Thinking about building a 338 RUM for a big game hunting rifle.

[IDShane]

Not long ago I posted about possibly building a 33 Nosler and between the Rokslide guys and a few friends I was talked out of it. As I stated in my previous post I currently have a few custom guns 6mm Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and a 300 PRC. I tried a 375 H&H and it just wasn't a fit for me as I prefer a gun that can reach out a bit further. I would prefer to have a gun 9-12lbs total I plan to put an NX8 and a muzzle break. I am kind of veering away from the Lapua's and Edge's as they seem to preform better with longer barrel's I am hoping to land in the 24-26" range. Am I making a mistake choosing this caliber? Can the recoil of this setup be managed with a good brake and correct stock/pad? Is there any other calibers that I should consider? I am hoping to shoot 250/265 grain bullets and plan to reload them myself.

 

[Tberg]

Not many fleas on the 338 RUM and it's a good fit for bullets in the 250-265 range. You should be able to send those 2900fps maybe a little more from a tube that length. Load them long with H1000 or similar and you'd have a nice handy rifle. The recoil will be snappy but tolerable with a good brake, the muzzle blast will be obnoxious though. I shoot a 13lb 338 edge and it's setup similar, but with a 28" barrel. The 265gr CE MTH is excellent!

I went with a 4" Wyatt's box and load them long, I'd recommend you do the same, but a CIP mag would probably not cost much in the way of fps. If you decide a big 338 isn't for you, rebarrel to the 300 RUM and you can still shoot the 245gr Berger past 2k yards. And you can still barrel up to the Edge if you need more speed!

 

[TaperPin]

I went up from the 338 win to a 26” 340 wby in a 9 lb rifle and never regretted it. Recoil without a brake is brisk, but manageable. I even carried it mule deer hunting a season until the newness wore off.

Personally, this caliber is about my upper limit in a 9 lb rifle. When you’re burning a lot of powder there is a point where a muzzle brake is more of a hinderance than help - I’d suggest finding someone with whatever flavor of 338 you’re interested in and shooting it with and without a brake. 340 wby and 30-378 are so ear splitting with a brake, unless you just tagged Bigfoot you’ll definitely notice it a whole lot while hunting.

Whatever caliber you choose, its really nice to be able to seat the bullets near the lands - I made the mistake of keeping the wby free bore and it was ridiculous.

 

[grfox92]

With the bullet choices for 300prc and its already stout recoil of 32 plus ft lbs I couldn't imagine needing anymore gun unless I was going to Africa for some dangerous game.

338RUM with the bullet weights you listed would have over 42ft lbs of recoil energy in a 9lb rife. So still over 20ft lbs with a brake. There is new information coming out about heavy recoiling rifles and Traumatic Brain injury. So for me personally, I'm out on the cannon magnums.

I just dont know what you would gain when you already have the 300prc. Unless of course you just want to buy a new rifle, which by all means, the more the merrier. But if it's something you want to shoot often, I would stay away. This is obviously just my opinion.

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[gearguywb]

Had a 338 and let it go. Unless you are trying to stop a charging Greyhound bus it is a bit much. Recoil was stout to say the least (in a hunting weight gun).

 

[Will_m]

I just came here to comment about something I don’t know about so please ignore if it’s wrong but…..

@grfox92 says the recoil is around 42 ft pounds. Seems like I read 3.5” turkey loads are 70 in a 12 gauge and I shoot those without much thought.

 

[grfox92]

You point and those at birds and yank the trigger, your not holding cross hairs on a 3" heart at 400 yards.

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[TaperPin]

There is new information coming out about heavy recoiling rifles and Traumatic Brain injury.

That‘s not surprising, at least with the big boomers. Ultrasonic cleaner waves travel quite well through many things - it makes me curious about muzzle brakes giggling gray matter. I’d think the military has a lot of data from artillery crews, all of which we’ll never see if it shows a negative effect on health.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

That‘s not surprising, at least with the big boomers. Ultrasonic cleaner waves travel quite well through many things - it makes me curious about muzzle brakes giggling gray matter. I’d think the military has a lot of data from artillery crews, all of which we’ll never see if it shows a negative effect on health.

It’s one of the reasons Form has been bringing up keeping kids shooting smaller calibers while they are young. Any articles related to it @Formidilosus ?

 

[t_carlson]

Brass availability would be my biggest concern these days.

Not sure if we'll ever see consistent reloading supply availability again.

 

[Formidilosus]

It’s one of the reasons Form has been bringing up keeping kids shooting smaller calibers while they are young. Any articles related to it @Formidilosus ?

I am not sure what’s in the public domain, a thorough search would probably bring it up.

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

I am not sure what’s in the public domain, a thorough search would probably bring it up.

Understood. I’ll see what I can find.

 

[grfox92]

It’s one of the reasons Form has been bringing up keeping kids shooting smaller calibers while they are young. Any articles related to it @Formidilosus ?

I got a good headache shooting my unbraked 308 this weekend. It came on, and every time I shot it got worse and worse so I called it quits. Felt like my brain was rattling inside my head.

That was a 7.25lb .308. It really made me think twice about the 300wsm I want to put together.

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[rifletuner]

I have a 338 Edge and like it a lot, but a 338 RUM gets very similar performance. A friend of mine has a 338 RUM and he basically does everything with the RUM that I do with my Edge.

Having said that, if I were to build it today I would go 338 Norma. My Edge is single feed only with a 250gn Berger seated out, whereas my 300 Norma is easy to magazine feed even with a long seated 225gn ELD-M.

 

[Geewhiz]

Ive got a 338 rum with a 26 inch barrel thats shoots really well. Ive got a 5.5-22x56 nxs on it and a tbac 338 ultra suppressor. All in it weights 12.8 lbs with the sling, mirage cover, ammo etc. Its heavy but due to the confidence it brings, I pack it all over. I'm sending 300 grain berger elite hunters at 2729. I think I could get a bit more out of it but that seams to be a happy spot. Shoots like a dream. I'm not an incredible shooter but when doing load development, every group I shot with my current load was sub moa on paper to 1000. Mine is also single feed which I find to be not as annoying as I originally anticipated. Recoil is very manageable with the tbac. My 110 lb wife admits that she enjoys shooting it more than my unbraked 270.

Would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[sambo3006]

I can't speak to the 250+ grain bullets, but I had a 700 BDL 338 RUM that I had ported basically like a four row circular port muzzle brake with no ports on the bottom to reduce muzzle jump. I beddded it into a McMillan BDL stock, and recoil was not unpleasant at all with 225 gr Accubonds at 3050 fps. It was extremely accurate as well. I'm still not sure why I sold it. I killed a bull elk with it at 320 yards and absolutely hammered a few whitetails with it. A great cartridge for sure.

 

[STevenQ178]

With the bullet choices for 300prc and its already stout recoil of 32 plus ft lbs I couldn't imagine needing anymore gun unless I was going to Africa for some dangerous game.

338RUM with the bullet weights you listed would have over 42ft lbs of recoil energy in a 9lb rife. So still over 20ft lbs with a brake. There is new information coming out about heavy recoiling rifles and Traumatic Brain injury. So for me personally, I'm out on the cannon magnums.

I just dont know what you would gain when you already have the 300prc. Unless of course you just want to buy a new rifle, which by all means, the more the merrier. But if it's something you want to shoot often, I would stay away. This is obviously just my opinion.

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The terminal performance between 338 rum and 300 prc is very obvious to say at least.

 

[STevenQ178]

I high recommend 250 gr Barnes LRX. Both expansion and weight retention are excellent!!

 

[Pilsner]

I just came here to comment about something I don’t know about so please ignore if it’s wrong but…..

@grfox92 says the recoil is around 42 ft pounds. Seems like I read 3.5” turkey loads are 70 in a 12 gauge and I shoot those without much thought.

I shot them along with 12 ga 3.5" mag slugs.
I do it with not much thought but a truck load of regret!

 

[Mike D Texas]

IMO you’d be better served with a 338 Norma, especially if wanting a shorter barrel.


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