I can get a good deal on a Sako 7mm Remington Ultra Magnum.
What is your opinion onthis cartridgeand its future?

Pretty nice cartridge. I have had 300RUM's and have a STW. But barrel life might be limited. Kick can be severe but not near as bad as most loads in 300RUM. I would say recoil is like a 300win mag with 180gr bullets.

I say it will be around for a while, but who knows. For me, I know I would burn the barrel before that happens. But if you are not a reloader, and don't plan to shoot alot and keep many years, I would be concerned about the future.

if you dont plan on reloading I would go with the 7mm stw you can better factory loads for it . I do like the 7mm rum but it does have a barrel trashing reputation. I wonder why remington dosent offer any premium bullets for it

I own two 7mmstw's,one 7mmultramag and two 300ultramags.In my opinion the ultramag case works great with .308" and larger bullets but is a waste with the 7mmbullets.My 7mmstw's only produce 50 to 75fps less velocity with handloads,and do it withy less recoil and longer barrel life than the 7mmultramag.

I do not own a 7 RUM but I do own a 300 Rum and from my experience with the RUMs it would seem to be a better purchase to get a 300 if you can. The 300 seems to be more of a mainstay with the gun community and you will be probably be able to get ammo (if you dont reload) for the 300 alot longer than the 7 rum. Just my .02 worth.

I had one for a while. I really didn't care for it because the only thing it offered in the real world that the 7MM Mag does not, it more recoil and shorter barrel life. Sure it will offer a little more velocity but not enough to put it much above the much more common 7MM Remington. IMO. I don't look for it to hang on much longer. again. IMO.

IMO it offers very little over the 280 Remington and very little over the 7 MM Rem Mag.

I mean as a practical hunting cartridge.

HUH? I would do a little more looking cause its a big gap from the 280 and 7 mag to the 7 rum.

Yea, guys think your little off base. 400-500fps is more of a gap. I mean way more.

What I mean by in the real world is what can the hunter do with the 7RUM that he can not do with the 7MM Rem Mag? Is the 7RUM in a different class for big game? Can hardly anyone get a worth while bennifit from the few hundred fps difference? I don't think so. While I owned both, there just was no real difference in what I used the two rifles for. Thus being the case, why did I need the extra recoil and barrel errosion? If a guy wants one, they are out there. Maybe you can find a use for the extra velocity. I couldn't they are both suitable for NA game. While there is a little more difference yet, a decent hunter can do the same with a 280.