Gents, my next rifle will for sure be a .300 win mag or a 7mm rem mag. My question is should I good .300 WUM or 7mm RUM??? The trajectories of the Ultras are nice but Im wondering if you guys think its worth the extra felt recoil and price of ammo??? Im ballistically challenged so any and all info, opinions and thoughts WELCOMED!!!

Also, would a bull barrell help much with the recoil?? I just dont know if Id want to lug a heavy barrell around the mountains??


Thanks
DannyG

I don't see the benefit if you're only shooting deer and such out 300-500 yards. I guess if you plan to shoot beyond that then go for it.

I would definately go with the 300 RUM over the 7mm. The recoil really isnt that bad to me. I have a 300 wby my budy has a 300 RUM we have shot them side by side and swaped and cant tell a difference. To me the thing that will kill you is buying ammo, if you dont reload it is pricey. The heavier gun will for sure help recoil, and if you have a sling wont be bad to carry around.

matt

do you and your shoulder really need one or can a sensible caliber and good shooting do the same job??

Most definitely not texaspat, I just want one LOL!!! Ive never broke down and bought a gun I really wanted. I have my granddads ought6, and a cheapy 270 that was given to me that I really like. I am gonna make the old ought6 a safe queen as some of you guys like to say (i like that term) and I just want to buy me a gun that I really like and want and pretty much have narrowed it down to the 7mm or the 300. Ill prolly go with the 300 ultra mag as it just seems like a flat shooter. But Im still not sure Im not gonna go with a 270wsm as Ive always wanted one since they came out also! Just thought it would be a fun discussion!
Dano

If I were to add another large gun it would probally be the 300RUM. If you reload or even if you don't you can get different power level loads for it or roll your own if you reload. 3 levels are available for it now equilivent to 30-06, 300 win mag and full house ultramag. I woould also go with the standard barrel not the heavy one, had one heavy parrel gun I hunted with for years and I got tired of the weight, When hunting I carry a gun a lot more than I shoot it,

If you want a .300 Ultra Magnum or any other cartridge in this class, and you plan to shoot it accurately, I recommend that you have a good muzzle brake installed. I have muzzle brakes on all of my magnum rifles 7mm and up. Yes they are loud, but they are truly amazing for recoil reduction.

The mag can be shot accurately without a break on it. I hate breaks, the only thing I dont like about shooting mine is the noise, I dont wear plugs in the blind and it leaves me ringing, if I had a break I would be deaf by now.

I get clover leafs shooting 180-220's out of a 300 wby, and it isnt out of the ordinary. I had the misconception that big guns didnt shoot well before I got mine, but it is dead wrong. As it has been said before, it is the indian not the arrow.

matt

redchevy, Magnum rifles can be shot accurately without muzzle brakes depending on a person's ability to tolerate recoil. A .300 Ultra Mag and the like produce more recoil than the average person can handle, this leads to poor shooting. Most of my hunting is spot and stalk and I almost always have time to put in ear plugs before I shoot. I am a musician and I want to preserve my hearing as much as possible. Recently, I was given a Walker's game ear and it works well.

they can be.......once or twice at a time


my personal threshold is about 3 or 4 times with a .300 mag and then i need to take a break.

I got a savage 300 RUM and love it. it has the adjustable break and I never turn it on. Just be sure to put a good butt pad and you should be ok.

Well, get what you want! If it is the best ballistic table & higher firepower, then go for it!

My opinion on the better ballistics of the ultra-mag is that you have be taking shots beyond 400 yards for any real benefit and that assumes you shoot each gun equally well. At the end of the day I would prefer to be more confident in my ability to shoot the gun accurately than a gun's ballistic table, assuming enough down range energy for a kill. Getting good with the gun is due to practice and less recoil means more enjoyable & more time practicing.

However, as I said in the beginning, get the gun you want. Just be careful of what you wish for....

I think you should go ahead and get a .50 cal. What are you planning on hunting with this thing?

I've had good experience with the 300rum. It has put everything i have aimed it at on the ground. I use the 180 grain rounds

Not planning on hunting anything larger than Elk. If one day I do have the money to hunt bear it will be with a bow so Im not really concerned with bear anyway. Didnt mean for this to become an argument. Just wanted to know the major diffys btwn the mags and ultra mags. Thanks
Danny

I would(or did) go with the 7WSM. Great long range round.

Check out the table below... it will tell you quite a bit.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_ballistics_table.htm


Another vote for the 300 RUM.

Remington has also made the Power Level ammo... check this out. (be sure to look at the 2 min 10 sec part.) You could fire all three levels... one after another....and they would end up within 2 inches of each other out to 200 yards. It's 3 guns in one. They talk about the same thing in the 7mm RUM, but the ballistics are not as good as the 300 RUM.

Here is another great table for you concerning the recoil of the different rounds.... Keep in mind that a heavy rifle and limbsaver recoil pad help out a ton. I had a muzzle break put on my 300 RUM and it kicked less than my buddies 308. That being said... it was LOUD as all get out. You don't want to shoot it without hearing protection. Anyway... hope this helps with your decision.

Let us know what you go with

http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

Just get yourself a 270 or 3006 and save your money. Chances are you will never need the extra FPS. All they will do is cost extra when you buy shells and make you flinch when you shoot.

Don K nailed it and he's spot on. No need for the recoil and noise.
Those two will take anything in the country. Killed my last elk with a .270. If you hunt Grizzly bear, maybe go with a big bore, other than that, it's overkill.

If you want a magnum, I would personally stick with the standard .300WM or the 7mmRM. When you consider the things you listed (additional recoil, ammo price, etc.), I just don't think the extra velocity is worth it. As far as a bull barrel, it would help with recoil, but I wouldn't want to carry one in the mountains. I had a Remington 700 Sendero in 7mmRM way back when they first came out. The heavy barrel and heavy stock made shooting it a pleasure and it was extremely accurate. However, it was a bear to carry around for any distance. The weight differences don't look like all that much on paper, but they feel like much more on your shoulder.

Yes I know about weight while in the mountains as I do some bivouac bow hunting for elk! So weight is something I am conscious of at all times. With that said I dont want a light, cheapy feeling rifle either! Prolly stick to a Remington 700 of some sorts. The more I research this the more calibers I am finding with very similar characteristics that I am liking. Thanks for the Chuck Hawks links guys, those help a ton. Who is that guy??
Danny

IMO, people get a little to caught up in the minutae of ballistics numbers. A 150gr round traveling 3100+fps is gonna kill pretty much whatever it hits. It won't matter if it is 3100 or 3300fps. Dead is dead.

But if you are looking for velocity, then between the two you listed, go with the 300 Win Mag. Based on the Chuck Hawks tables, it looks faster across the board for same weight rounds. A Rem 700 in 300 Win Mag would be a very nice gun.

Personally when I choose a gun, I look at ammo cost, ammo availability and recoil numbers. I want a gun that has inexpensive ammo I can get anywhere and doesn't thump me when I shoot it. Velocity is an interesting number, but rarely a consideration for me. They are all plenty fast.