Author Topic: 338RUM or 375 RUM????? (Read 1483 times)

Camp Cook · « **on:** September 23, 2004, 08:25:42 AM »

My wife just gave me the ok to purchase a new rifle(had to promise new living room furniture). I have a 300RUM 700 BDL S/S and would like to add a 338RUM or a 375RUM to my collection. The 338RUM is available in the same 700 BDL S/S or in the 700 LSS models and the 375RUM is available in the 700 LSS model. I'm hoping to get some advice on which caliber/rifle is recommended, or any suggestions.
Thanks for any help,
Cam

Questor · « **Reply #1 on:** September 23, 2004, 10:32:47 AM »

I don't like either one particularly. You get a lot more recoil than the 338 Win or 375 H&H respectively, but with no real improvement in performance. I'd shift my options to be between the 375H&H or the 415 Rigby. You'll get about the same recoil as the two RUMs, but with bigger holes and heavier bullets.

Lawdog · « **Reply #2 on:** September 23, 2004, 03:17:54 PM »

Camp Cook,

I hate to add a negative voice to your post but the .338 and .375 RUMs are the two worst sellers in the RUM line. Remington dropped the .338 Win. Mag. and the .375 H&H from their line-up just to try to boost the sales of these two. Not happening. My take on them is they are not destined to be around long. Lawdog

Questor · « **Reply #3 on:** September 23, 2004, 03:22:54 PM »

Lawdog: I was looking at 338s and 375s and naturally wanted to see what Remington had to offer. I was astounded that they did not offer the model 700 in either 338 win or 375h&h.

There's an interesting forum on which big bores and big game hunting are discussed vividly, and it's a great site otherwise too: www.accuratereloading.com

crow_feather · « **Reply #4 on:** September 23, 2004, 06:36:11 PM »

If you are going to buy one of them RUM's, be sure you like it and that you are a handloader. Unless you wait for it to go to collecter status, you are probably going to take a loss if you decide to sell later on. If you can find a buyer. The 375 H & H and the 338 are both 300 yard cartridges and they both will do in anything excet for a ground squirrel on drugs with it's extremeties bound to prevent blood loss.

C F

Questor · « **Reply #5 on:** September 24, 2004, 04:16:16 AM »

There is a similar thread on accuratereloading.com that includes a post by the host. The man is apparently well off financially and has quite a collection of guns and goes on many safaris. He also developed a ballistic twin of the 375RUM that he raves about as being a most effective cartridge. He appears to have a great deal of experience with it because many of his safari photos show game killed with his wildcat 375. See the bigbore forum there. Experience talks.

Craig Boddington did an article on the 375s in this month's Guns and Ammo that you may want to read. It compares the currently available 375s. His opinion is that the faster 375s are more effective than the H&H but he does equivocate. A table of recoil comparisons is given. It's clear that adding a couple of hundred fps really increases the recoil substantially.

Robert · « **Reply #6 on:** September 24, 2004, 05:57:54 AM »

If they had brought out a 350 Ultra-Mag, I would buy it. They probably considered it....but went with the 375 to meet minimum caliber requirement for African hunts. If you are a reloader, either of these would be excellent for any American Big Game. The 338 would probably be more than enough, and would be better suited for slightly reduced loads when required. The 338 is slightly shorter case than the 300, similar to the case difference between 300 and 338 Winchester. I am not really sure of the case length of the 375....another thought. I have load data for the 300 UM al the way down to about 1600 fps....A 338 or 375 Ultra-Mag loaded down to about 2200 fps would be absolutely awesome for knock-down power on close range deer or Elk....and with a few hot loads in your pocket ready to go....you would be prepared for any living creature that walks the earth.

Camp Cook · « **Reply #7 on:** September 30, 2004, 11:23:48 AM »

Well I am a reloader and wanted to have a matching rifle to my 300 RUM and had sold my 375 H&H mag several years ago but remember wishing for a little more with that rifle/cartridge combo. I still have a fairly large assortment of 375 cal bullets left over and the 338 is not that much more than the 300 so I decided on the 375 RUM. A Remington LSS 375 RUM is now ordered and will be leaving tommorrow on UPS and should be arriving on Monday or Tuesday.
Thanks for the thought,
Cam

msorenso · « **Reply #8 on:** December 06, 2004, 03:01:48 AM »

Good for you!. Iagree I think the 375 rum is a huge improvement over the H&H. If they want to talk about not much performance improvents the new short Winchester rounds are the ones that do not have a hole lot of difference in performance. I am looking at a 375 rum my self and if I have to hand load them in the future so be it.

crow_feather · « **Reply #9 on:** December 07, 2004, 04:31:45 AM »

You might want to look at 325 WSM.

C F

Camp Cook · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2004, 07:19:33 AM »

I don't think that the 325WSM will work for me.
It just doesn't do anything better than what is already out there. I have not fired the new short mag's yet but I understand that they may have bullet feeding reliability questions and are not to be depended on when your in a panic to say...... stop a bear charge.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have not heard anything good and have been advised to stay away from the short mag's for this reason.

Now on the other hand I have been reloading for my 375RUM with 260gr Nosler Accubonds and have stopped @ 2920fps for now and 300gr Nosler Partitions @ 2800fps. Other than I need to do something with my trigger (worst one that I have ever had on a Remington 700) I find the rifle very accurate but the recoil is a bit on the heavy side.
Cam

Butler · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2004, 08:15:31 AM »

My 375 H&H is getting 2860 out of its 25 inch tube with 75 gr imr 4350..Not the slightest pressure sign..It works fine..260 accubond..Held together awesome on a bull moose this fall.

Graybeard · « **Reply #12 on:** December 07, 2004, 08:51:40 AM »

Quote

Not the slightest pressure sign

Do the bullets exit the barrel? Do you hear a loud noise that sounds like gunfire when you pull the trigger? Those are two EXELLENT signs of pressure.

I believe what you meant is EXCESS pressure. Problem with this is there are no reliable indicators of pressure that we can go by. Loads proven by pressure testing equipment to be well into the proof round range some times appear to show none of the traditional visual pressure indicators. At other times loads below SAAMI pressure levels will show such signs. There is just no way to know but measure it.

Not saying your load isn't perfectly safe. BUT unless you normally get higher than rated velocity from your gun with factory loads any reload that gets more velocity than is normal for a round is higher because of pressures above SAAMI levels.

Camp Cook · « **Reply #13 on:** December 07, 2004, 09:00:32 AM »

The top reload listed for the 260gr Accubond in the 375RUM is 3100fps but that is to much recoil for me at this time.
I was never able to do that kind of velocity with my Sako Hunter V in 375H&H but it only had a 22" barrel.
Don't get me wrong for most people I would agree that the 375Rum might be to much recoil for them. I shoot several thousand heavy recoiling rifle and handgun rounds every year and am not very recoil shy.
The buddy that I sold my 375H&H to finds that it is to much recoil for him because he hardly ever fires it, and uses his Rem 700 270 Win most of the time.
Cam

Butler · « **Reply #14 on:** December 08, 2004, 12:44:51 PM »

Yes no excessive pressure signs :-) ..talked to a few people that get about the same with the 25 inch tube.75 gr imr 4350..Use 76.5 imr 4350 for my 300 gr hornady's and just break 2500 fps..