300 RUM vs 7MM Rem or 28 Nosler

[big10hunter]

I hope I am not reintroducing what has already been debated?

I am building a new rifle and thought I had it down to 300 RUM. I want "ONE" rifle for everything from Antelope to Shiras Moose. Talked to an outfitter with a lot of critters under his belt and he said 7mm Rem is his go to gun and leave the 300 RUM in the safe.

Is 7mm Rem sufficient for my all around rifle out to 6-700 yards?

Is it enough gun?

300 RUM hits hard on both ends...is it worth it?

Should I ever consider a 28 Nosler?

Thanks

 

[bhylton]

i think they are all plenty of gun. the all american answer is the ol 30-06. get a 180 accubond running in that 2850fps range and theres not much you cant kill. of your choices i would go 7RM. 300 rum is over the top i think. if you wanna shoot 1200yds it makes sense. a little overkill for anything smaller than an elk maybe. same with the 28 nosler. great super long range round, and just fine for shorter ranges too i guess. but for 700 yds, the 7RM would be more than enough and much nicer to shoot - no muzzle break required. 6.5x55 swede probably killed more moose than anything over in europe... Point being, no need for a super magnum.

 

[belly-deep]

Try sourcing some brass before you go the RUM route. It might change your mind. Depending on how the election goes, it might be a long time before Remington makes more brass for their less popular cartridges.

 

[elkguide]

I love some of the "less known" cartridges and many of them are great cartridges and very efficient and affective. However, over the years that I guided, there were several times that hunters got into town with their custom made rifle only to find that their cartridges had gotten left/lost or whatever and those particular shells were not available anywhere near where we were. I shoot a .300 Win Mag for that reason. I have lots of other rifles but my go to gun when travelling is the .300. Will do just about anything and you can almost always find bullets.

 

[big10hunter]

What is the recoil of the 28 Nosler going to be like?

 

[PathFinder]

The best advice I can give is to put opinions and hype in the trash where they belong and leave it to physics and practicality. First, what is the max range you're going to limit yourself to? Remember, there's a good chance you'll want to extend it after it gets boring. But, once you've decided on a max range, start running energy numbers. People's opinions about what they "like" mean nothing; killing stuff with a bullet is just simple physics. No caliber is magic, it all comes down a projectile of a certain mass hitting an animal at a certain velocity. Any of those calibers will have more than enough KE at 700 yards to knock the life right out of anything in North America. When I think 300 RUM, I think of a 30 cal trying to run with a Lapua that's dang near impossible to find brass for. A 300 RUM is a great deal of overkill if you aren't trying to shoot over 1k. 28 Nosler is as well. The 7MM RM is plenty, will be very easy to find components & tools for, and will be more pleasant to shoot. Unless it would be common for you to hunt things like moose and grizzly bear, I'd definitely say go with the lighter caliber.

 

[Broz]

I will offer you not over look the 300 win mag either. This year has cinched it for me. What I thought I have been seeing with different caliber and killing elk has now become so obvious that I will not sugar coat it any more. I have tested, owned, built and shot many 7 rem mags, 7mm-300 win mags, a few 7 stw's, a 7 RUM or two and others in the .284 family. With a variety of bullets from most of the prominent mfg's in weights including, 140, 150, 160, 168, 180 and now 195. I have also tested a variety of 30 cals, 300 win mag, 300 rum, 30-378, 30 Lapua, and so on. With bullets from the same mfg's in the 180, 190, 210, 215 and 230 gr weights. Hunted at most distances from 50 yards to over 1000 with most kills being from 350 to 800 yards. Yesterday as we are approaching the end of a very long season including two management elk hunts I took my second elk. That second elk put us at number 70 for the season and I have been right there for most of them. Sometimes 3 in one evening off the same hay field. What I have seen is this. Yes the 7mm will kill your elk just fine with a well placed bullet. But there is no doubt the 30 cal will simply take the life out of them faster. And the 338 faster yet. Now add the possibility of the placement being off just a little and this becomes even more obvious. This is not something to ignore. With increased distances the real life possibility of us being off a little is real. Trust me when I tell you that if you are off a little with any 7mm you better have another ready to go to that elk as soon as you can get back on it. The 30 cal and 338 will cover you here in most cases with heavy for caliber bullets. Some may not agree with this post, some may even resent it a little. But I offer this only for those who may benefit from my experience of taking and field dressing 100's of elk with the calibers and bullet mentioned.
Respectfully
Jeff

 

[novaman64]

Based on your above cartridges Id say stick with the 28 nosler. 300 RUM are awesome, but a bit punishing to shoot and as someone else mentioned near impossible to find brass for right now. 7 rem mag is a great round, I used to own one, I for some reason have this odd dislike for belted cartridges though. Nice thing about the 28 nosler is you can get that new 195 berger going over 3000fps which makes for some killer long range ballistics...

I love the 7mm cartridges, 280ai or a 7 STW would get the job done too.

 

[Josh Wright]

I would go 28 nosler for reasons already stated.

 

[16Bore]

bullets, bullets, bullets....

 

[n2horns]

I posted on another thread - I'm building a 7mm on 195 bergers. Seems some sights have nice sales on these bullets now.

 

[big10hunter]

Is the 28 Nosler just a flash in the pan, or is this going to stay around? I get both stories. Guys tell me .284 not enough for Elk, and others say it is incredible. Who shoots .284 for Elk?

 

[Ryan Avery]

Is the 28 Nosler just a flash in the pan, or is this going to stay around? I get both stories. Guys tell me .284 not enough for Elk, and others say it is incredible. Who shoots .284 for Elk?

Read post 7 again. Few can match Jeff on witnessed elk kills(77) this year alone. I believe him when he says that 30 cals do a better job of killing elk at range.

 

[Broz]

Read post 7 again. Few can match Jeff on witnessed elk kills(77) this year alone. I believe him when he says that 30 cals do a better job of killing elk at range.

Another with the 338 makes us at 78 for the season.

I am done now. FWP will take it from here and passed laws yesterday that 16 major ranches on our petition were against. Guess they didn't like all the public access and filled freezers, they voted against us. The result will be lost Block Management ground and much less public access to private ranches. I guess FWP would rather promote the road hunters. They say we are "over Objective" on elk, but they cut our B tags by more than 1/2 and now B tags are NOT to be used on USFS lands in their new laws for our area. Mostly the B tags are only for private lands. WTF? Sad. Sorry for the derail, I know this is off topic. I am just bummed after we sat there for more than 9 hours yesterday to speak.

It was a great past season and a pleasure to help over 65 public hunters fill freezers. Thanks to all the hunters that came and took elk, I enjoyed it.

Jeff

 

[GKPrice]

I will offer you not over look the 300 win mag either. This year has cinched it for me. What I thought I have been seeing with different caliber and killing elk has now become so obvious that I will not sugar coat it any more. I have tested, owned, built and shot many 7 rem mags, 7mm-300 win mags, a few 7 stw's, a 7 RUM or two and others in the .284 family. With a variety of bullets from most of the prominent mfg's in weights including, 140, 150, 160, 168, 180 and now 195. I have also tested a variety of 30 cals, 300 win mag, 300 rum, 30-378, 30 Lapua, and so on. With bullets from the same mfg's in the 180, 190, 210, 215 and 230 gr weights. Hunted at most distances from 50 yards to over 1000 with most kills being from 350 to 800 yards. Yesterday as we are approaching the end of a very long season including two management elk hunts I took my second elk. That second elk put us at number 70 for the season and I have been right there for most of them. Sometimes 3 in one evening off the same hay field. What I have seen is this. Yes the 7mm will kill your elk just fine with a well placed bullet. But there is no doubt the 30 cal will simply take the life out of them faster. And the 388 faster yet. Now add the possibility of the placement being off just a little and this becomes even more obvious. This is not something to ignore. With increased distances the real life possibility of us being off a little is real. Trust me when I tell you that if you are off a little with any 7mm you better have another ready to go to that elk as soon as you can get back on it. The 30 cal and 338 will cover you here in most cases with heavy for caliber bullets. Some may not agree with this post, some may even resent it a little. But I offer this only for those who may benefit from my experience of taking and field dressing 100's of elk with the calibers and bullet mentioned.
Respectfully
Jeff

Jeff is not steering you wrong one bit - although I'm not nearly in his class of numbers I've been in on and killed a large truckload of elk too and there is one chambering/cartridge that stops the action fast, the hole size is .338 and as David Petzal often states, the 338 Win Mag IS simply the best elk round there is - I love that round but I think the 300 Win Mag is a stand out too - Both of those are shootable, easy to find ammo, easy to find components and dies and can be had in a bag full of good rifles - IMO he gives you good advice
George

 

[Broz]

George, Thanks for your input. I appreciate other points of view. I also have talked with several guys from custom rifle builders to real elk guides. They agree as well.

Jeff

 

[elkguide]

I haven't been in the field as a licensed elk guide in a few years but when I was there, I watched elk being killed with everything from a man's father's 30.30, to a young lady with a 25.06 to a hunter that stopped at Cabelas as he drove across country and bought a .300 ultra mag because someone said that it was the best elk cartridge. I've seen the .300, .330, and .375 Dakotas, the Lazeronis and about every other configuration of a cartridge that you can imagine. Now I love the so called "odd-ball cartridges, (my favorite would be either a .284 Winchester or a .280AI) however having seen more than one hunter get to town with a "special cartridge" rifle and finding that somehow their ammo got left behind and not being able to find it in town and having to use their guide's rifle. Elk are an incredibly tough animal and they can take an unbelievable amount of lead before realizing that they are dead. If push came to shove and I had to say which was my favorite cartridge for elk, I wouldn't hesitate to say it is the .300 Winchester Magnum. The .300 Weatherby or the .338 Winchester are a step better but the availability of ammunition in a small elk town or brass for reloading along with the recoil of the .300 being something that most shooters can tolerate and not flinch, makes it a step above all other cartridges. I really do like my .300 WSM Kimber but would I take it on an elk hunt? Since I always bring a back-up rifle, when I head west this fall, it will be in the truck with my .300 Win Mag.

 

[novaman64]

The one thing that I will throw in here... I think whichever rifle you shoot more (practice) with will be the better choice. Some of my friends bought 338's (EDGE) and dont shoot them often because they dont like the recoil and noise. My 280ai on the other hand, I shoot all the time, so I am far more proficient with it then I would be with a rifle I shot less often... There is a article over on LRH (http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/len-backus-elk-hunt-1.php) about the 28 nosler with new berger 195, and while Im not particularly fond of the writing (sounds almost like a sales pitch for his gear) its a quik read and promotes the 28 nosler round as a great elk round. I personally dont have the experience that some of the guys on here do (Broz) so take it as you will....

 

[elkguide]

After reading nman's post, while I would prefer to have a hunter with a .300 Mag, I would rather have a hunter with their .270 that they would be very proficient with, than a rifle that they were afraid of.

Sorry to get away from the original post question but of the three, I would chose none of the above.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Read post 7 again. Few can match Jeff on witnessed elk kills(77) this year alone. I believe him when he says that 30 cals do a better job of killing elk at range.

Yeah, read post 7 and then read post 13.
Just sayin.

Randy