 3 deer with the 200 grain ballistic tips, i would have thought that with that much speed, it would have punched a hole big enough to drop a softball in, but it just made thumb size exit holes in the off shoulders. The nosler is not as explosive as i had hoped. One even managed to run a few steps, lol.

HPBTMTCH

It's been just the opposite for me with my experience with the Ballistic Tips first time I had just started hunting with my father he was shooting a 25-05 bullet hit the doe broadside at about 120yrds and when it exited the of side was a mess I could stick my head in the hole lots of blood shot meat all over. Secondly was hunting with my brother using his .270 he shot buck broadside at 75yrds the buck keprt running as if nothing happened then the next shot hit him in the neck then he stopped and fell over. The first bullet enter the ribcage and exploded the jacket metal didn't make it the far side of the ribcage. The lugs collapsed and nothing but pink faom inside. The shot to the neck didn't make it through the neck it also exploded didn't break the neck and blood shot most of the meat in the neck. That's 2 of my experiences with Ballistic Tips while hunting. As far as the Partitions I've seen pinhole exits, explosions and a tumbling bullet exit. My cousin almost lost his muledeer 3 years ago he was using a .270 also shot it three times with 130 Partitions and not a single one expanded the deer ran about 1/2 mile before expiring. Just some stories to share

RUMLUVER...
I did shoot a few of the 225 SST's. Not enough to really get a good group though. As I said now that the 250 Match Kings are working out, I'll just stay with them awhile. It's almost time to quit playing and get some serious shooting done here in Pa.

ol-spark

Go get some shooting done and I couldn't agree with you more when you find what works and it does what you want and need then it's time to stop looking. That is untill you need something else then its time to start the fun of research and development all over again but that's a big portion of the fun in reloading at least for me! Good Luck and Hopefully even better groups!

Finally a 338 thread
 

The 338 cal must separate the men from the boys as there are nothing but men talking here. Then here I come:rolleyes:

Sorry I'm not up to par yet I'm just shooting a 338 winny. Have settled on the 250gr range of bullets as I figure if I want to shoot a 225 I'd move back to a 30 cal.

Have had best groups w/Sierra 2600s and Wildcat 252s. Both running right at 2800 fps. They will go 2850 but groups shrink to 5s right at 2800.

My goal is a 250 @ 3125. Hence I perked up at Ol' Sparks 338 Tommy. I've been looking hard at the Edge but my 1K 224cal project slowed me down a bit.

I'm looking for a 338 Rum takeoff bbl if anyone knows of one.

It seems that all of the 338 people who actually shoot elk are going with the 225 bullets and have great results.

Me, I just hunt 'em, never see 'em so what bullet I shoot makes little difference.:rolleyes:

Spark, why the extra 2" on that bbl? What action is it on?

royinidaho

Glad to see you joined the conversation! I started with the first box of bullets I could find to reload for my new purchase with was my first .338. It happened to be a .338 RUM and the box of bullets was a box of 210gr Swift Sciroccos it was the only box in town at the time that weighed over 185grs with I thought was pretty sad. But I was in a hurry because I had a late season deer tag that was beggin to be filled and I only had 2 weeks to work up a load for my rifle and fill that tag! So I settled on 97.5grs. of RL25 and never looked back it shoots under 1/2 an inch and hits like the hammer of Thor actually 4925ftlbs at the muzzel. Then I feel head over heels nuts for my .338 RUM. I played with it all year thisyear and my favorite 2 loads are a 250 Hornady Intlk at3000fps loaded with 90.0grs of IMR 7828 and a 225 Hornady Intlk at 3150 with 92.0grs of IMR7828. Both very accurate loads. Now that I've tried this .338 RUM in a Model 700 LSS I find to be my go to rifle. When asked what will I shoot with my .338RUM by folks here at home being that the popular opinion around here is that a .338 RUM is an artilliery piece I always tell them praire dogs if feel like and that usally keeps other questions about my .338 at bay. I bought and been shooting my .338 RUM since December 0f 04 so I'm still just havin all kinds of fun with it!

RUMLUVER

There isn't much experience in existence for the 338 cal.

I appreciate you data. The 250 @ 3000fps would extend my effective range out to 900 yds from the current 830. That would be a full 200 fps over what I'm shooting now.

If I could ever get into comeups/downs I could reach 1K but the the way I hunt is a bit of walk and stalk with very few opportunities to setup on a spot and stay there for a long period of time. Thus I stick with the mil dot and max effective range is limited by the 5th mil which is the top of the post.

I"m shooting the 338 win w/24" bbl with a Holland QD brake with the rifle loaded up to 10.8 lbs including scope, sling and bipod. Kicks about like a hefty 308 load but a bit more that 270 w/140s @ 3200. Kind of a gentle giant.

Its a hoot bustin rocks, so far out to 540 yds or so.

I'd run a RUM reamer in it but 24" is just too short to meet the needs of the RUM. Thus I'm looking for a factory takeoff barrel. I may run the throat out a bit tho' and see what that gets me.
:confused:

Snooped around - Sparks' lilja bbl is on a rem 700, btw.

Isnn't a muzzel brake kind of loud! I know it was when I was shooting my friends .338 WIN MAG with a brake. His a model 700 classic witha 24in barrel. It wasn't fun at all at the range when we were doing load development. It was loud and blew gas back at me. So I just learned to shoot mine without one. But I may be intrested if I could find one without the extra noise and gas blowing back at me.

The Holland doesn't blow back on you. equal large amounts perpendular to the muzzle, a little up to counteract muzzle jump and just a little out the front. None out the bottom.

Tested in very find blow sand and was quite pleased.

Never shot w/o electronic ear protection so don't know how much louder it is. However, it is louder.

I wouldn't leave home without it.

Roy...
I was up to the Ridgway Rifle Club on Saturday morn to shoot my steel plate at 1000yds with the 338 T. It shot flatter at that distance by 14 clicks than my chart said. Anyhow after the first shot went directly over, no wind at 8:00 am. I asjusted and was on the [plate with the 2nd round. Then I confirmed my 840 yd clicks on a bowling ball that was hanging on a rope. Did you ever shoot one of those things. Pretty neat to watch them swing when you hit them. First shot was high there also. Anyhow so I adjusted my chart for those to yardages and shot a few more rounds to confirm the clicks by going up to the steel then back to the plate. Worked OK until I knocked my plate over. Previously, one of the chains broke off and I coulcn't suspend it so I just propped it up against a couple of 2x4's. About that time some guys came with lever guns to practice for a shoot at 10:00 and I never did get to go retrieve my plate to see what kind of damage it did. Maybe someday I'll get up ther to get it and take some pics to post.
Why are you selling your 338? Dumb question :eek: I know since it doesn't make any difference what you carry cause you don't see elk you might as well carry the lighter 270. How's that, answered my own question.;) :D

ol-spark

It would be nice to see what .338 of yours is doing at that range! Hope you get some pics of that plate!

I tend to stay away from the word "Magnum" in rifles. My 308's
and 338/06 Ackley Improved will do anything I ask of them and
they let me keep my dental work intact!!!!

yote

Now you sound like my dad giving me a hard time about shooting a cannon! I will admitt shooting my .338 RUM without a brake the recoil is stout but after some practice its managable. Not at all as bad as some think it is. But it more than your average shooter will learn to handle.

givn enough ,otovation i can learn to handle about anything. ive got no motivation to handle rifles chamberd bigger than the smaller 300s

thats just me.

i to also like load development, but i like even more when ive found that load and im confident i can punch out 100rds of it produceing acurate hunting or varmiting ammo.

How true Evan 03 how true


There's always a feeling of a job well done as a man settles in for a nice long reloading session knowing the end result is a culmination of research, loading and testing at the range. As far as ones recoil theshold I believe that it can be pushed a little farther along if desired. But one must stack the deck in thier favor also. The rifle must fit like it was made for them and reloading is a must also. That way a person can start with reduced loads and work thier up to low end loads and then move up from there until they reach desired rusults. After plenty of practice a person won't realy notice the recoil anylonger and be just enjoying a good day with a good rifle and load in the field! At least I think so but I may wrong.

I like 308's also. I've killed plenty of deer with them also. Works great. :) Never saw one that didn't shoot well.

I'm a huge fan of 6.5mm anything from .260 Rem to the .264 Win Mag I just started building now with some friends. That caliber is deadly accurate banjo string flat shooting and no recoil to speak of! This bullet that I choose to start with in my .264 that I'm going shooting next year is a 130gr Swift Scirocco that has a B.C. of .571! I can't wait for this rifle to be done. It's just driving me nuts waiting for it and if it gets done this winter it'll be time to bundle up in the Carharts and head to range!

SELLING THE 338:confused: When did I ever say that? Just thinking about rebarrelling it with a RUM takeoff bbl. Wonder if I could get the quarter MOA of a different bbl like i'm getting out to this one. But I like to play a bit.

The 270 ain't light. 11+ pounds. The 338 is 10.8 w/scope, sling, and bipod.

I have the month of Nov to find a cow to test the 338 on. I've got some 252 WC RBBTs stoked up to 2800 shooting in the 5s at 200. Drop chart has been tested to 760 and is coyote accurate to there. I want to see how they do on game. If the season is as my last couple I'm gonna take out the neighbor's lama:rolleyes: Wonder what those things taste like:D

I would definately go for the elk more meat and alot less explaining to the neighbors how the lama fell victom to lead poisoning! Best of luck hunting report back when I intrested to here how you did some pictures would be cool to!

Roy...
I'm sorry. I thought that I saw your gun on another board for sale. :confused:

I guess the 270 isn't light when compared the way you did it. I thought your 270 was like a featherweight Mod 70 or something. I didn't know it weighed that much.

I never tasted lama that I knew of. When I was younger I used to have a saying, "A missed opportunity is just that" ( a missed opportunity)

11+lbs for a .270 any reason for this is a special rifle that seens quite heavy. My .338 RUM doesn't wiegh that much finished. To me that seems to be a bit much for a .270 that all.

Any of you all try the Nosler accubond 180’s?

I was using the Nosler BT 180’s for the last couple of years in my 338 WinMag with 73grns of IMR 4350 and a cci mag primer and was getting 1” or less groupings at an avg of 3100 ftps I got 5 dear and one Black Bear with these loads with varying results on the BT effects. When they hit the boiler room, little hole in, not much bigger hole out. On muscle mass, like a neck a shot little hole in, massive damage on the outward side. Still I loved the projectile because it was like using my mouse whilst hunting, just point and click. The sectional density and ballistic coefficient are the same for the BT and the accubond, So I’d like to give them a try over the BT.

Edit just checked my notes 72.5grns IMR 4350

VirginiaHunter

As of yet I havn't tried any Accubond at all I'm not a big Nosler fan have had bad experiences in the the past. I like a bullet that no matter where I hit them little hole just a little bigger hole coming out . Since your looking in the 200gr area I would suggest the 210gr Barnes TSXBT or the 210gr Swift Scirocco I shoot both and both are devastating on game they are stone cold killers. Shot 8 head of big game in 2 years with 30cal Scirocco's and 6.5mm TSX's and have yet to have one go 2 steps from point of impact most fell on there feet. Never recovered a bullet very little tissue damage and these were at ranges from 80ft to about 300 yards. The Barnes manual recommends IMR 4350 for the .338WM 64.0gr to 69.0gr. If using the TSXBT Barnes has stated it is safe to load above max but no more than about 2-3gr increasing by 1/2gn increments. I have done this myself and found great results in velocity and accuracy. Currently I'm shooting the 210 TSXBT at 3379fps using RL22 and the 210 Scirocco and 3245 fps using RL25 in my .338 RUM. As for loading the Swift Scirocco you can safely use the data I gave you from Barnes I did the same working up my load using RL 25 and the 210 Scirocco. Hope this helps even though it is only my opinion!

Cool, I will have a loook at some different projectiles in the near future, gun room in the new house is nearing completion, but not in time for this years hunt. Thanks for the info.

VirginiaHunter

Your welcome I hope it helps and glad to help anyway I can. If you need more data don't hesitate to get in touch.