Experience with the 338 Ruger Compact Magnum

Does anyone have any experience at the range or in the hunting fields with the 338 RCM? I'm thinking of trading a 300 Win. Mag. that doesn't fit me very well for a 338 RCM. I wanted to see if anyone has informed opinions on how the shoot, recoil, accuracy, etc.

Thanks ahead of time!

I'm sure it will work perfectly well, but do you really want to go through the aggravation and expense of feeding a rare caliber? A better question is this: do you handload? If the answer is "no", then I think you'll end up regretting the trade. Why don't you put your .300 up for trade in the classified here?

There's nothing wrong with trading away a firearm that doesn't fit; it's just good sense.

Your point is well taken seeing that my post has yielded nobody with any experience with this round. I do reload so if I went that way I could handle coming up with my own loads. It's a shame about my 300. It's a Model 70 that has a very nice and smooth action but the recoil even with a Mag Na Port is more than I can stand, and I can't seem to find a scope that gives me the proper eye relief on that particular gun.

I've thought about putting a Picatinny rail on it and perhaps changing stocks but at some point you've got to wonder if your pouring money down a hole.

Have a good one.

No experience with the 338 RCM but I do have experience with the same rifle you own. I put a ($300) used model 70 300wm in a used ($190) HS stock had to inlet the stock for ($100) PTG floor plate and added a ($50) pic rail. I sighted it in on a bench off sand bags two weeks ago. It kicks and I don't like it but it is tolerable and has less recoil than most of the 270's and 30-06's I've had. I put about 15 rds with sighting and two groups. All I wanted but no bruises etc. I am quite pleased with the model 70 action after owning several others. It has lots of pluses comparing to rem 700. Aftermarket support not being one of them. ( this is the 5th model 70 I've had and they all shot at or under moa with almost all ammo.)

As an outsider observer, it sounds as though you have a stock that doesn't fit you well. Between the excessive recoil comments and the eye relief issue, it really points me to the stock as the root problem, but let me ask you this: have you shot other magnum rifles comfortably? Are you hunting animals that really require more than a .270? I was a more-is-better guy for years and then circumstances forced me to hunt with a .243 WSSM loaded to anemic levels. You'll never guess what I discovered: with good shooting, my .243 WSSM killed just as well as my .30-06 or my 9.3x62.

I have a M70 Stainless Classic in .300 WM that's been magnaported, and the recoil is very manageable; but I find the stock to be quite comfortable ... All of these are magnaported, except for the rifle with the obvious brake. The M70 is the stainless one, second rifle from the top.



The problem is either the stock or the cartridge. If it's the stock, consider replacing it with one that fits you well. If it's the cartridge, then get a .25-06 or a .270; both are deadly. If you've really lost confidence in the rifle, sell or trade it and move on.

I'd save a lot of money and time by consulting a knowledgeable gunsmith. Chances are that something as simple as a recoil pad change, or different scope mounts might make a world of difference without breaking the bank.

Try shooterscalculator.com and go to the recoil energy calculator and input the information for a 338 ruger ie: bullet weight, expected velocity, gr of powder, gun weight, etc... and do the same for the .300. It will give an "expected " recoil velocity and foot pounds of recoil energy. See how the two rounds compare. This is just a thought, as I can't comment on the 338 ruger but I do shoot the 300 as well as other 338's. My particular 338's all have more recoil than my 300.

Ok out of curiosity I plugged some numbers in the calculator using some load data out of the Hornady hand book and it shows that the 338 ruger would have about 13.6 lbs of recoil energy in an 8lb rifle and the 300wm comes in at about 14.5 lbs. The spread stayed consistent of about 1 pound or more for the 300 throughout a few bullet weights. Looks like the 338r has just slightly less recoil but negligible.

Fellows, all of you make some very good points. To answer the questions asked, I'll do my best:

I used a 7 mm Mag to hunt elk and it never bothered me. That's the only other magnum I've ever owned.

I am a 25 caliber guy. I'd just as soon hunt with a 25-06 or a 257 Weatherby than eat. Over the years I've killed most of my animals with a 25-06. However, my quarry is Nilgai Antelope which I have hunted before, and they are absolute beasts. They do require a larger, heavier bullet.

I think I do have a stock problem and I'm going to address that before going to a 338 RCM. Model 70 Featherweights don't have much of a raised cheek piece and come in at about 7.5 lbs. I have a fairly stiff neck and I think a raised cheek piece would help me. It seems to fit me a bit better. I think that If I find a stock that fits me better and add another pound of weight my problem may be greatly reduced. I love the M70's action which on this particular gun is very smooth.

Synercus, just as an added thought, the rifle that you show with the muzzle brake has the type of stock that typically fits me best.

It would be nice to stick with the 300 for Nilgai just for the sake of ammo availability if I can make it work.

Thanks!

It's starting to look like the .204 Ruger is here to stay - but that even Ruger is backing away from it's proprietary magnum rounds. On the Ruger web-site, now only the Hawkeye Guide Gun is chambered for any of those. You can't get a standard Hawkeye in the Ruger compact magnums - but you can get it in 7mm Remington or .300 Winchester magnum.

This does not indicate a sense of confidence in the compact magnum rounds, on Ruger's part.

I have looked for, but not found any rifles by other makers that chamber the Ruger compact magnums. This is a shame, as they are excellent cartridges. - So if Ruger is not going to aggressively support these cartridges, who will? Without that level of support, they just don't have much of a chance.

A few years ago they had 7-8 of those at Cabela's in Ft. Worth on the used rack-I bet they were demo guns from an event. When I looked at them and saw the caliber (they were either .338 or .375) I thought to myself 'How will they ever get rid of those without a massive discount?' I was there 6-8 months later and they still had five of them left. Heck, they may have some of them today but I don't get there very often.