Superpig

When Remington first introduced the round my cousin (which has to buy every new caliber available) purchased one. We had a chance to hunt deer together that year and that is what he brought. It was a BDL with a Burris Signature scope on it. I tagged out the first day and after that and my cousin missing 2 deer I let him use my 280 and I carried his 338 RUM for feral hogs. I killed a total of 3 hogs with the gun. He brought the factory 250 gr. load with I believe Nosler partitions. After shooting the hogs I didn't see the gun is an awesome recoiler until on the last day of season I brought out my bench to see how it would group. The gun would shoot honest 1-1/4" 3 shot groups at 100 yards. The only problem was off the bench the recoil was unbearable. I shot a total of 12 rounds for 4 groups and that was more than I wanted too. Needless, to say the next morning my shoulder was bruised and sore. If you like muzzle brakes I think the gun is manageable. If you can't stand the noise and want a 338 go for the Winchester.

max the dog

I know Elk are pretty big animals but do you really think that a 338 ultra-mag is what you need? Elk will go down to a .270 if you place it right, heck I've heard of them falling to a 30-30 if the shooter knows what he's doing.
I think that big guns are pretty cool too but you'd probably be better off with a good .308 or 30-06. You will probably shoot much better with one as the ammo is cheap enough to get a lot of practice and the recoil/muzzle blast won't make you flinch. That big 338 ultra with a muzzle brake is going to deafen the crap out of you and slap your face every time you pull the trigger. Go with the gun you shoot best, not the one that makes the biggest boom.

handloader1

Stubblejumper:

According to the "Gun Digest 2005" the .338 RUM pushes a 250 gr. bullet 2,860 f/s, the .340 Wby. Mag. pushes a 250 gr. bulllet 3,000 f/s.

According to "Ammo & Ballistics II" the .338 RUM pushes a 250 gr. bullet 2,860 f/s, the .340 Wby. Mag. pushes a 250 gr. bullet 2,963 f/s.

I don't know anybody who loads for the .338 RUM, but according to "Accurate Arms 2003 Reloaders Guide" one can push a 250 gr. bullet 2,875 f/s. According to "Hodgdon Basic Reloaders Manual 2005" one can push a 250 gr. Hornady SP 2,964 f/s.

I personally push a Hornady 250 gr. SP in a .340 Wby. Mag. 3,086 f/s.

Good luck.

stubblejumper

Given your username,I would think that you would know better than to use manufacturers published data to compare velocity potentials of these two cartridges.Anyone with any amount of experience with weatherby and remington should be well aware that remington loads their factory loads quite mild while weatherby factory loads are quite hot.The fact is that the case capacity of the 300/338 ultramag actually exceeds the case capacity of the 300/340wby and the result is that the 300/340 ultramag actually has the potential to produce slightly more velocity if both are loaded to design pressures.

KareImp

Looks like I'm out on a limb by myself as a 338 RUM owner. Does ANYONE else actually have one?

I think it's kind of interesting how the conclusion is drawn the caliber can not be shot accurately due to recoil and developing a flinch. I just don't see how a flinch is a given. Well, I guess I'll find out. I do believe I'm going to have to pay more attention to technique, but I guess I don't feel like I'm going to HAVE to put up with flinch. Probably won't ever sit down and lean into it on a bench.

Given, the 338 RUM is over bore capacity, I felt the 300 RUM would be further down the over-bore capacity road so I opted to go with the larger diameter. I don't have a book close by to look at case capacity, if I recall correctly, the 338 RUM has a shorter body than the 300 RUM.

Hey, I just was getting kind of tired of buying another caliber that does the same exact things 6 other guns in my cabinet do, so I thought I would try something different. I just didn't feel the need to buy a 7-08 to put next to the 2 7 Mags, and the 280 Rem, and the 7X57, and the 284 winchester. Anyone else ever feel like there is no unique purpose to half the guns on your rack?

Roskoe

There are a couple of solutions to this dilemma. Since no one really seems to feel the recoil of one of these big bore guns when shooting at big game under field conditions, the real issue is shooting it off the bench.

You can get one of those Benchmaster or Power Isle rests - they contain and absorb most of the gun's recoil and make even a .460 Wby bearable. Buy just one and use it for all your big game rifles.

You can install a muzzle brake, and then remove it for hunting. For a small fee, anyone with basic lathe skills can make you a knurled thread protector to put on when in the field. Only catch is that, at some point, you need to confirm that the gun shoots the same POI with the brake as without.

I also have to agree with Stubble - the .338 RUM has the case capacity to exceed the .340 Wby ballistics - I would be surprised if you couldn't handload it faster.

stubblejumper

I don't own a 338ultramag but I did own a 338x8mmremmag(8mmremmag necked up to 338) for several years.Recoil was just slightly more than my 300ultramags.

hunter338

oldelk,

Guess you have figured out why the 338 RUM is not so popular!
I own one, and I guess you can say that I too wear PANTIES. Becouse I had a KDF MB put on mine. It made alot of differance as far as Recoil goes, but did bump up to noise level a tad.

I like my 338 UM dont think I will ever find a need to get rid of it for any reason.
Do what you want, but I think that you will enjoy it.

Good Luck.
hunter338

handloader1

Stubblejumper:

I deal with facts which are available to me.

Untill a .338 RUM pushes a Hornady 250 gr. SP faster than 3,086 f/s I still believe it sits between the .338 Win. Mag., and the .340 Wby. Mag. Good luck.

oldrgr

I'm confused... Did someone put a muzzle break on some other guy's wife’s panties?

One of the guys in our elk camp shoots a .338 RUM. A couple others shoot .338 Win Mags, and I shoot a .300 RUM. The rest shoot .30-06's

I wimped out and put a break on my .300 RUM. It is manageable with the break. Someone noted that comparing the RUM cartridge w/ the 06 is intimidating - indeed it is!

My guess would be that when the .300 RUM debuted in '99, there was a lot of experience shooting .300 Win Mags, so it (.300 RUM) logically became a popular caliber. The .338 RUM is closer to the Weatherby .340 (more powerful than the .338 Win Mag). Unless you look at ballistic tables one may not realize the significant increase in power of the .338 RUM.