Samdweezel05
04-17-2011, 10:42 AM
I asked this on another forum as well so if you read it twice I can not be held liable.
I was cleaning the gun room this morning (actually got it done before I started to ponder) and I began thinking about my next build. I really like the 30 caliber stuff for no real reason. Sitting on the loading bench I had a bunch of different cases that I have loaded for in the past or still load for now. There is a question coming so bear with me. I lined them all up as follows....
6br - .223 - .22-250 - .30-30 - .308 - .300 WSM - .30-06 - .300 RUM - .50 BMG, Never loaded the BMG but I have brass here for it?
Then the questions in my brain started. I wonder how much better the .300 RUM is than the .300 WSM. My recently cleaned loading bench is now becoming a little more cluttered again as the reloading manuals come out.
To look at the 2 cases I would never think of them as being neck and neck, no pun intended. The .300WSM looks to be nothing more than a .308 that missed a couple of Jenny Craig appointments. Looking at some load data from a couple of bullet manufactures I see the .300 RUM does push the heavier 220gr bullets about 200 FPS faster but at the cost of almost 40gr more powder. Once you get down to the lighter 168-190gr bullets the FPS margin of victory for the .300 RUM starts to shrink to about 150 FPS over the .300 WSM and still with 20-25gr more powder.
And the question is..... Is there something magical that happens in that 150-200 FPS advantage over the .300 WSM that makes it a superior cartridge for long range bench shooting? When I shot my RUM at the range I always enjoyed the conversations that were started as I opened up the huge manly ammo box and pulled out one of those shiny monster RUM rounds when the guy sitting next to you is shooting his .220 swift. However, getting 75 or so rounds loaded from a single pound of powder to push 210gr VLD's was even slightly more painful than the recoil felt from all that powder and said bullet going down range.
I was cleaning the gun room this morning (actually got it done before I started to ponder) and I began thinking about my next build. I really like the 30 caliber stuff for no real reason. Sitting on the loading bench I had a bunch of different cases that I have loaded for in the past or still load for now. There is a question coming so bear with me. I lined them all up as follows....
6br - .223 - .22-250 - .30-30 - .308 - .300 WSM - .30-06 - .300 RUM - .50 BMG, Never loaded the BMG but I have brass here for it?
Then the questions in my brain started. I wonder how much better the .300 RUM is than the .300 WSM. My recently cleaned loading bench is now becoming a little more cluttered again as the reloading manuals come out.
To look at the 2 cases I would never think of them as being neck and neck, no pun intended. The .300WSM looks to be nothing more than a .308 that missed a couple of Jenny Craig appointments. Looking at some load data from a couple of bullet manufactures I see the .300 RUM does push the heavier 220gr bullets about 200 FPS faster but at the cost of almost 40gr more powder. Once you get down to the lighter 168-190gr bullets the FPS margin of victory for the .300 RUM starts to shrink to about 150 FPS over the .300 WSM and still with 20-25gr more powder.
And the question is..... Is there something magical that happens in that 150-200 FPS advantage over the .300 WSM that makes it a superior cartridge for long range bench shooting? When I shot my RUM at the range I always enjoyed the conversations that were started as I opened up the huge manly ammo box and pulled out one of those shiny monster RUM rounds when the guy sitting next to you is shooting his .220 swift. However, getting 75 or so rounds loaded from a single pound of powder to push 210gr VLD's was even slightly more painful than the recoil felt from all that powder and said bullet going down range.